The Carer Digital - Issue #104

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 Issue 104

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

THECARERUK

THECARER_UK

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Staggering £4bn Cost of “Unusable” Covid PPE Revealed in Damning Report The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) lost 75% of the £12 billion it spent on PPE in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic to inflated prices and faulty kit.

The impending destruction and waste of public money is revealed in a report by the Commons public accounts committee (PAC) that is critical of the Department of Health and Social Care’s strategy when the Covid pandemic struck in 2020.

The PAC, which oversees spending by Whitehall departments, found that the DHSC has £4bn of PPE in storage which cannot be used by frontline workers

because it is substandard.

In their report, the cross-party group of MPs said: “The department has no clear disposal strategy for this excess PPE but told us that it plans to burn significant volumes and will aim to generate power from this.”

The DHSC has so much unwanted PPE that it has assigned two commercial waste firms to help it dispose of 15,000 pallets a month “via a combination of recycling and burning to generate power”.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

PAGE 2 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

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

A report (see our front page story) condemning the money wasted on unsuitable personal protection equipment (PPE) with £4bn worth having to be destroyed makes difficult reading.

To put some context on that, and this is only a rough calculation, it would take 888,888 average UK taxpayers to work one year to raise that in taxes.

It is, as observers point out, disgraceful.

One of the really “galling” aspects of this is that the government, in my opinion, “panicked” and outsourced purchasing to some people/companies with absolutely no experience whatsoever. No proven track record and, from what I can gather and I am open to correction, provided no evidence of credible supply chains.

We here at THE CARER saw many credible established UK businesses passed over for overseas junk which was not fit for purpose.

We spoke with many established businesses who were not consulted and then saw the market flooded with cheap, unusable tack, while they had to reduce or close their operations because they were being overlooked.

I haven’t yet seen the customary “lessons will be learned”, but I do hope that if the government is considering stockpiling PPE this autumn/winter in case there are seasonal spikes or a new variant, that it considers professional, established businesses with proven track records of manufacture and supply of fit-for-purpose equipment.

And if they needed to at any point they can simply pick up our publication as we have dozens of them!

Unfortunately this is yet another example of wasted taxpayer money. England’s Nightingale Hospitals cost over than half a billion pounds, and government figures revealed that Birmingham Nightingale — set up at the National Exhibition Centre — was the most expensive hospital to create at £66.4m, and did not treat any patients throughout the pandemic.

It is very easy to stand on the sidelines and snipe, something I am endeavouring not to

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Thank you all once again the many stories we receive from residential in care homes/settings around the UK. From awards to birthdays to celebrations, charity events and initiatives we are delighted to receive them and of course publicise them, sharing all your successes, which we feel it vital to the sector which can sometimes find itself in the court of public opinion so please do keep them coming to editor@thecareruk.com Next week sees the Care & Occupational Therapy Show in Exeter (see page 19) and I hope we will see you there. It promises to be a great event! See more information at www.careexhibition.co.uk We’ve also seen some wonderful stories on our new Instagram feed, which you can follow at www.instagram.com/thecarer_uk

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 3

Staggering £4bn Cost of “Unusable” Covid PPE Revealed in Damning Report (CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER) As the pandemic broke countries around the world were clamouring for PPE which sent prices surging.

The Department of Health has repeatedly argued that it was better to purchase PPE despite the "globally inflated market" rather than risk running out of equipment.

A total of £4.7bn was written off because the market price of PPE at the end of the year was lower than the price paid at the height of the pandemic, and the committee says a further £4bn was lost because equipment, such as masks and gowns, did not meet NHS standards, was defective or not needed.

NO CLEAR PLAN The PAC also wrote in its report that there is “no clear plan for how big the PPE stockpile needs to be and how the department will build greater resilience into the NHS supply chain so that it can respond at pace to future urgent needs”.

The cross-party committee found that the department has not decided on what level of stockpile it should maintain for the future and that it has estimated that holding a stockpile sufficient to deal with a pandemic equivalent to Covid would represent “value for money only if there was a pandemic every 12 years”.

Chair of the committee Meg Hillier MP described the purchasing of PPE during the pandemic as “perhaps the most shameful episode” in the UK government’s response to the virus, with health and social care workers “left to risk their own and their families’ lives” due to a lack of basic equipment.

“In a desperate bid to catch up the government splurged huge amounts of money, paying obscenely inflated prices and payments to middlemen in a chaotic rush during which they chucked out even the most cursory due diligence. This has left us with massive public contracts now under investigation by the National Crime Agency or in dispute because of allegations of modern slavery in the supply chain,” she said.

“DHSC singularly failed to manage this crisis, despite years of clear and known risk of a pandemic, and the challenges facing it now are vast, from getting the NHS back on its feet to preparing for the next major crisis. There are frankly too few signs that it is putting its house in order or knows how to.”

The report found that the department “regularly failed to follow public spending rules”, and argued the pandemic “highlighted the impor-

tance of achieving transparency in respect of how it identifies and manages declarations of interests”.

It concluded that a “considerable amount” of money was spent on products from new suppliers including those “with no previous experience of supplying certain types of products”, which had the effect of “increasing the risk that the Department entered into contracts where conflicts of interest existed”.

“SHAMEFUL” Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner has also criticised “the shameful and toxic waste of Boris Johnson’s Conservatives” as a new report has outlined how the government intends to burn £4bn of unusable personal protective equipment bought during the pandemic.

“Ministers have been carelessly burning taxpayers’ money by the billion as unusable gowns, goggles and gloves literally go up in flames,” the deputy Labour leader said.

“On [PPE], they got the big calls hopelessly wrong as ministers lined the pockets of their cronies with public money using their illegal VIP fast lane while failing key workers on the frontline. It is outright incompetence and downright sleaze.”

Labour added that a departmental review of the 364 contracts entered into found concerns with 176 (48%). 24% of these are in dispute: being either under commercial negotiation, legal review or in mediation. One disputed contract, for 3.5 billion gloves, involves a manufacturer against whom allegations of modern slavery have been made.

“INADEQUATE PREPAREDNESS” Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: “This report illustrates the Government’s completely inadequate preparedness for a pandemic and the resulting chaos that ensued as it scrambled to procure PPE far too late, through unsuitable and untested routes, meaning much of it was unusable, and ultimately, unsafe. In the first wave of the pandemic, shortages, and poor quality and unusable PPE meant doctors and their colleagues were left unprotected, facing the risk of severe disease or death from Covid-19.

“Since then, we’ve heard multiple accounts of faulty, unsuitable or substandard PPE being offered to healthcare workers, now underlined by the fact that the Government is having to destroy an eye-watering £4bn worth of useless kit. This is money that could have been spent funding health services and staff at a time when it’s never been needed more.

“The deadly mismanagement around the supply of PPE is one of the

greatest failings of this Government’s handling of the pandemic, when it did not fulfil its very basic duty of care to those who were risking it all for others, and was something that featured heavily in the first two of the BMA’s recent Covid-19 reports2.

“Most worryingly, the Government seems not to have learnt lessons, with the PAC highlighting that it has no idea of how large a stockpile it needs to have to prepare for future pandemics, let alone put in measures to ensure it maintains this. This was a key recommendation in our first report, as well as developing plans to scale up supplies if necessary, and it is imperative that these are acted upon immediately so as never to put healthcare workers in such deadly circumstances ever again.”

BILLIONS UP IN SMOKE RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “Members will find this galling. It’s a painful reminder of the worst of the pandemic – inadequate or wasteful PPE. Sending billions of pounds up in smoke when NHS and care services are struggling will be hard for them to comprehend.

“If this money had been used more wisely and decent-quality PPE bought in the first place, then the lives of nursing staff might have been saved.” Pat added: “It will be critical, if we are to truly learn the lessons, for the forthcoming COVID-19 public inquiry to pin down causes and to say clearly where mistakes were made so they are never repeated.”

Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesperson, said: “Hard-working families, who are struggling to make ends meet, will be outraged that the Conservatives have squandered their money for no other reason than their sheer incompetence.”

In the House of Lords yesterday (June 14) Conservative peer Lord Kamall said “My Lords, £9 billion was wasted on PPE due to obscenely inflated prices, irregular payments to intermediaries and faulty kit which is now poised to go up in smoke, along with nearly one in four of the contracts in dispute around products which are not fit for purpose or where allegations of slavery have been made. We know that the Government were responding to an unfolding crisis, but how was this shameful episode allowed to go unchecked and why has the department been allowed to establish a track record for not following public spending rules”?

Read the full report from the cross-party public accounts committee at https://tinyurl.com/3j7uyvvc

PAGE 4 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

QCS Launches Bereavement Support Resource for Social Care Workers, Families and Loved Ones

By Abi Spence, QCS Registration and Inspection specialist (www.qcs.co.uk) For those working in the social care sector, coping with the loss of a person they have been caring for can be very difficult, particularly when they have had a longstanding and meaningful relationship. Moreover, they are often called on to support relatives in the moments, hours and days of the person’s death.

Abi Spence, a Registration and Inspection specialist for Quality Compliance Systems (QCS), offers guidance for registered managers and care workers on how to provide appropriate support and to look after their own wellbeing with the help of the new QCS Bereavement Support resource.

Many care workers had to deal with an unrelenting loss of life during the pandemic, particularly within residential services for the elderly.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), total deaths of care home residents in England increased by 16.5% between the first and second waves of the pandemic (85,305 and 99,380 deaths respectively).1 The challenges faced by those working in the care sector were unremitting. Reflecting on the harsh realities of these difficult times provides us with an opportunity to review some of the lessons learned.

A key lesson was that when dealing with the intense pressure and fast pace of the pandemic, many care workers were unable to grieve: their emotions were paused while they dealt with the onslaught.

EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH DEATH It has opened up a welcome wider conversation, about how people within the sector are equipped and prepared to deal with death, and how we ensure that we’re looking after the well-being of the social care workforce.

In its May 2022 report2 on the ‘Health and wellbeing of the adult social care workforce’, the government said it ‘is committed to helping staff recover from their extraordinary role in helping the country through the pandemic’.

But it’s clear that the fact that care workers have to constantly deal with the passing of those they care for has sometimes been missed by wider society.

PERSON-CENTRED SUPPORT As human beings, we have feelings and emotions. In the care sector, we talk about person-centred care.

And it this approach that is also appropriate for helping our care workers when faced with the challenges of bereavement - of colleagues, of those they support, and the families and loved ones of the deceased.

In response to this need, QCS, the leading provider of content, guidance and standards for the social care sector, has developed its Bereavement Support resource. It contains a full range of advice and guidance to support the carer’s wellbeing when someone they have cared for has passed away, and for registered managers to support their workforce too.

In addition, it offers resources for carers when offering person-centred support to the relatives and significant others of a person who has died, as well as for the bereaved person’s family and friends.

SUPPORT FOR CARE STAFF Coping with the loss of the person you have been caring for can be traumatic, especially if it has been a long-term, close relationship. It’s important to understand that how a death will impact someone depends on the person, as everyone is different.

Care staff may display symptoms of grief such as sadness, confusion, anger, even shock. Or they may feel

nothing at all. Whatever emotion they feel, it is 'normal' as grief and bereavement look different for everyone.

Registered managers can take a preventative approach by checking in with the individual and the wider workforce too. Observation is key, and just asking someone if they are OK is important.

Colleagues will often notice whether the individual is putting on a front, or if their disposition has changed, and can tell their manager. This applies both in the short term and over time. It’s all about knowing your workforce and understanding what is and isn’t normal for that person.

Registered care managers can ensure their staff are trained before they need it. End of life training is very helpful, as are regular talks within the care setting about death, whether one-on-one discussions or team meetings.

Yearly events such as Hospice UK’s Dying Matters Awareness Week are useful to provide a focal point to come together to talk about death, dying and grief. Within Bereavement Support, organisations and resources such as these are sign-posted for both registered managers supporting their teams, and for individual carers to learn what they need to do to help themselves.

Guidance on how to support family members and friends It is always difficult to have conversations with the bereaved after a death, whether expected or unexpected. However, it is an important part of continuing to deliver person-centred care and support, especially for those who are involved in developing and supporting end-of-life care planning.

The QCS Bereavement Support resource provides care workers with easy-to-use support and guidance to ensure they deliver sensitive care to the families and loved ones of the person who has passed. Multi-media resources including leaflets, posters, checklists and podcasts guide carers on how best to support family and friends immediately after their loss. You can listen to the podcast for free here: www.qcs.co.uk/thecarer-podcast.

SUPPORT FOR THE BEREAVED It can be challenging to know what to do when a close family member or friend passes away. Within the QCS Bereavement Support resource is a checklist that gives practical information about where to start and what can’t be delayed. It includes advice for the bereaved on practical arrangements such as how to register a death, arrange a funeral and a glossary of legal terms to navigate such as ‘next of kin’. You can download the checklist for free here: www.qcs.co.uk/thecarer-checklist.

It also includes a range of best practice signposting materials for care homes on where to go for support for the bereaved, care workers and others through grief.

A GROWING BEREAVEMENT RESOURCE The QCS Bereavement Support resource has been designed to help people through their journey by de-mystifying the process and taking a person-centred approach. By creating a dedicated resource for bereavement, where everything is brought together in one place, it allows carers and registered managers to access everything they need.

It is based on people’s lived experience, to ensure it is tailored to needs and compliments existing training.

But it is a growing resource, and as such, QCS is happy to get feedback from users and add to the content.

1. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/deathsinvolvingcovid19inthecaresectorenglandandwales/deathsregisteredbetweenweekending20march2020andweekending21january2022 2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-wellbeing-of-the-adult-social-care-workforce/health-and-wellbeing-of-theadult-social-care-workforce

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 5

Report Reveals 229% Rise in Social Care Needs Assessment Enquiries Compared to Pre Pandemic Figures Today marks the release of national charity Access Social Care’s annual State of the Nation report, which reveals a staggering 229% increase in the number of social care needs assessment enquiries in the year 2021-22 compared to 2019-20. The report paints a desperate picture of the English social care system, with the massive and unsustainable rise in advice demand far outstripping available resources.

Access Social Care is a nationwide charity providing free legal advice for people with social care needs. Its second annual State of the Nation report is based on a data collaboration project in partnership with Royal Mencap Society, Age UK, Carers UK and Independent Age. With the use of 74,000 separate data points, the report outlines the key challenges facing people who need social care and looks at the extent to which advice demand and provision has changed.

The nationwide data in this year’s report has also evidenced an 88% increase in enquiries that were identified as needing specialist legal advice in the year 2021/22, compared to 2019/20.

The report also revealed that, in light of growing concern surrounding the increased cost of living and the aftermath of the pandemic, the number of enquiries regarding problems or concerns about existing social care and support rose by 43% in the year 2021/22 compared to 2019/20. The wellbeing of both care users and care providers has continued to spiral downwards, because of the widening gaps in necessary support needed for people to live fulfilled and meaningful lives. This pressure on capacity has meant that helplines have been required to take on additional staff and expand opening hours to cope with the increase in demand on their services.

Household bills continue to soar, the lifetime cost of care cap has been announced, and there has been a

wider adoption of the minimum income guarantee (MIG) which has failed to rise in line with real time inflation – in consequence, charging has become an ever more pressing issue, accounting for 25% of the whole dataset. Cash-strapped local authorities (LA’s) have been pushed into further unsustainable and undignified cost efficiencies. It has been made abundantly clear that LA’s have no option but to increase charges for social care to meet crippling budget targets, and the demand for advice on charging continues to rise as a result.

Kari Gerstheimer, Chief Executive of Access Social Care said: “Once again the State of the Nation report has highlighted serious issues within the English social care system, and at what cost? Most local authorities cannot meet the demand for care. This affects all of us.

Whether we are self funders or in receipt of state funded care, we will all need social care at some point either for ourselves or for a loved one. The Government claims to have fixed social care and continues its promises to help ease the cost of living crisis, but the sums don’t add up. Millions of people are feeling the effects of an underfunded system.”

“We want a social care system that is properly financed, readily available and fairly distributed. Currently, vital services are overstretched, and people are going without the necessary social care they so desperately need – something needs to change.”

Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director of Age UK said: “The findings in this report provide clear evidence of a system under severe duress. Councils are struggling to discharge their responsibilities to people in need of care and support and are having to adopt explicit prioritisation measures to deal with the overwhelming demands they face.”

“To a great extent this problem is not new, but it has been made worse by the pandemic. For example, Age UK’s own research shows how being cooped up at home for long periods, largely inactive, and being unable to get timely medical treatment, has caused the health and care needs of significant numbers of older people to become more pronounced. “ “In these difficult circumstances navigating the always complex social care system is a real challenge. It makes the role of charities who provide information and advice about social care more important than ever, both for the people in need of help and by shining a light on what’s really going on in care services across the country.”

Whitby Nursing Home is Renamed Jubilee House Oakland nursing home on White Point Road, Whitby is getting the name change after it was taken over by Saint Cecilia’s Care Group.

The company put out an appeal for a new name and from a number of suggestions, the most popular was Jubilee House, as the takeover happened during Jubilee week.

Saint Cecilia’s Managing Director Mike Padgham said: “As we mark the Queen’s 70-year reign, Jubilee House will be the perfect new name for Oakland.

“For us, it will celebrate the past and just as importantly, signal a fresh new start for the home as part of the Saint Cecilia’s family.

“There is also a certain resonance with the Queen’s own Platinum Jubilee mes-

sage when she spoke of reflecting on the past and looking to the future ‘with confidence and enthusiasm'.

“We look forward to working with the home’s residents and their families and with the staff to give Jubilee House an exciting future.”

The nursing home is registered for 27 residents and has 25 staff.

All existing Oakland staff are being offered posts with Saint Cecilia’s, matching their current pay, terms, and conditions.

Saint Cecilia’s has appointed Tom Johnstone as interim manager and has begun recruiting other new staff for the home. It is looking for applicants for a number of posts.

PAGE 6 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

Utilising ‘Volunteer’ Army Is Key To Solving The Care Recruitment Crisis

By Anne-Marie Perry, Managing Director and Founder, CareMatch (www.carematch.com) The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated how much the country can achieve when working together towards a common cause. The nation took steps to prevent the spread of the virus, and millions of people also came together to offer vital non-professional care to the elderly, vulnerable and disabled in the last two years.

Although the pandemic has now abated, Britain is still facing a chronic care crisis. It is time to start seriously considering how informal community support structures can be put in place to ease the strain on professional care workers.

The industry faces a recruitment crisis with the number of vacancies outstripping the number of available workers.

While initiatives like the relaxing of immigration rules for foreign care workers is a step in the right direction, ultimately a drastic change in how we approach care is needed. We need new approaches which bolster recruitment from both abroad and here in Britain, widening the pool from which the caregiving sector draws its employees.

The scale of the challenge As a country, we must ensure those who need care services are adequately looked after, both now and in the future.

According to the charity Carers UK, every day another 6,000 people take on some form of caring responsibility – equal to more than two million people each year. The responsibilities of delivering care are still largely falling on women too - 58% of carers are women compared to the 42% who are men.

Our professional carers also work longer hours than ever before. In the last decade alone, we have seen a 19% rise in the number of hours worked by care givers. And though it is common for care workers to work five hours of overtime every week, as more than half do, even that is not enough to close the gap between demand and supply.

The government has taken steps to increase funding for social care by creating a new health and social

care levy, which is expected to raise £5.4bn over the next three years. It’s a huge sum that will help to ease some of the pressure currently being felt within the sector, but this alone will not be enough to solve the crisis the nation faces.

Too often older and vulnerable people find themselves turning to the NHS for treatment and support because the opportunity for an early and effective care intervention has been missed. Requests for NHS social care support have risen dramatically since 2014, but the number of people actually receiving publicly-funded care has fallen during this period. Already the care sector plays a vital role in supporting the NHS - without a properly functioning care sector we cannot have a properly functioning NHS, and the strain is increasing with every day that passes.

An army of volunteers Harnessing our “volunteer army”, which gave vital non-professional care over the pandemic, is key to solving the recruitment crisis facing the care industry. We know volunteer carers are willing and able to provide informal support to loved ones and the wider community, as the pandemic showed, and this should be used to relieve the burden on professionally trained care staff. Drawing on the support of volunteers will alleviate the staffing crisis and reduce the burden on both the care industry and the wider health service.

As well as neighbours, community groups and others providing non-professional support, there are other sectors of society that can be drawn upon for care. Every year millions of young adults leave school and represent a vast untapped resource which could form a key part of a National Care Service. Much like the Army Reserves, a volunteer army ready to give their time or be drawn on for paid work would offer huge relief to our overworked professionals.

Harnessing technology Technology also has a hugely important role to play in ensuring our care workers are deployed most effectively. Digital tools can ensure that carers are connected and coordinated efficiently to better serve those needing support. What they need is a community-focused solution that allows professional staff to best assist those needing care, while using informal carers where appropriate.

There are many ways we can improve the quality and consistency of care in Britain. By applying innovative technologies and making use of an army of willing volunteers, we can deliver a more effective and efficient care system, while simultaneously developing stronger community ties. For too long our country has neglected to tackle the problems facing the sector, we must act now or the current crisis will only get worse.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 7

Families in England Recover Over £400m in Wrongly Paid NHS Nursing Care Fees Families fighting for NHS care costs have recovered over £400

Critics of the assessment say that it is far too easy for CCGs to

million in wrongly paid fees since 2013, says law firm, Hugh James.

deny care funding as the wording used is too subjective. This often

However, this is the tip of the iceberg, with families forced to

leads to decisions that individuals are ‘not ill enough’ to receive

appeal restrictive NHS decisions.

funding.

The appeals process is an onerous, lengthy, and complex one,

Hugh James’s analysis, using figures obtained via the Freedom

which can put a huge strain on individuals and their families. In

of Information Act, shows one in five people are successful in overturning NHS decisions at local level and 30% at national level.

some cases, delays mean money is refunded some-time after the

For a regional breakdown of the figures in your area, see the sep-

individual concerned has died.

Whilst over £400m in past care has been refunded, families are

arate guidance note attached: ‘How failures in NHS Continuing

still missing out with the number of people receiving full NHS

Healthcare assessments led to tens of thousands missing out.’

funding declining. At the end of 2015/16, 62,939 individuals

Lisa Morgan, Partner and Head of the Nursing Care team at

received the funding. However, recent statistics confirm, sadly,

Hugh James said:

there has been a slow decline with 53,745 eligible by the end of

“Despite many obstacles, the figures show that victory is possi-

2021/22. 54.56 people out of every 50,000 people in England are

ble for families who should never have been burdened with the

now eligible, a clear regional disparity remains from 232.53 people

care fees of their loved ones in the first place.”

“Individuals who are denied funding to pay for the long-term care are often forced to take the costly

out of every 50,000 in NHS Bury CCG, but NHS Berkshire West CCG only funds 10.29 in every 50,000. The

and heart-breaking step of selling their homes to foot the bill – care bills can cost up to £6,000 a month.

North-South divide is also clear with an average 70.53 people out of every 50,000 funded in the

Paying for care is a huge burden for families at a very difficult time.”

Northwest oppose to 41.42 people out of every 50,000 in the Southwest. As a result, many vulnerable

Many families remain either unaware of their legal rights and the support available to them or their loved ones are wrongly assessed by the NHS as being not eligible for the funding.

Lisa Morgan goes on to say: “The line between healthcare and social care is a very thin one, but the impact for the individual is the difference between free care and care which is means tested. NHS Continuing Healthcare can remove a heavy financial burden of healthcare costs at a very stressful time, when a loved one is very ill.”

As Lisa explains, the NHS will pay for care if an NHS assessor deems a person’s health needs and con-

people are still missing out.

The recent statistics also confirm that the percentage of people referred for a full assessment that resulted in the person being found eligible for standard CHC has dropped by a third in a decade, from 34% in 2011/12 to now 22%. There is also a clear North-South divide, with 28% receiving funding at first assessment in the North-East oppose to 17% in the Southeast.

Lisa Morgan concludes: “It’s extremely disappointing to see people denied care funding – their legal right – and have to fight to

dition is serious enough. All costs will be covered, regardless of their wealth, under what is known as NHS

receive the vital funding they deserve. It is hugely concerning the level of successful appeals after evok-

Continuing Healthcare (CHC). However, with 35% of Britain’s 400,000 care home residents self-funding

ing a complex and lengthy appeal process. It shows that lessons have still not been learnt over the past

their care, thousands of families in England are likely to be wrongly paying out themselves.

decade of appeals.”

Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) in England assess eligibility for care funding using a checklist

“But it’s not just the thousands of families losing out. It is a cautionary tale for the NHS too. In cases

developed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Health boards in Wales make assess-

where funding is found to be wrongly denied, it is forced to pay years of interest on back-dated pay-

ments based on a Welsh Government framework.

Eligibility rests on an assessment by a team of health professionals who will look at someone’s care

ments, as well as reimbursing families for care at private rates instead of the cheaper contract rates that would have been available to the health service had it negotiated the care package to begin with. In

needs to consider what help they need, how complex those needs are, how unpredictable they are and

many cases, if the CCG had made the right decision in the first place, they could have saved themselves

any risks to health if the right care is not provided at the right time.

thousands of pounds and saved families from years of heartache.”

PAGE 8 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

National Minimum Wage and Working Time: The Legal Issues

By Tom Draper, Employment Partner at Freeths (www.freeths.co.uk) Buckle in for a whistle-stop tour of some of the current employment law considerations businesses in the care sector are grappling with, including some tips on how to avoid an HMRC National Minimum Wage investigation and your obligations to your workers in respect of their working hours.

With ongoing staffing shortages in care homes there is a heightened risk that workers will be working extra hours to ensure that residents and vulnerable service users cared for properly. This creates legal risks for employers regarding payment of the national minimum wage and under the Working Time Regulations.

National Minimum Wage (NMW): One glance at the current news headlines is enough to see the ongoing issue of the disparity between wages and the cost of living. However, little attention has been given to the substantial rise in the NMW which came in April or the cost and risks this may cause employers.

For those aged 23 & over NMW now sits at £9.50 per hour. This means that the NMW does not only cause concern for employers in relation to hourly paid workers now anyone engaged on a salary of around £20,000-£24,000 who is regularly working extra hours could now pose an NMW risk.

Workers need to receive the NMW for each pay period they work meaning that if they are paid weekly, they need to receive at least NMW for all the hours they work each week. All hours worked in addition to a worker’s contracted hours will be considered when calculating if NMW has been paid so it only takes a few additional hours to cause problems.

STEPS TO MITIGATE RISK:

• Identify workers whose salaries are close to NMW; • keep a record of hours worked for all employees, this is a legal obligation and would need to be provided if HMRC ever come calling; • each pay period, whether that be weekly or monthly, consider the hours worked by the workers in question and calculate whether it sits above NMW. • include deductions made from salaries for things like uniform or training as these can inadvertently reduce a worker’s salary below NMW. The NMW regulations are complex so you should and always take professional advice if you are unsure about how to calculate the NMW. Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR): Unhelpfully there is a different legal definition or “time worked” under the NMW regulation and “working time” under the WTR. The key difference is that the definition of working time for WTR purposes is wider. Working time for WTR includes time where the employee is at the employer’s disposal, such as where a worker is on call if the worker must be at a set location, such as the workplace.

Under the WTR employers must ensure that their workers are provided with the following rest breaks: • at least 20 minutes when working more than six hours a day; • 11 hours’ uninterrupted rest per day; and • 24 hours’ uninterrupted rest per week (or 48 hours’ uninterrupted rest per fortnight) Employers must also take all reasonable steps to ensure average working time does not exceed 48 hours per week (judged over a 17-week reference period) and there are heightened obligations for night workers.

While employers are able to agree an opt out from the 48-hour working week, if a worker is regularly working over 48 hours per week then it could cause concerns that the worker is not receiving adequate rest breaks under the WTR. With workers often being asked to work longer hours due to the current labour shortage in the sector it is sensible for employers to have renewed focus on these issues.

TV Star Inspires People with Learning Disabilities in Charity’s Special Inspiration Session Actor and reporter, Ruben Reuter, inspired people with care and support needs across the UK to follow their dreams, in a special virtual ‘Meet & Greet’ hosted by one of Britain’s biggest social care charities, Community Integrated Care.

Broadcast on the charity’s online activity platform, www.What-To-Do.co.uk, the session provided an opportunity for people with learning disabilities and autism to meet the star and ask him questions about his experiences.

Ruben, who is a Disability Correspondent for Channel 4 News and has featured in hit TV shows including BBC One’s ‘The Syndicate’, shared his story on how he rose to success and provided insights on working professionally in the media industry.

The event marked the first of the organisation’s Inspiration Sessions to be held in 2022. Community Integrated Care’s Inspiration Sessions aim to introduce people who access care and support to people who have overcome adversity to achieve incredible outcomes.

Showcasing a variety of achievements and brilliant careers, the sessions are run by the charity’s Media Club – a branch of volunteers from the charity’s Inclusive Volunteering Programme, that work with professionals to learn new skills relating to the media industry.

Kicking off with Ruben’s interview, the group will be given opportunities throughout the year to put this new knowledge into practice by interviewing inspirational people from across a variety of industries and backgrounds, including sport, media and entertainment.

Created in collaboration with the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021), the Inclusive Volunteering Programme offers people with care and support needs the chance to explore their passions; make new friends; receive specialist mentoring and development opportunities; and volunteer at exciting events.

Jake Lindsay, a member of the Media Club who hosted the session with Ruben said:

“Taking part in the session and hosting it on behalf of the team at Community Integrated Care meant so much to me.

There were some really interesting and intriguing questions asked, followed by some absolutely wonderful answers from Ruben. I learnt so much about how we can make the world of television production much more accessible both in front of and behind the camera. I think that Ruben is super talented, friendly and has a wide array of knowledge on a lot of topics, including disability awareness.”

Jenny Robinson, another member of the Media Club who attended on the day, said: “It was an amazing experience I felt very star struck! I know a lot of people with disabilities that doubt themselves, but Ruben has shown you can do anything you want to and you can follow your dreams. Just because you’re disabled doesn’t mean you can’t do things; you just need a little bit of help sometimes.

What he’s achieved in his life so far is inspiring.”

Ruben said, “It was brilliant to join the session as I really like to meet new people and learn about what they are up to. I think the Media Club is a great idea – and one I hadn’t heard of before! Often, I get asked the same things, but the Media Club’s questions were a bit different from usual – they were very interesting!”

John Hughes, Director of Partnerships and Communities at Community Integrated Care, said: “We were really grateful to have Ruben join us for our latest Inspiration Session. He is a fantastic role model for people we support. The experiences and advice that he shared were invaluable, especially for those who may perceive their disability as a barrier to following their dreams.

Our Inspiration Sessions offer a unique opportunity for the people we support to connect with individuals who they can really relate to, who have achieved amazing things. I hope that the sessions inspire everyone who attends to feel like they can achieve their aspirations – however big or small.”

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 9

Local System Mismanagement Lessons Must be Learned

Care England has called for lessons to be learned from the care hotel initiative deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says: “Care England appreciates that the pandemic gave rise to an unprecedented set of challenges for our health and care services. The pressures of COVID-19 brought the NHS to breaking point, and with hospitals nearing full capacity local systems were forced to resort to alternative locations to meet demand for care.

However, the ‘care hotel’ initiative represented mismanagement of public funds on a scale that is wholly unacceptable. News that a Norfolk ‘care hotel’ cost £500k to treat just 36 people represents an incredible mismanagement of funds. It also emphasises the lack of capacity planning across the NHS and social care sectors, local health and social care economies should be ensuring that there is enough community provision to meet demand.”

Norfolk and Waveney CCG pursued a 3-month pilot scheme in early 2022, to alleviate pressure on the NHS. The solution was to send 36 care recipients for an average of 16 weeks, to a hotel and to transform it into a ‘Care Hotel’. Vast sums were inappropriately spent, costing taxpayers £15,555 per care recipient.

Martin Green continues: “Local independent adult social care services have consistently demonstrated that they are able to offer taxpayers value for money. These providers empower those in need of care, and their families, to make meaningful choices so that they receive the right care across a variety of services including care homes, home care and supported living services. They had the capabilities and capacity to care for these individuals, and had they been utilised it would have saved the public from these significant costs. As a means of learning lessons, Care England would ask for assurances from the Government that the care sector will be considered and involved in future ICS planning as to avoid expensive and inefficient initiatives.”

FA Helps to Net Hundreds for Alzheimer’s Society with Charity Tournament The Football Association (FA) hosted an inaugural mixed six-a-side tournament in Battersea, with teams from the Premier League, English Football League Trust, DCMS, Football Foundation and London FA, raising funds to help support those affected by dementia.

The tournament was arranged as part of Alzheimer’s Society’s partnership with The FA, where for the next two seasons, the two organisations are working together to support players and fans affected by dementia.

The six-a-side event was won by the Premier League with second place handed out to the Football Foundation.

Teams came together to raise funds to help support those affected by dementia.

Entrants donated to the charity to play on the day and a raffle with prizes including a signed Marcus Rashford print and signed England shirt, meant the day raised a total of £1180 for Alzheimer’s Society.

Aside from the main event, players also had the chance to trial walking football, a format of the game which is proving popular for many with dementia. The slower pace and reduced physical contact makes the game more accessible to those who want to continue playing or

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The FA’s Director of Football Development, James Kendall, said: “The FA are proud to have hosted this charity tournament for the first time, supporting our charity partner, Alzheimer’s Society.”

It was a great opportunity to bring our football partners together for the first time since the pandemic and to raise vital awareness and funds for such an important cause.

Matt Hughes-Short, Strategic Change Programme Manager for Sports United Against Dementia at Alzheimer’s Society, said: It is crucial that people affected by dementia stay connected to their communities.

“By working with professional and grassroots sports clubs we can ensure everyone affected by dementia can continue to enjoy the sports they love and know they can turn to Alzheimer’s Society for support.”

Earlier this year, the England Men’s Senior team played in an International against Switzerland, which saw the squad return to the pitch after half time with the names missing from their shirts, driving home the idea that football should be unforgettable.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 11

GMB Urges Labour to Support Call for Minimum £15 Hourly Rate for Care Workers

A union leader is to call on the Labour Party to support its campaign for care workers to be paid £15 an hour GMB union general secretary Gary Smith is set to urge the Labour leader to support care sec-

tor’s workers, who, they say only get “pennies above the minimum wage,” during his keynote speech to the general union’s annual congress in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

In his keynote speech to the GMB’s annual conference in Harrogate, Mr Smith will say that care workers should be paid no less than £15 per hour, advising delegates: “A symbolic and powerful start would be committing to paying care workers £15 an hour. Right now, many care workers get pennies above the minimum wage.

He added: “They deserve to be emerging into a land that’s fit for heroes, a different type of world and a different type of economy with a reward and respect for the work they do.”

He called for a wage hike for the sector, where many staff are paid the minimum hourly rate of just £9.50 for those aged 23 and over, dropping to £9.18 for staff aged 21 and 22, and only £6.83 for those aged 18 to 20.

The union has called on Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer to support the campaign with Mr Smith saying : “So, come on, Keir, show the public you want better too. Back the fight for £15 and give care workers the pay they deserve.”

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Contributions are welcome for consideration, however, no responsibility will be accepted for loss or damage. Views expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Whilst every care is taken when compiling this publication to ensure accuracy, the publisher will assume no responsibility for any effects, errors or omissions therefrom. All rights reserved, reproduction is forbidden unless written permission is obtained.

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PAGE 12 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

The Future Challenges of the Care Industry - Complete The Survey Today!

Simply complete the survey and fill in your details to be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a Miele Triflex Vacuum Clean at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZL6QR73 The laundry room in any care home is a crucial part of the day-today operations. The job of handling both soiled and clean linen normally falls to the front-line care staff as very few establishments are big enough to have a dedicated laundry team or laundry manager.

Because soiled linen is a breeding ground for infection, the way this is handled by the care team is crucial to infection prevention and control in the care home and helps to protect both residents and staff alike.

As part of the mandatory training that is provided to all care staff on an annual basis, the handling of linen is described at length but in the everyday operation of a care home it can be difficult to ensure that the very highest of standards are being achieved. Space can be a limiting factor as many organisations have very small laundry facilities so being able to effectively separate clean and soiled laundry can be practically quite challenging. Time is also a major factor in the daily workings of the laundry room. Without a dedicated laundry team, front-line care staff are performing the duties of a laundry team as part of their daily tasks so being able to take the time and care over the specifics of the laundry operation is not always a priority.

At Miele Professional we understand the challenges that care staff face when it comes to providing the very best in infection prevention and control in the laundry versus the reality of providing high standards of care for some of our most frail, elderly people. Our laundry equipment is designed to help take some of the guesswork out of infection

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Public Sensory Garden Unveiled at Burntwood Community Centre A public sensory garden has opened at a community centre to reignite the space and offer a pleasant experience for users, including a scheme to support older people.

The garden is a collaborative project between MHA Communities South Staffordshire, Burntwood Town Council and Burntwood Dementia Friendly Communities group.

MHA Communities Burntwood is part of the country’s largest charitable care provider Methodist Homes (MHA) and is based at the Old Mining Village, in Queen Street.

It works within the local community to support older people, helping alleviate loneliness and isolation through a wide range of activities.

The garden will form a major part of MHA’s green care initiative in the area and is also intended for wider public use.

The garden was officially opened by leader of Burntwood Town Council, Councillor Rob Birch, and contains a mixture of sensory planets including a selection of herbs and scented plants.

Caroline Bruno, scheme manager for MHA Communities South Staffordshire said: “The launch event for the sensory garden was very successful and it was great to see so many people come out and see the garden.

“The garden will predominantly be used by the dementia day care group, but moving forward we want it to be a space for the whole community.

“Our members will contribute by planting and looking after the garden and I will be calling on the services of our volunteers to pitch in.

“There was entertainment on the day with live singing and overall it was a very enjoyable day.

“We were grateful to receive support on the day via staff volunteering at Tesco Heath Hayes and the Co-op Morley Road.

“I would like to thank Benbow Steele ltd, Burntwood Councillors local community fund, Co-op Central England and Staffordshire County Councillors Mike Wilcox and Tom Loughborough-Rud, as without their generous funding this would not have been possible.”

Heart Conditions Linked with an Increased Risk of Dementia Researchers have found those with heart conditions have an increased risk of dementia, even when they accounted for the impact of genetics. Alzheimer’s Research UK funding supported the research at the University of Exeter.

Using information from volunteers in the UK Biobank, scientists identified people who had heart conditions including diabetes, stroke or heart attack or a combination of these, and then also looked to see who went on to develop dementia.

Dr Sara Imarisio, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “The evidence is clear that what’s good for your heart is also good for your head. A person’s risk of developing dementia is a complex mix of their age, their genes, and aspects of their lifestyle. In this study, researchers looked at data from a population of 60 years and older,

including whether they had particular heart conditions, information about their genetics, and how these affected their risk of developing dementia. They found that people with multiple heart health conditions were even more likely to develop dementia than people who had an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease due to their genetics.

“These findings reiterate the importance of treating the causes of poor heart health, not just for its own sake, but also the added benefit in terms of reducing the number of dementia cases. From the generosity of our supporters who enabled us to fund this work, to the selflessness of the volunteers that made it possible, we want to say thank you, without you research like this cannot take place.

“If anyone is worried about the health of your heart or your brain, please speak to your doctor.”

Hartford Care Enjoys Regal Week of Celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Flags were flying and corks were popping as leading care provider Hartford Care’s residential care and nursing homes celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in right Royal fashion.

Garden and street parties, barbecues and family gatherings were organised for the residents and teams who got together with their loved ones to mark Her Majesty’s 70 years.

There were plenty of highlights during Hartford Care’s week of Royal celebrations.

Among the highlights was a spectacular street party at Bethel House in Barton on Sea featuring a tractor which was attended by their neighbours in Beach Avenue as well as friends and family.

With the Queen’s fondness for dogs, Malden House in Sidmouth organised a dog show as their main event, ten delightful dogs impressing the team of three judges – all residents, who chose a cockapoo called Juno as the best in show.

At the Elms in Bembridge, a Queen of Hearts tea party included

a wonderful Mad Hatter hat and delicious treats such as jam tarts and platinum pudding. The residents at Ashley Grange in Downton were treated to a beautiful Union Jack celebration cake as they watched the Trooping of the Colour.

Springfiel Nursing Home in Shanklin also had a garden party with a high tea, after which their talented care assistant Bethan sang the residents’ favourite songs. West Cliff Hall in Hythe also held a garden party with music and dancing, a cake stall and a raffle raising money for their local charity, the Honey Pot Children’s Charity.

Residents at Hartford Court in Portsmouth planted a rose in their garden to commemorate this special occasion.

Kevin Shaw, CEO of Hartford Care, says: “It has been a fantastic week of celebrations at Hartford Care. Thank you to our incredible teams for organising the events and making so many special memories for everybody as we all gave thanks and paid tribute to The Queen.”

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 13

Health and Care Staff Honoured in NHS Parliamentary Awards Nurses, midwives, doctors, vaccination teams and domestic staff are among those celebrated in a prestigious competition to mark the NHS’s 74 birthday, as the NHS Parliamentary Awards shortlist is revealed.

NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, praised the hundreds of NHS staff and volunteers who have been nominated by their MP, as part of the NHS Parliamentary Awards for providing outstanding care to their patients.

Regional champions have been selected by panels of senior regional NHS representatives for their dedication to the health service and to people they care for in their communities.

From cancer teams who are working tirelessly to treat cancer sooner with the introduction of a new diagnostic centre, to a crisis car providing 24/7 emergency mental health support for those who need it most – staff from across the health service are being honoured for making a difference to patients, including from urgent and emergency, primary and mental health care.

All of the regional winners will be invited to the national awards ceremony, which will be held on 6 July in Westminster, a day after the NHS’s 74 birthday.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “Undoubtedly one of the NHS’ greatest strengths is our extraordinary staff – each one an important part of

the NHS team which has treated more than 750,000 patients with COVID, delivered more than 124 million COVID jabs and worked tirelessly to make significant inroads recovering services impacted by the pandemic.

“The last two years have been incredibly challenging for everyone, including not just NHS staff but all key workers, but through this, health and care staff and volunteers have continued to make a real difference to their patients.

“This is reflected in the hundreds of nominations received from across the country and I want to congratulate every one of those people receiving recognition for service to their communities and making a real and lasting difference for patients”.

Over 700 nominations were submitted, more than last year, with half of MPs representing constituencies in England doing so.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards recognise the massive contribution made by the individuals who work in and alongside the NHS. Launched in March, it asked MPs to find and nominate those individuals or teams they thought have made the biggest improvements to health services in their constituencies, across 10 categories.

Inspirational Signature at Esher Team Member Raises over £5,000 In Charity Skydive Louise Broadbelt, a member of the team at Signature at Esher, has recently raised £5742 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity with a skydive.

The inspirational Concierge Team Member fell from a height of 10,000 feet at speeds of 120mph to raise money for a new centre at specialist cancer hospital, The Royal Marsden Sutton.

Louise’s decision to undertake the daring feat on 4th June stemmed from her own personal battle with cancer.

Back in July 2021, Louise was diagnosed with Stage 3 Cervical Cancer, and was immediately put under the care of The Royal Marsden Sutton. Here, she received much of her treatment, from radiotherapy to chemotherapy and brachytherapy.

Today, Louise continues to be a patient of the Royal Marsden, undertaking a clinical trial for immunotherapy, a treatment that uses a person’s own immune system to fight cancer. The results of this could improve treatment for countless cervical cancer patients in the future and is a programme Louise is proud to be a part of.

Whilst an extremely challenging period in her life, Louise’s motivation to take to the skies arose from the

fantastic people working at Royal Marsden Sutton who have cared and supported her over the last year.

The money raised by her skydive will contribute towards the £5 million needed to open Royal Marsden Sutton’s new Oak Centre. This facility will speed up the translation of world-leading research into breakthroughs in treatment and care, transforming the lives of cancer patients at The Royal Marsden and beyond.

Reflecting on her skydive, Louise Broadbelt, said: “I was absolutely terrified and have never done anything like this before. I’m so pleased that I have done it and raised so much for a fabulous charity.”

Speaking about Louise and her incredible feat, Joanna Perry, Client Liaison Manager at Signature at Esher, added: “I was incredibly proud of Louise for taking part in the skydive for The Royal Marsden Sutton. Louise has been through a lot this past 12 months, with so many appointments, scans, and treatments. Yet despite this, she has been so cheerful and positive all the way through. We were all over the moon to see her complete her skydive.”

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PAGE 14 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

Care Home Professionals Explore The Power of Music with Residents Live Music Now shares professional music techniques with care home Activities Coordinators in a project to deliver accessible training to front line care employees Activities Coordinators from 13 care homes run by The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) have taken part in professional CPD training in how to use music as part of their day-to-day care practice to support communication, connection and identity for older people living in care homes, thanks to the latest initiative in a long-standing partnership between the national music charity Live Music Now and OSJCT. Two online training sessions focused on helping participants who work in care homes to: understand the potential of music to engage older people, feel more confidence in using music and develop new skills and practices. It also focused on ways to ensure that care home residents are benefiting from music and how to design a session to encourage increased interaction from residents.

Sharon Dewsbury, Activities Coordinator at Paternoster House in Cirencester, who organises a varied programme for residents at the 40-bed care home, took part in the training. Since the training she has proactively distributed musical and percussion instruments to residents to join in music-making while listening to a singer or their regular pianist. Now more residents, including those with dementia, are using handheld instruments to join in with the music and express themselves.

One resident revealed a hidden talent, when she took to playing the piano.

Now she regularly plays alongside the pianist who comes three times a week to the home to perform for residents.

Sharon said: “The training was great and now residents are using musical instruments more often. At Paternoster House we have several music and singing events each month.

“It’s clear through their interactions that residents enjoy music, and their participation often leads to reminiscence conversations where we get to learn more about their memories, preferences and feelings.”

Another participant in the training was Kelly Coffin, Activities Coordinator at Watersmead, in Westbury.

She said: “We’ve introduced new techniques learned during the training into our music therapy sessions.

“One morning we used a background ‘soundscape’ to help residents to create a vision in their minds, such

as the seaside. They then used various instruments to add to the background music. Everyone was having fun and there was lots of laughter.”

This training is part of Live Music Now's Live Music In Care programme, to develop the musical care confidence, skills and capacity of care professionals, a focus of their work in adult social care since 2016. Live Music Now also took part in the Live Music In Care Study with OSJCT, MHA and the University of Winchester published in 2018. Live Music Now also provided evidence to the Power Of Music Report (April 2022) from UK Music and Music for Dementia. One of the report’s headline recommendations is to: • Support frontline workers by providing better training on the role of music in health and care – in particular by establishing an accessible training module to help practitioners understand how best to use music as part of the care they provide in their work setting.

Helen Bayliss, OSJCT Regional Director for Gloucestershire, said: “The partnership with Live Music Now is fantastic for our homes and our residents. The training, live and online concerts and resources have given our Activities Coordinators a professional approach to organising music as a meaningful activity. This can be especially important for residents with dementia who may have limited ways of communication and expression, but where music can be an accessible channel for them to connect in many ways, with their fellow residents, care teams and their own thoughts and memories.”

Douglas Noble Strategic Director Wellbeing at Live Music Now said: “We are delighted to be further developing our valued partnership with OSJCT and the people who live and work in their care settings.

Evidence shows us that access to music is an essential part of living later life well. We find that partnership working results in additional benefits and positive changes that would be much harder to achieve working as separate organisations.”

The partnership between OSJCT and Live Music Now will continue with forthcoming music residencies at Paternoster House and Millbrook Lodge starting in June.

Moors Manor Care Home Presents Cheque to Local Charity Moors Manor care home in St Leonards, near Ringwood recently presented Helpful Hounds Assistance Dogs with a cheque for £250.

The home welcomed Peter Rufus along with furry friends, Raffi and Hopi to a small gathering at the home to receive the cheque and celebrate our success.

Peter, CEO of Helpful Hounds, said: “Our Grateful thanks to Moors Manor Care Home, to the Staff and Residents who supported us for their Sponsored Walk. A great afternoon meeting everyone once more with tea and cake! Oh, and to receive a Cheque for £250. Thank you all so much”

Jenna May, General Manager at Moors Manor Care home, said: “We are always keen to show as much support as we can to local charities, the residents fell in love with Raffi when he visited the home earlier this year so really enjoyed welcoming him back, and Peter of course!. We were keen to support the work they do locally and we know how much of a difference dogs can make.”

Lloyd, a resident at the home said: “It’s lovely to have the dogs come and visit and hear about the work they do. I enjoyed doing the walk around the home to raise money for them to keep helping people”

OU Carers Scholarship Open for Applications Until End of Month The Open University’s (OU) Carers Scholarships Fund is open for applications until the 24 June 2022.

Established to help carers overcome the many hurdles that prevent them from accessing education, the scheme will support 20 carers with full tuition cost for any OU undergraduate credit-bearing course; six of the scholarships will be reserved for young carers aged 25 and under.

An estimated seven million individuals in the UK provide unpaid care for a family member or friend. Many of the tasks these carers perform are unexpected and difficult to plan around, which makes it unsurprising that carers find engaging with higher education difficult.

With specialist support and flexibility, the OU’s Carers Scholarships Fund aims to open the door to higher education, whether for personal satisfaction or for a career, studying should still be an option as a carer.

Dawn was awarded a scholarship the OU’s Carers Scholarship Fund in 2020. Dawn commented: “Caring for a loved one means it’s very easy to stop being yourself. Thanks to this chance I feel alive, reborn, like I am back in control of my life, and I am going to succeed. I now have a chance of having a future beyond my caring role.

“This scholarship to study English Literature has given me the hope that I will one day be the wonderful English schoolteacher that I dreamt of being. As someone with dyslexia, I want to support dyslexic children to read, write and spell, to inspire young minds and to play a part in shaping the people that will decide the planet’s future.”

Mary Larkin, Professor of Care, Carers and Caring at the OU first established the scholarship fund in 2019,

she added: “The OU’s Carers scholarships provide carers with the opportunity to study for an OU undergraduate or postgraduate qualification for free in an environment which offers the flexibility and tailored wrap around support by staff, who are experienced in addressing carers needs. If you’re an unpaid carer for a friend or family member, don’t hesitate to apply now.”

To be eligible, you’ll need to meet the following criteria: • starting OU study for the first time in the 2022/2023 academic year • ordinarily resident in the UK and eligible for a UK fee • be a carer who cares for an average of 15 hours a week, or have been a carer in the last two years, who cared for an average of 15 hours a week, but due to bereavement, are no longer a carer • able to provide proof of your current, or recently ended caring responsibilities • have a gross household income of no more than £25,000 a year, or be in receipt of a qualifying benefit • study a minimum of 30 credits a year.

To apply, you’ll need to download the full scholarship terms and conditions as well as the scholarship application form at https://tinyurl.com/mv8u9yxr

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 15

Ageing Better to Deliver New Campaign Against Age-Based Discrimination

The Centre for Ageing Better has launched its new strategy, which includes a bold new public campaign to tackle ageism.

The campaign to tackle ageism will seek to overturn the deeply entrenched negative attitudes within society towards older people through a collective and nationwide approach.

Ageing Better will commit significant resource in the fight against the widespread use of derogatory and harmful stereotypes in the pursuit of a more positive and realistic understanding about later life across the country. The campaign is a key element

of the Age-friendly Movement that will aim to make challenging ageism a much higher priority for everyone in society.

The organisation says it will work with the public, age-friendly communities, employers as well as other sector and industry partners to change the way people think, feel and act about ageing. It will help people at a local and national level to address the barriers that exist for older people by giving people the tools and guidance needed to take action.

The new strategy also focuses on activities to reduce the inequalities people experience as they grow older. Our organisation will strive to reduce the gap between the most and least advantaged people by improving outcomes for the least advantaged.

Carole Easton, Chief Executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “We are determined to build on the work we have already done and to go further to make a real difference to people’s experience of ageing, particularly people who are currently on course to struggle in old age.

“Through our work, we want to see more people in later life experiencing good health, treated fairly and with respect and able to experience financial security. These goals can be achieved if the enormity and severity of ageism is finally recognised and the resolve is found to challenge its existence within our society.”

The Age-friendly Movement and ageism campaign will combine with other key strands of activity: Age-friendly Homes and Age-friendly Employment.

Together these will form the backbone of Ageing Better’s new strategic focus. As part of its focus on Age-friendly Homes, Ageing Better will work to ensure everyone can live in age-friendly, accessible, healthy homes in intergenerational communities.

An Introduction from MSD Independent I would like to introduce myself .

My name is Mark Durbidge and I have been in the Distance Learning environment for the past 12 years and have built this business to where we are today. I started originally with a market leading Company and moved on to starting my own business finding and enrolling people onto the courses.

Our job is to introduce people to our Free Courses for Care home and care agency staff including Free Dementia, End of Life, Medication and Falls Prevention courses plus many more .

We have enrolled over the years many people , and they have benefited in accomplishing a level 2 NCFE Cache certificate in one or more of our courses.

As with everyone else it took a downturn during the pandemic as we were unable to visit Care Homes or Agencies , so we started doing telephone and online enrolments. This proved very successful and we are continuing this service and now offering the original visits and group enrolments.

We had a new website built during this time which has also been a great success as it contains detailed information regarding the courses we have available from Mental Health, Mental Health First Aid, Autism, Dementia, Medication, Business

Administration.

Also our partner Colleges around the country supply experienced , qualified tutors to help where necessary students who may struggle a little. This is a great asset to people.

Once people are enrolled we always send out a hard copy of their chosen course and they have the option of writing out the assessment or electronically submitting to the relevant College. The courses have been developed to a very high and informative standard and are highly recommended

by Care Homes and Colleges alike..

These courses are free to people providing they complete them . Colleges do ask for a small admin fee from those who register and do not complete the course.

Please contact me direct if you wish to have more information . I can be contacted on my mobile number 07943 743748 or email me direct on mark@msdindependent.co.uk.

Alternatively our web site is www.msdindependent.com

FREE COURSES for Care Home and Care Agency Staff

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Providers. MSD Independent offer market-leading fully funded

Courses for a wide range of Certificated Health and Social Care qualifications.

These cover a diverse mix of subjects, such as Autism, Mental

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Safe Handling and Administration of Medicines as well as many more. Also we have fully funded courses in Safeguarding, Business Administration, and Digital Services.

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through several Colleges we work with so staff will get

access to qualified tutors to help them if needed, plus longer submission times than many providers.

Learners are able to further their own continuous professional

development which may also improve their career prospects and can then progress on to further qualifications in Health & Social care or other related subjects.

Visit our web site www.msdindependent.com Email mark@msdindependent.co.uk

Call us on 01656 502059 and speak to one of our dedicated Team We are here to help

PAGE 16 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

Predictive Technology, Can It Really Help Reduce Care Costs?

Article supplied by Karantis360 (www.karantis360.com) Unlike NHS healthcare, adult social care in England isn’t free. While some of our loved ones will be eligible for local authority support when they’re older, others won’t qualify, or you may feel they need more care than they’re offered.

It’s no secret that we’re all living longer. In 10 years’ time, the number of people aged over 85 will have risen by nearly half in England alone, and the population of 65- to 84-year-olds will have increased by more than a quarter over the same period. Therefore, covering the cost of care for our parents or other family members is a growing concern.

While we can’t predict what the future holds, we all want those we love, or even ourselves, to have access to the care we need to live well in later life. Being able to plan ahead for this means getting to grips with typical home care costs and nursing fees, as well as understanding how local authorities assess needs. As anyone who has had to navigate the social care system will already know, it’s a daunting task and isn’t always straightforward – and things are set to change when a new cap on the cost of care paid over a lifetime comes into force in 2023, in turn, additional hurdles are likely to occur. Helen Dempster, Chief Visionary Officer and Founder of Karantis360 discusses this concerning topic further.

Financial implications The challenge associated with supporting and funding the care for an ageing population continues to escalate. According to Age UK, the numbers of people aged 85+ in England increased by almost a third over the last decade and will more than double over the next two decades. And these people need care and support; by their late 80s, more than one in three people will have difficulties undertaking five or more tasks of daily living unaided, and between a quarter and a half of the 85+ age group are frail.

With current care services under extraordinary strain, it is estimated that 1 in 8 people are caring for loved ones, many with increasingly complex needs – and this number will continue to increase, creating huge financial and mental stress for often geographical distant family members. Combine that with the implications stress has on family members, quite often their health decreases and the dual cost therefore on the NHS. Of course, most people don’t want to go into a care home; according to Age UK, 97% of the population would like to receive care in their own home. But the funding gap in social care – predicted by the Local Government Association to reach £3.5 billion by 2025 – is creating a devastating knock on effect on the NHS, with thousands of elderly patients stuck in hospital when they are well enough to go home because there is nobody to look after them. With the cost of delayed discharges now at almost £290 million per year, the Chief Executive of the Health Service, Amanda Pritchard, said that “despite the delays of

discharges, the priority is to tackle backlogs that have inevitably built up in the face of rising Covid infections.”

Real-Time Communication One of the most fundamental roles that technology must play in the future is to enable carers to undertake their primary function – care!

This means minimising the admin burden they face and instead, releasing carers to spend more time with VIP’s. This stretched resource is under huge pressure to meet escalating care needs, and yet carers are still compelled to spend upwards of 20 minutes in a 30 minute patient visit filling in manual forms. In addition to the sheer waste of essential, one-to-one patient time, this paper-based information is simply not stored in a way that enables easy sharing with other stakeholders, from other carers to health providers and family members.

Technology has a huge role to play in improving the quality and personal aspect of care – Imagine being armed with real time data to ask the right questions and ensure the VIP receives the right type of care on your visit. Data can play a huge role in the quality of care; data insights give you historic information which helps but real time data with predictive and preventive capabilities is where we need to be aiming.

With the adoption of easy-to-use apps proven to reduce the administrative time spent by up to 75%. Combining a simple user interface with voice recognition, an app not only minimises the admin burden, but also makes it easy for carers to record more personal patient information – such as patient mood, important dates including birthdays or the anniversary of a spouse’s death – which can then support a far more personal care experience.

In addition, this technology ensures the carer’s report is automatically shared not only with the local authorities and/or care agency, but

with the individual’s family members, addressing one of the huge causes of stress for those tasked with overseeing the care of a loved one – stress that often leads to time off work or ill health.

In this way, the traditional challenges of information sharing between agencies can be overcome and ensure the most up to date medical and personal facts are always available to those who need them.

Supportive technology If these innovative solutions are combined with IoT-based sensors, the care ecosystem can be extended to provide a 24-hour safeguarding service. Using AI-powered tools, carers can track habitual behaviour and spot changes in real time, allowing them to intervene when it is needed - thus alleviating the burden on caregivers and families alike.

Its real-time nature provides a platform for the complete digitisation of healthcare, bringing together local authorities, healthcare providers, NHS Trusts, ICS’s, general practitioners, registered nurses, and care homes. Real-time, accurate information will not only make the social care model more transparent by including family members but will also enable it to become preventive as opposed to reactive.

And, the smart use of technology means organisations have a chance to rethink the way care is delivered, better matching care to specific patient needs. Would a patient be better served by shorter daily sessions plus continuous monitoring? With a 24x7 system that monitors and picks up abnormal behaviour, the care ecosystem has a chance to operate in a very different, preventive and personal manner whilst alleviating the pressure of carers to be there physically.

Conclusion From releasing beds to the pressure on carers and the extended family, it’s time to tackle the social care ecosystem in its entirety. We cannot keep using the NHS as an expensive care home. Technology is now advanced, user friendly and cost effective enough to make a real difference. People want to stay in their own home and it is widely believed they are healthier and happier in that familiar environment. By leveraging technology, carers are equipped to provide an increasingly personalised care experience - and minimise the administrative burden; while family members are relieved to have immediate information on their loved one's health and well-being.

And, the technology makes financial sense: for local authorities, enabling just a handful of individuals to remain safely and happily at home, rather than in a care facility, justifies the investment in new technology; while for the NHS, the ability to address bed availability will unleash vast resources. What is truly exciting is that this is just the start; from IoT to AI we now have the chance to better understand patient activity, to intervene early, even predict potential problems, to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and allow more patients to stay safely at home for longer.

‘A Precious Moment In Time Captured Forever’ At Barchester, we have been supporting families with pioneering dementia care in specially-designed, dementia-friendly Memory Lane communities since 1992. We strongly believe people living with dementia should enjoy a fulfilled and happy life, with specialist support to continue doing the things they love every day.

Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning – thinking, remembering, reasoning – which can affect a person’s day to day life and activities. Functions that can be impacted are memory, language skills, visual perception, problem solving, self-management and the ability to focus and pay attention. The number of people living with dementia in the UK is forecast to increase to over 1m.

We love new ideas, and unique ways of capturing memories. When the team at Hampton Grove care home in Peterborough heard that one of our residents’ loved ones; Debbie Cove, the daughter of Susan wanted to capture a precious ‘moment in time’ we wanted to do all we could to support her.

Debbie’s mum; Susan was diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer’s a couple of years back, at the time Susan was in an assisted living home, Debbie, at the end of last year 2021, purchased a plaster casting kit, but unfortunately before Debbie could make the mould, Susan had an accident which left her unable to do all the little things in life she loved, such as care for her beloved King Charles Cavalier; Crufts registered ‘Arthur’ and the daily crossword.

Now living the next chapter of her life at Hampton Grove care home in Peterborough, Debbie felt it

would be a perfect time to create a special memory to hold on to forever.

As Debbie says; “Dementia and Alzheimer’s are such a cruel illness, I’ve already gone through it with my Granddad 20 years ago and, since Mum got diagnosed, I’ve just wanted to make as many memories as possible with her and will continue to do so!

This plaster cast of our hands entwined is a moment in time we can both enjoy now, and forever. Something for her, me and her two great grandchildren; Mabel and Sage who she’s never met, as they live in Australia.”

General Manager, Krzysztof Krzysztofiak, said: “Dementia affects many of our residents and seeing the final cast of Susan and Debbie’s hands held together has touched some many of us, it’s a beautiful everlasting memory of their love and unity. I’ve no doubt other’s will do the same, I can see these casts being used by generations of all ages and couples. It’s a wonderful way to ‘stay together forever’.

We are proud to provide an environment that helps residents, and their loved ones continue to enjoy life enriching moments, we understand that, although they live apart, their time together is so precious.

We love being part of their extended family and having the honour to provide the additional care and security when needed.

Hampton Grove care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Hampton Grove provides residential and Dementia care for those requiring respite stays and longer-term care.

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THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 17

Social Isolation Linked to Lower Brain Volume and Higher Dementia Risk Researchers from China and the UK have found that social isolation, but not loneliness, is linked to lower brain volume in regions associated with cognition and higher dementia risk. The findings were published in the journal Neurology.

Researchers looked at data from a large cohort of people across the United Kingdom with an average age of 57. These people were followed for nearly 12 years before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants filled out surveys about their social contact. They also did MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans and took thinking and memory tests.

Analysing the data collected, the researchers looked at the link between brain volume and social isolation, taking into account other factors such as age, sex and socioeconomic status.

What did they find?

The researchers found that people who are socially isolated had lower brain volume in regions associated with learning and thinking. These brain regions are typically among the first to be affected by Alzheimer’s, the most common cause of dementia.

The data shows that people who were socially isolated were 26% more likely to develop dementia compared to those who are not.

On the other hand, researchers found that loneliness – the internal feeling of being isolated from others – is not linked to an increased risk of developing dementia.

Dr Sara Imarisio, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“Social isolation is a serious public health problem that is often associated with old age. This issue has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic as more people were cut off from their usual social networks.

“Dementia risk depends on many factors. Social isolation and loneliness have been suggested to increase the risk of dementia.

“Researchers from this study were able to distinguish the effects of social isolation from loneliness on the brain and dementia. They observed that people who were socially isolated were more likely to develop dementia, and that loneliness was not associated to an increased risk of developing dementia. This finding may inform future approaches to reduce risk of dementia in older people living isolated lives.

“The group of participants studied had fewer health conditions and were less likely to live alone compared to the general population, so we can’t be certain how relevant these findings are to the country as a whole. We will need further studies that are more representative of the wider population to validate the conclusions of this research.

“We do know that it’s never too early or too late in life to take steps to reduce our risk of dementia and improve our brain health. Apart from staying socially active, there are many other ways to help keep our brains healthy as we age. These include being physical and mentally active, not smoking, only drinking in moderation, eating a balanced diet, and keeping cholesterol and blood pressure levels in check.”

Chorleywood Beaumont Honours Carers for National Carers Week Residents at Chorleywood Beaumont care home in Chorleywood, run by Barchester Healthcare, are celebrating National Carers’ Week, which takes place from June 6-12.

Residents wanted to thank all the wonderful staff at the home, whose hard work and dedication make a real difference to the lives of those living in their care.

Carers Week is an annual event to raise awareness of caring, highlighting the challenges carers face, and recognising the contribution they make to our residents, families and communities throughout the UK. The theme for Carers Week this year is ‘Making caring visible, valued and supported’ – to shine a light on all those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to care for vulnerable people in our communities.

Staff were treated to an afternoon tea with live music in the garden. The Head chef and his team put together a wonderful spread of party food for everyone to enjoy. Family and friends arrived throughout the afternoon to join in

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the fun with staff and residents. There was an award ceremony and prizes were presented by the residents.

Residents also gave thanks by giving handmade cards and handwritten letters to carers with a small gift of thanks for all that they do.

Ramona Stanciu, General Manager said: “It is so wonderful to be able to celebrate Carers Week and thank our fantastic carers with a summer party in our garden, and to be able to welcome the community, relatives and friends. Everyone has had such a fantastic day.”

Harold Tasker, a resident at Chorleywood Beaumont commented: “We’ve all had such a lovely time today, it really is a joy to be able to thank our wonderful carers for all that they do. They really are heaven sent.”

PAGE 18 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

Two Thirds of UK Care Home Staff Admit Resident Quality of Care and Nutritional Needs are Being Overlooked Due to Outdated Procedures

A new, independent survey commissioned by eProcurement technology firm Zupa, has raised several concerns from care home professionals across the UK, with 86% admitting that vital aspects of care provision are suffering at the hands of outdated and time-consuming procedures, with many staff struggling to fulfil their day to day roles.

The new data also highlights several care management challenges that need to be addressed to improve staff retention, morale and the overall quality of residential care.

The study, which polled hundreds of care home professionals across the country, found that two thirds of care home staff (66%), admitted the quality of resident care and the ability to cater properly for dietary and nutritional needs, are some of the key areas being side-lined as a result of obsolete practices. The study also revealed that more than half (54%) of care home workers felt staff happiness was overlooked, and 44% of workers attribute the high turnover of staff in the care industry to low levels of pay.

Specifically, 40% of care home workers felt they couldn’t provide the quality of care that they would like to due to the time they spend on admin. Over half (52%) of respondents, agreed that care home inspections simply add further pressure to their role, and would welcome a way to improve this process. More than a third of care home managers (32%) also said that keeping up with time intensive processes like day to day menu planning, allergens management, and recording resident data around nutrition and hydration, worries them. A further 41% were understandably concerned about the rising costs of food, energy and inflation, while 30% of care home workers identified supplier issues, food shortages and running out of supplies as a growing concern.

Importantly, 63% of care home managers link much of their day to day concerns to the wear and tear stresses placed upon their teams.

Lack of staffing and resource also continues to be a worry for the sector, with 67% of care workers citing this as a key challenge. Only 6% of care home professionals said there is nothing that worries them in the day to day running of their care home.

Lack of time available to improve day to day quality of care is a clear issue. When asked what aspects of their working day they would spend more time on if they could reduce the amount of paperwork, more than half (56%) of care workers say they would like to improve the standard of resident care if they had more time in their day.

Likewise, almost half (49%) of care professionals said they would improve staff satisfaction, suggesting that reducing admin would free up more time to focus on staff morale and happiness. A further 49% would like extra time in their day to be more creative with resident social events and 42% of care home professionals said they would be keen to spend more time on individual care planning.

Ollie Brand, CEO at Zupa explained: “Caring for the vulnerable and elderly is time-consuming and demanding. It requires specialist skills and knowledge. This study highlights that care home staff are having to deal with multiple challenges with little resource, and only so many hours in the day.

There is also a direct correlation between what worries care home staff day to day and the quality of care they are physically able to deliver. Patchy reporting, outdated processes and a heavily reliance on manual updates, simply adds to the frustration and puts greater pressure on already stretched staff.”

This latest research highlights a clear relationship between what aspects of care are being overlooked and what staff would prioritise if they had more time in their day. Almost three quarters (73%), of care home professionals who said they would improve staff satisfaction if they had more time, also said staff happiness is side lined. A further 55% of those who would like to improve the quality of resident care with more time, also said care quality is overlooked due to time wasted on outdated processes.

Brand added, “Lack of staffing and resource is still a key concern for care homes. It’s clear that in many cases, that the adoption of automated, fit for purpose technology could help alleviate many of these day to day pressures and interestingly, those care professionals who said they would implement new technology if they had more time, are most likely to say that staff happiness, productivity of staff and quality of care are being side-lined.”

On Tuesday 28th June at 2pm, Zupa will be delving into the outcomes of this brand new study in an invite-only webinar and asking ‘Can technology help create smarter ways of working?’. CEO Ollie Brand will be joined by Mark McCarthy, former Group Director of Sanctuary Care and now Zupa CFO, to discuss how care homes can effectively use technology to enable their teams to spend more time on the things that matter most.

Register today www.zupa.com/webinar/ to gain valuable insight from like-minded care experts and discover new ways of freeing up time and resource.

Kilometres for Care Workers at Leeds 10k Employees at Gilbert Meher, are set to run the Jane Tomlinson Run For All Leeds 10k on Sunday 3rd July in full PPE and face masks. The well-established recruitment firm will be raising money for The Care Worker’s Charity.

In order to take the challenge to the next level, and in honour of the charity, the group decided to run in full PPE and face masks to pay tribute to the efforts of hard-working and dedicated care workers who worked during the pandemic.

The race is set to be completed by 15 members of the Gilbert Meher team, including company Director Graeme Dobson, all of whom are aiming to raise at least £3,000 for The Care Worker’s Charity. The charity supports the financial, professional and mental wellbeing of social care workers by making grants, signposting to resources and providing access to services.

Gilbert Meher has partnered with multi award winning and care group of the year, Hallmark Care Homes and the Hallmark Foundation, who will be donating the masks, PPE and tunics for the runners.

The race, which starts outside the University of Leeds Parkinson building and ends outside Leeds Art

Gallery, is in its 15th year and was set up by Jane Tomlinson whilst battling terminal cancer.

Corrie Keable, Client Development Manager at Gilbert Meher and organiser of the charity run said: “The race is our chance to show gratitude to the care workers who worked throughout the pandemic in the scariest of circumstances. The 10k will be a challenging yet incredibly fun day out for colleagues, friends and family, whilst raising much needed funds to support such a worthwhile cause.”

Karolina Gerlich, CEO of The Care Worker’s Charity said: “The need for our support is as great as ever post COVID and we are so grateful to our sponsors, supporter members and fundraisers for helping us to help those in need.”

Managing Director of Hallmark Care Homes, Aneurin Brown, said: “It was our pleasure to provide Gilbert Meher with PPE, and tunics for this worthwhile cause. Our 2,150 team members well understand how hot and difficult it can be to work in full PPE so we salute them for running 10k in this uniform and we will be cheering them on, the entire way.”

The Care & Occupational Therapy Show 2022 A brand new show is set to take the care sector by storm this year.

Inspired Motive acquired the ‘South West Care Show’ during the pandemic and have rebranded the show to make it more encompassing.

With over 30 years of experience in the event industry, Inspired Motive will be hosting the Care & Occupational Therapy Show. The visitors will include buyers from Care Homes, Domiciliary care companies, Care Groups, NHS, Trusts, Individual Carers, and Individual Practitioners also. Attracting 3000+ visitors, it will truly be a festival of business for the care community.

Their goal is to enable companies across the UK to exhibit innovative products that will aid care sector professionals to enhance their brand/services, with 175+ Exhibitors, 30+ Industry Leading Speakers and a Live Demo Area, the show is perfectly positioned to put you on the road to success.

The show will also be appealing to Occupational Therapists as there will be services exhibited by those

that cater to that market too, making it by far the largest care event in the South West.

The show has already confirmed impressive keynote speakers from the likes of Care England and Care Quality Commission with more to be announced in the coming weeks. They already have some great exhibitors at the show, from the likes of - Albert Goodman, Motor Tech, Appetito, Nourish, Oysta Technology and Reval Continuing Care. All of the show’s seminars are CPD accredited so you can also earn your CPD points whilst attending the show.

All tickets for the show are free and will be released over the coming weeks. You can keep an eye on show announcements and ticket availability via their website - www.careexhibition.co.uk If you are interested in exhibiting your own products/services at the show, please contact Luke Outram on 02045 178 888 or email - luke@inspiredmotive.co.uk.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 21

Bushey House Honours Carers for National Carers Week Residents at Bushey House care home in Bushey, run by Barchester Healthcare, are celebrating National Carers’ Week, which takes place from June 6-12.

Residents wanted to thank all the wonderful staff at the home, whose hard work and dedication make a real difference to the lives of those living in their care.

Carers Week is an annual event to raise awareness of caring, highlighting the challenges carers face, and recognising the contribution they make to our residents, families and communities throughout the UK. The theme for Carers Week this year is ‘Making caring visible, valued and supported’ – to shine a light on all those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to care for vulnerable people in our communities.

Staff were treated to an afternoon tea in the garden with live music. Head chef Avni had put together a wonderful spread of party food for everyone to enjoy. Family and friends arrived throughout the afternoon to join in the fun with staff and residents.

Residents also gave thanks by giving handmade cards to carers with a small gift of thanks for all that they do.

Mary Jane, General Manager said: “It is so wonderful to be able to celebrate Carers Week and thank our fantastic carers with an afternoon tea in our garden, and to be able to welcome the community, relatives and friends.

Everyone has had such a fantastic day.”

Denise Kaufman, a resident at Bushey House commented: “We’ve all had such a lovely time today, it really is a joy to be able to thank our wonderful carers for all that they do. They really are heaven sent.”

Perthshire Pupils Work in Harmony with Local Care Home Residents Pupils from three Perthshire primary schools have written songs inspired by local care home residents as part of the Horsecross Arts Harmony Project.

43 P2 – P7 pupils from Cleish, Guildtown and Minathort primary schools have been visiting care homes in their communities over the last few months, meeting residents and hearing about their memories, hobbies and hopes for the future. Working with a musician and drama artist they created songs inspired by the stories to perform back to the residents who inspired them.

The songs have now been recorded and the pupils are performing them live in Causeway Court Care Home in Kinross, Robert Douglas Memorial Home in Scone and Ashley House Care Home in Milnathort throughout June.

Commenting on the project which was created by Horsecross Arts Learning and Engagement team with funding from The Gannochy Trust, Kim Robertson, head teacher at Guildtown Primary School said: “The children gained so much from the whole experience. Their confidence and engagement in the project grew as time went on and they were able to use all the information that they learned to create a song for the residents that they were all proud of. Being able to perform it at the care home was wonder-

ful and we would love to continue making links with them in the future. I would recommend this project to any schools who are offered the opportunity.”

Louise Paton, Activities Coordinator at Robert Douglas Memorial Home said: “The Harmony Project was a wonderful concept, our residents loved sharing stories and then when the children came along to perform their song it was the icing on the cake, with the residents soon picking up the beat of the song and some of the words so they could join in. The children were very interested in our residents and vice versa. It was a great idea and lots of fun.”

Hayley Blakeman, Schools Creative Coordinator for Horsecross Arts said: “The Harmony Project has been such a joyous experience for all involved and has really shown the power of storytelling and music making to bring people together. We are so happy that relationships have been formed between the schools and care homes and hope that they will continue past this project. Looking forward we’re hoping that there will be more opportunities to produce intergenerational projects as we know they are so beneficial for our communities.

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

PAGE 22 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

Improving Care Home Staff Retention with Career Growth and Development Due to persistent workforce problems over the last two years, employers and providers of social care have had to adopt a range of strategies to help retain and support their staff. However, staff retention continues to be at an all-time low in the sector. Jacqui White, Group Operations Director of White’s Training, discusses the benefits of employers offering more training courses to care workers in times of crisis.

With reports suggesting that many care workers have considered quitting over the last year, as well as suffering from the aftereffects of working on the frontline during a pandemic, the home care industry is facing staff turnover like never before. 66% of home care providers are experiencing more staff quitting their jobs than before the pandemic, with low pay and COVID burnout blamed for worsening the care recruitment crisis.

Staff who work in care homes provide care and support to society’s frailest and most vulnerable people. At all times, care home providers must have enough qualified, competent, professional, and experienced workers to meet the needs of the people who use the service.

Nonetheless, attracting, recruiting and retaining employees is a constant challenge.

RETENTION REALITY While home care organisations vary in size, service users, staff demographics, and even location, there is no one-size-fits-all approach for snoring employee retention. However, there are a number of key areas that could be improved, including communication and culture, as well as providing professional training opportunities.

Investing in employee retention is critical to any company's success. It promotes high-quality care continuity, a positive workplace culture,

space of five years. Whilst 59% of the audience believed that if their company appreciated them more, it would have boosted their enthusiasm and career within the sector.

Having a care qualification or ongoing training can make carers: feel their profession is more valued and higher status, feel more competent, capable and confident in their role and more likely to stay in social care with their current employer.

A training programme can improve the integration of new team members and give management and care workers the opportunity to get to know one another better and strengthen team harmony. Research indicates that staff are 58% more likely to stay 3 years if there is a structured onboarding programme.

BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS

employee well-being, time and cost savings and positive Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings. Employers with a turnover of less than 10% reported that their main activities contributing to staff retention were: • Investing in learning and development (94%) • Embedding the values of their organisation (92%) • Celebrating the organisation’s and individual achievements (86%) • Involving colleagues in decision making (81%)

UNFULFILLED MEANS UNSUCCESSFUL According to a recent study by TotalJobs and Care UK, nearly onethird of social care workers want to leave the industry totally within the

As the industry looks towards a more stable future for employees working in the care sector, we are here to advise and support the employers' next steps. White’s Training provides a variety of courses for home carers from Dementia and Parkinson’s Awareness, to positive behaviour support.

These courses are a part of White’s Training's Centre of Excellence, and are currently being delivered virtually, face-to-face or via e-learning. They are also able to help support your in-house training plan by offering Train the Trainer courses and ongoing support.

Employers who embrace training courses demonstrate their dedication to their employees' self-worth and value. Offering this as a business makes it more enticing to carers looking for future positions.

For more information on carer training, please visit: https://whites.training/courses/

Bidfood Launches New Diabetes Module to Mark Diabetes Week 2022 In celebration of Diabetes Week 2022, Bidfood, one of the UK’s leading foodservice providers, has created a diabetes module on their e-learning platform, Caterers Campus, to help caterers providing meals for those living in care with the medical condition.

More than 4.9 million people in the UK have diabetes, and the chronic disease is a common condition among elderly residents in care homes. Customer insight has revealed that catering for diabetes within the care sector is especially challenging, as care homes are operating under tight budgets and rising food costs.

Launched in June last year, Bidfood created a free e-learning platform exclusive to its customers called Caterers Campus. Designed by Bidfood’s chefs, for chefs, the purpose of the online school is to support those in the industry when catering for residents’ individual needs. Modules include dysphagia, dementia, costing, and more.

To commemorate Diabetes Week 2022, Bidfood has been working hard to create

a new module, ‘Diabetes: understanding carbohydrates and blood sugar’, in addition to the six they already have.

The module, which includes understanding the causes and symptoms of diabetes, how to cater for diabetes as well as menu planning, has been designed to equip care home staff with the right information and guidance. Made up of over 30 chapters, the unit also features a knowledge test at the end.

Gemma Benford, Head of Customer and Channel Marketing at Bidfood said: “We understand how difficult it is to consistently create nutritious and delicious meals for residents’ individual requirements. Through this new module, we are continuing on our mission to provide an educational and interactive way to make the lives of the chefs preparing meals within care homes easier, whilst also providing them with inspirational, on-trend recipes.”

For more guidance, inspiration, and support on catering for the care sector please visit: https://www.bidfood.co.uk/care-homes/

Care Home Residents Have their Wishes Fulfilled by Essex Charity A charity that works with care home residents in Essex has been making their wishes come true thanks to grant funding from national charity Independent Age. Facing additional pressures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, care homes are increasingly having to prioritise health at the expense of wellbeing initiatives which can have a hugely positive, and in some cases transformative, impact on residents. That’s where Friends and Neighbours (FaNs) Essex come in.

The Friends and Neighbours (FaNs) Essex initiative links older people in care homes with volunteers to help combat loneliness and isolation in later life. Care home residents can write their wishes on a ‘Wishing Washing Line’, located both online and in places like supermarkets, and FaNs Essex will connect each older person with a volunteer who can make their wish come true.

The wishes are often small things, such as having someone to play cards with, or just to see someone for a chat, but being able to speak to someone other than a care worker can make a real difference for isolated older people. The Wishing Washing Line is just one project run by the charity, which also facilitates initiatives such as Care Home Bake-Off allowing residents to get back into the kitchen, Mr Motivator Exercise promoting movement whilst having fun and the intergenerational ‘Young FaNs’ group, where young people visit care homes and play games or chat with older people.

FaNs Essex has been so successful that the model has been replicated across the country, but the charity, like so many others, faced real difficulty during the pandemic. Successive lockdowns presented a significant challenge to the charity’s operations, having to shift their focus almost overnight from befriending and activity-based work to finding and delivering things like basic PPE to struggling care homes. Assisted by a small army of ‘micro-volunteers’, over 18,000 pieces of PPE were delivered to care homes across Essex, as well as 12,000 care packages for exhausted staff.

The charity was able to keep supporting older people through the pandemic thanks to a £13,500 grant in 2021 from national older people’s charity Independent Age. During COVID-19, Independent Age gave over £3million to 278 small charities who otherwise may have had to scale back the services they provide to older people or risked closure.

Independent Age is providing further grant funding to community-based organisations that help older people to live happy and connected lives. Essex is one of three areas of the country where the charity is rolling out its new local grant programme, and as part of this Independent Age plans to distribute £750,000

over the next two years to help develop partnerships and build capacity among community organisations with a particular focus on organisations working with older people struggling financially and those older people facing inequalities.

Tony Smith, Chair of the My Home Life Essex Community Association (MHLECA), the charity behind FaNs Essex, commented: “We are a small charity, so without grants from the likes of Independent Age, FaNs Essex simply wouldn’t be able to support the people it does. Over the Coronavirus pandemic, there has been increased competition amongst charities for grant funding, so Independent Age’s support is even more vital now than ever before.

“Older people in care homes have been through so much over the past few years. The current cost of living is putting a further squeeze on care homes and their staff. Our volunteers, whether they’re three years old or 63 years old, have such an amazing impact on the wellbeing of care home residents. We often find that most people want to help do something positive but don’t know how to – our micro-volunteering approach allows people to dedicate as much time as they’re able to give with no pressure to commit to more than they can.

“We’re so grateful to Independent Age for their partnership and financial assistance over the past year, and hope to continue this relationship for many years to come.”

Mark Hayward, Head of Grants at Independent Age, said: “We are proud to work with and fund some of the incredible work that FaNs Essex has been doing over the past year. Few have suffered more during the pandemic than care home residents, making the FaNs Essex’s work to give a good quality of life to care home residents all the more important.

“The work of FaNs volunteers throughout the pandemic has been exemplary but COVID-19 restrictions have really taken their toll on older people in care homes, their families, and those who work tirelessly to care for them. Although we are thankfully through the worst of the pandemic, worries around infection have been replaced with the ever-increasing cost of living crisis. It’s absolutely vital that FaNs get the support they need to carry out their work with people most in need.

“Our ambition is to support even more fantastic community-based organisations like FaNs and that’s why we’re planning to roll out more grant funding in the Essex over the next two years.”

PAGE 24 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Wall & Door Protection Reduce Your Operating Costs!! for a Caring Environment For 55 years Yeoman Shield wall & door protection systems from Harrison Thompson & Co. Ltd. have been delivering healthcare providers with a solution to costly and unsightly impact damage to interior walls & doors. This proactive approach to impact damage can show a year on year saving on maintenance time and budgets.

Offering a comprehensive range which includes, protection panels, protection rails, handrails and fire rated door protection systems, offered in over 48 colours, gives customers a wide choice to realise functional and aesthetic requirements.

The ability to incorporate colours, signage and images, into Yeoman Shield’s core products can be beneficial to mental health environments be that creating a calming atmosphere or a practical assistance in wayfinding.

The Guardian Handrail can also be supplied in an anti-ligature option safeguarding service users.

Fire doors are never more important than in a residential setting catering for those more vulnerable.

Yeoman Shield offer a full fire rated door protec-

Opeque can assist in reducing energy bills, complying with legislation, managing health and safety and achieving a sustainable operation.

Over years, Opeque has worked with various industry sectors, from tyre manufacturing to laundries, schools to hotels and hospitals to care homes, optimising their manufacturing procedures and facilities mantion system that when installed can prevent compromising impact damage and by doing so extends the functioning lifecycle of fire doors.

To complement these products is the company’s newly launched Fire Door Services giving reassurance to the building’s responsible person by offering fire door assessments, remedial and door replacement works all carried out under FIRAS accreditation.

Tel: 0113 279 5854 | email: info@yeomanshield.com www.yeomanshield.com See the advert on page 10.

Inclusive Furniture • Consider the elderly • Make the products affordable • Make rental to events an option • Use sustainable products where possible We then thought we need to provide picnic benches and outdoor furniture for people who use wheelchairs. There is definitely a need for disabled, easy access outdoor furniture. All made robustly to take the knocks from wheelchairs and manufactured from sustainable wood from environmentally friendly sources. They also need to make the user feel inclusive.

Consort Claudgen launches Consort Connect app Consort Claudgen have launched Consort Connect app which allows users to have complete control over their heating remotely via their smartphone or tablet. The app is free and downloadable from Google Play or Apple Store. It can control Consort’s Wi-Fi enabled heaters and SL heaters connected to an SLPBWIFI wireless controller. It gives quick access to four operating modes and provides a 7day timer with twenty-four heating periods per day. It is easy to set up and users can configure the settings of all connected heaters on

the app. Users can also view the energy consumption statistics. Other features include a lock function, open window tracking and response capability, and custom automations. There is a selflearning control ability utilising occupancy and temperature sensors, however, this is only available on the SLPBWIFI controller and Consort heaters with Wi-Fi and occupancy sensor.

For more information, contact our sales at 01646 692172 or visit www.consortepl.com or see the advert on page 6.

Safeguard Your Care Home with InVentry Care homes are crucial for our society, so it’s important to ensure they’re a safe setting to help staff carry out the best possible care.

With many family members and friends visiting their loved ones daily, InVentry is essential to track who’s entering and leaving your care home. Visitors are met with a simple signing in process and their information is stored directly in the system. This not only allows you to track who is onsite at any given time, but it ensures an even faster sign in during repeat visits.

You can also ensure that the contractors you have onsite have the skills to do the job safely by asking custom questions before they sign in, with options to include documents they may need to read upon arrival, ensuring health & safety and the security of

your site is always maintained.

InVentry can even help you become CQC and Care Inspectorate Compliant as our software allows you to receive star-rated feedback from those who have visited your care home. You can store this feedback within your system and note any actions taken to improve your processes and procedures!

Head to our website: www.inventry.co.uk or see the advert on page 11.

Frail & Thinning Skin Can Often Lead To Skin Tears Fragile or thin skin that tears easily is a common problem, especially among older adults. Our skin becomes thinner as we age, or as a result of sun damage and lifestyle factors. Thin skin bruises and tears more easily of course. Certain medications, such as long-term use of topical corticosteroids can also weaken the skin and the blood vessels in the skin Can skin tears be prevented? YES! Use Limbkeepers premium skin protectors!

So why Limbkeepers Protectors?

Limbkeepers arm sleeves, leg sleeves, and gloves help protect fragile, thin, bruised skin on arms, hands, and legs, from abrasions, skin tears, and injury from impact. Our non-compression arm protectors and leg

protectors provide seamless, form fitting, cushioned comfort and can be easily worn under apparel without bulk.

Our versatile products help to reduce injuries, allow you to continue daily activities and maintain quality of life and independence.

Made in the USA and supplied from the UK, they are sold in pairs and assorted colours at affordable prices.

Limbkeepers are available in regular or lightweight arm, forearm or leg sleeves.

Limbkeepers UK Ltd, Demontfort House, 7e Enterprise Way, Vale Park, Evesham WR11 1GS For more information or to buy go to www.limbkeepers.co.uk See the advert on page 7.

agement.

Applying industrial engineering principles, we address productivity, resource efficiency, quality control, health and safety and asset management, bringing people, utilities, equipment, and buildings together to realise product excellence.

We have worked with many care homes to provide laundry services and water hygiene and it is from these close relationships that we believe we can further assist your CARE HOME to reduce operating costs. or see the advert on page 11.

07831 873355, email Call or Email NOW: admin@opeque.com or visit www.opeque.com See the advert on page 19 for details.

WHY CARE HOMES? Not long ago we noticed that in our local park there was adequate seating for the non-disabled but none for the wheelchair-user, the more we looked the more we saw a complete lack of effort in complying with regulations and laws specifically brought in to counter this ignorance and discrimination.

We decide to act, our plan was: • Make our products both 'accessible & 'inclusive'.

• Design furniture with the wheelchair-user in mind • Act within both the Disability Act and the Equality Act • Provide quality products for non-disabled and disabled alike.

...because not only is it their legal duty under the discrimination acts people who happen to use wheelchairs also happen to enjoy sitting outside in fine weather, they are also appreciated in public places as well as private homes & gardens and places where care is a first priority Peter Cubbin Inclusivefurniture.com inclusivefurniture@gmail.com https://inclusivefurniture.com 07775717880 See the advert on page 19 for details.

Health and Safety Matters – Keep Up to Date The National Association for Safety and Health in Care Services ( NASHiCS ) focuses on all health and safety matters affecting the social care sector. The association has goes from strength to strength and has a growing membership across many providers and organisations covering the UK. Keeping up to date regarding Health and Safety matters is vital. The more you know, the more you can plan and the more you plan, the less you are susceptible in turbulent times.

Through the association you can Network with colleagues responsible for Health and Safety, share your own ‘best practice’ experiences and hear how others have overcome challenges.

Attend dedicated events, on health and safety at special member rates; and participate in national and local Networkers, Conferences and Seminars, in-person or virtual.

Advertise job vacancies free; and benefit from special member offers and rates from suppliers of goods services and equipment.

Receive regular update emails covering latest

Terryberry - Be Recognised, Be Engaged Terryberry is a global employee engagement solutions provider, HQ in Grand Rapids Michigan with UK offices in Cheshire and Cardiff, we help companies of all sizes, across all sectors. A dedicated account manager is included as part of all our employee reward & recognition programmes, who are on hand to guide you through every stage of the process. We’ve helped companies such as Co-op, AstraZeneca, Coca-Cola, M&S, Airbus, Jaguar Land Rover & The White Company run successful Long Service Award and Employee Benefits schemes.

Visit our website: www.terryberry.com/gb to learn more about our 360 Recognition platform.

See the advert on page 21 for details.

developments and safety alerts/news; while giving access to current information, links on key safety topics; and monthly our highly praised e-News.

Matters cover range from fire safety, training, infection control, lone working, falls prevention, first aid to stress, legionella, case law, regulation, people moving people and mock courts to mention just a few. See our website for report on past events – www.nashics.org We have national links with other organisations, government bodies and enforcement agencies. Our aim is to promote and improve safety and health in care practice by providing a sharing and networking forum for debate, and discussion.

Joining NASHiCS is a great and easy way to keep informed and aware. Health and Safety is an essential and matters to everyone involved with social care now and in the future.

Find out more – administrator@nashics.org | www.nashics.org | 07840 160 030 See the advert on page 11 for further details.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 25

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Forbes Helps Care Homes Maintain Cash’s Labels- “The Name Critical Hygiene Standards Behind the Name” For the care sector, laundry has always been absolutely central to infection control. Furthermore, in order to ensure continuity of service, it is essential to have a reliable service partner in place when needed.

Any prolonged machine downtime can have significant operation implications for a care environment, so it is important to have access to a same/next day breakdown response. Home residents deserve the very highest standards and care operators need to source laundry equipment that is both cost and energy efficient whilst meeting the most stringent hygiene standards.

Forbes Professional is proud to be Miele‘s national distribution partner. This enables us to offer their new Benchmark machines, which truly set new standards in laundry care. Combining high performance levels with both user and sustainable efficiency, they effortlessly meet all of the challenges of the care sector’s laundry operations. Optimised and intelligent technology combines with simple connectivity for fast and efficient cycles whilst thermo and chemo-thermal disinfection enable the critical hygiene control.

Forbes offers prospective clients comprehensive site surveys and entirely transparent cost calculations.

Our in-house engineers fully install and commission all equipment as well as offering complimentary usertraining. Our ever popular Complete Care rental solution is a more sustainable alternative than outright purchase. It also gives care homes access to our multiaward winning service support at no extra cost for the life of the contract. www.forbespro.co.uk info@forbes-professional.co.uk 0345 070 2335 See the advert on page 14.

Renray Healthcare Renray Healthcare has been producing high quality furniture for over 50 years and is one of the UK’s largest and leading suppliers to the healthcare sector.

Whether you require a fast efficient delivery of quality

furniture or a full room installation and fitting service, we have the experience and resources to handle your contract.

We manufacture and assemble our products in our own purpose built factories in Cheshire and Europe to British Standards. Hence we are able to ensure your furniture is produced to the highest quality, working with you to plan and meet your projects time schedule and budget.

We understand you are purchasing furniture that is fit for purpose, stylish and will continue to perform well into the future, which is why we design and build our furniture with you in mind.

Telephone: +44 (0)1606 593456, Email: info@renrayhealthcare.com, www.renrayhealthcare.com or see the advert on page 3 for details.

Free Online PAT Testing Course Everyone can benefit from free training! Parker Bell offers a free online PAT Testing course, which is ideal Care Home Managers and maintenance staff. It gives you all the information about your legal obligations and responsibilities. It also covers practicalities such as: • Equipment needed • Full visual Inspection • How to do a PAT Test • What records to keep As a result of the pandemic, many have found their working environment has changed dramatically. You may no longer allow people/contractors on your premises, PAT Testing is straightforward to do and can be easily managed in house. Our free course will show you how you can PAT Test, and what’s more, the HSE say any competent person can do it!

How do you access the free PAT Testing Course?

It’s simple, just go to www.onlinepattestingcourse.co.uk. Here you will be able to access the course, you just need an email address to sign up. The course is made up of short modules and is simple to follow.

Who should do the course?

Probably everyone should do the course, as it shows you basic electrical equipment safety; which given the

amount of electrical equipment we now have in our homes makes sense.

Both employers and employees are responsible for inspecting and maintaining electrical equipment in the work place. So you should encourage all staff to do the course.

What equipment do you need?

Any competent person can PAT Test, however you will need to use a PAT Tester that give you and outcome Pass or Fail. It’s great if the PAT Tester has readings as well, but they are not essential.

How often should I PAT Test?

Frequency of PAT Testing is dependent on your Risk Assessment. You need to include the routine inspection & maintenance of electrical equipment in your Risk Assessment and the risk should determine the frequency. Factors affecting the frequency include: • What the electrical equipment is • How often its’ used • Where its’ used • Who uses it Want to discuss further?

You can call us on 01392 364933 or email sales@parker-bell.co.uk We are always happy to help!

See the advert on page 7.

Taking Care of Your Needs Passive fire protection needs to be at the forefront of all our minds but what is passive fire protection?

Passive fire protection assesses a building in detail, poorly maintained fire doors, voids in ceilings & service shafts and penetrations made in walls, floors or ceilings can become conduits through which fire and smoke can spread. By identifying these failures within the fabric of the building, specialist repairs can be made to reinstate the compartmentation of the building to maximise the time available to evacuate the property, and or prevent a fire from taking hold in the first place.

For many this remains a concern and knowing where to start can be stressful. It is important that you do your due diligence and you seek out a trained, competent, third-party accredited company to work with you and to discuss your needs.

We are often told how a client has struggled to secure the services of a passive fire contractor. We have found many companies would prefer to concentrate on large, long term contracts rather than smaller

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 protection 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.

Visit www.cashslabels.com or see the advert on page 13.

Otiom, the World's First IoT Device Designed To Prevent People With Dementia From Becoming Lost

Although commonplace, wandering can be dangerous or even life-threatening for people with dementia, and the stress can weigh heavily on friends, family and carers. Otiom - is beginning to make a positive impact in the social care sector and is demonstrating its potential to be a gamechanger for the care of people living with dementia.

WHAT IS OTIOM? Otiom is a unique and discrete tagging device which people with dementia can easily carry. It utilises IoT technology to ensure reliable tracking indoors and outdoors, and has a long battery life.

THE OTIOM SYSTEM: Firstly, the tag: the monitoring device which is carried by the person with a tendency to wander.

Secondly, the home base: which is placed in the home of the person with dementia. The Otiom tag constantly communicates with the home base via Bluetooth while the person is at home.

Thirdly, the app: which is free on iOS or Android and allows an unlimited number of caregivers or relatives to operate the system.

The app allows caregivers to set a safety level depending on individual circumstances. The safety levels have been designed to cater for all stages of dementia. At its lowest setting, location data can only be accessed when carers are concerned about a per-

son’s whereabouts to manually raise the alarm. The fact that tracking is non-constant helps avoid any invasion of privacy for the person with dementia.

Otiom can be managed using a smartphone and a safety zone can be set outside the personal home or care facility where the person resides, including gardens or community areas. If the person leaves the safety zone, an alarm will be triggered and the Otiomapp will show the current location.

Please get in touch if you would like to learn more about Otiom.

Call: 0131 467 5764 Email: Mail@pentlandmedical.co.uk www.pentlandmedical.co.uk See the advert on page 9.

MOWOOT II Combats Chronic Constipation MOWOOT II is a revolutionary non-invasive and nonpharmacological solution to chronic constipation.

Developed by a team of medical professionals, MOWOOT II delivers gentle abdominal massage that speeds up intestinal transit in people with chronic constipation.

Clinically proven and free from side-effects, MOWOOT II Chronic Constipation Therapy System fights constipation effectively, safely and comfortably without laxatives, enemas or colon cleansing supplements.

Comfortable during use, MOWOOT II treats and manages chronic constipation in people with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease as well as helps to combat medication-related constipation issues. MOWOOT II also fights chronic constipation in menopausal and post-menopausal women and elderly people.

In a published clinical study*, MOWOOT II increased evacuation frequency, softened stools, improved reg-

ularity, reduced gasses and bloating and relieved abdominal discomfort. Results showed that as many as 72.2% patients experienced increased bowel movements, 77.4% patients manifested reduction in constipation symptoms and 81.0% patients enjoyed better quality of life.

In just 10 to 20 minutes per day of abdominal massage with MOWOOT II, significant improvements were noted only days after the first treatment, whilst regular applications of MOWOOT II delivered positive health benefits and better quality of life.

MOWOOT II – effective, safe and comfortable solution to chronic constipation! *McClurg D; Booth L; Herrero-Fresneda I. Safety and Efficacy of Intermittent Colonic Exoperistalsis Device to Treat Chronic Constipation: A Prospective Multicentric Clinical Trial. Clin Trans Gastroenterology 2020; 11(12): e00267.

See the advert on page 5 or ontact Win Health Medical Ltd - 01835 864866 - www.win-health.com

properties. We realised very quickly that we had an opportunity to provide a bespoke service for each of our clients taking care of individual needs. Over time we have become specialised in working within a live environment such as residential accommodation.

When the project is complete, it does not mean the end of our relationship, UK Passive Fire Solutions is part of East Riding Group Ltd. We can offer many other services to you such as UK Pest Control Service and our Hospitality, Kitchen & Hygiene Products (HKHP) UK Passive Fire Solutions work with you from start to finish. Call or email today to get more information and receive your information pack; email info@ukpassivefiresolutions.co.uk or call: 01262 469872.

See the advert on page 6 for further information.

PAGE 26 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

CONTINENCE CARE Top Tips For Healthy Skin When Living with Incontinence Healthy skin is a physical barrier against the external environment. The pH balance of skin should be between 4.5 and 5.5 to discourage bacterial growth.

HOW TO ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN A NORMAL PH BALANCE: • Prevent changes to normal skin pH by cleaning up quickly after each episode of urine loss.

• Choose mild skin cleansers, moisturisers and sealants.

• Be aware that perspiration, in combination with continence pads and briefs, creates an extra risk factor for skin problems.

DO’S AND DON’TS WHEN CARING FOR YOUR SKIN • Always use the pads prescribed for you and make sure that they are fitted correctly • Tell your nurse if your skin is wet when you change your incontinence pad • Tell your nurse if you have eczema or psoriasis or are prone to other conditions that affect your skin • Note the condition of your skin whilst using incontinence pads • Tell your nurse if there are any changes to your skin.

• This would include if your skin becomes red, sore or broken.

• Tell your nurse if you are using any ointments or creams

• Wash your hands before and after changing your pad • Don’t apply ointments or creams unless prescribed by your doctor or nurse.

• Don’t use talcum powder on your bottom or groin area. It can cause friction which may damage the skin and also affect how well your pad works.

• Don’t wear more than one pad at a time

Important advice Oil based barrier creams may reduce the performance of the pads. If barrier creams must be used, they should be applied sparingly and only on areas that require treatment. Used products should be disposed of in the appropriate manner, they cannot be flushed down the toilet.

The iD range of products is available to buy from www.id-direct.com or via Ontex - See the advert on page 7 for details.

Help To Manage Your Incontinence Issues Independently The Bendi Bag is ideal for wheelchair users who can sometimes find toilet access difficult The Comfort Leg Bag range comes in variety of materials from velvet smooth, real cotton and flock backing The Children’s Bag with smaller capacity and proportions comes with a discreet and secure twist tap that will not open accidentally while moving, or out and about

Urinary incontinence affects millions of people in the UK. Although a widespread problem, incontinence remains a taboo topic.

Embarrassment often stops people from talking about it, let alone feeling able to access products and services that can help them. So, without the correct help and support, the problem often remains unsolved, which has a negative impact on people’s lives.

COMFORTABLE AND EFFECTIVE Since 1976 Manfred Sauer have provided a range of innovative urology products to help sufferers of urinary incontinence. But unlike other providers, our products are often designed and tested by both end users and healthcare professionals to ensure effective and user-friendly solutions that work. This means your incontinence issues can be managed independently, without worrying about frequent emptying or toilet access and do not impinge on your ability to live life to the full.

Read about four of our most popular product ranges, which are all available on prescription.

SHEATHS We offer 5 types of urinary sheath to facilitate the drainage of urine away from the body into a drainage bag. They are made from either latex, or synthetic materials and available in a range of sizes. We also offer skin friendly tapes, straps and adhesives, hair guards, measuring tape as well as Preventox, which cleans and protects the skin, so you are always comfortable and have the best fit possible.

IQ CATHETER

LEGBAGS We supply four main types of leg bags with varying capacities.

Perfect for being outdoors, and packed full of unique features and benefits, you now have a choice when it comes to managing your incontinence issues.

The shape of our Discreet Thigh Bag allows for it to be worn high up on the thigh area and can even be hidden under shorts, skirts and even swimwear

Thousands of people across the country must perform Intermittent Self-Catheterisation (ISC) to effectively empty their bladder and having something that is simple to use, soft, flexible and easy to lubricate is essential. That’s where our IQ-Cath shines, plus, new for 2022 are male/paediatric and female single-use hydrophilic catheters which are immersed in saline and ready for immediate use.

Nephsys For people who have had a Nephrostomy, and tubes are already in place, our NephSys system can drastically improve their lives. As well as providing a secure and sterile solution, which consists of an adjustable, elasticated belt; drainage bags and suspenders to secure the bag to the belt in the chosen position, the system is also comfortable and discreet.

For help, support and advice, call 01604 595696, email helpline@manfred-sauer.co.uk or visit www.manfred-sauer.co.uk for more information about each product, or to order a free sample.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 29

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL

Exclusive Antimicrobial Scrub Technology Launched

by Grahame Gardner and Micro-Fresh ®

Grahame Gardner has unveiled a brand new Micro-Fresh® scrub top and trouser range which uses leading antimicrobial technology to stay fresher longer.

The range, exclusive to Grahame Gardner, incorporates cutting-edge technology Micro-Fresh® to help keep healthcare workers safe whilst maintaining unrivalled comfort.

The garment fabric, which is 65 per cent polyester and 35 per cent cotton, is incorporated with innovative Micro-fresh® technology at point of manufacture. The antimicrobial technology not only kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria beyond 50 washes but is also proven to reduce the spread of human coronavirus by 99.2 per cent.

With wash resistant antibacterial protection, Micro-Fresh® also boasts odour prevention, providing longer lasting freshness for the wearer. The scrubs are hypoallergenic, gentle on skin and vegan friendly.

The exclusive scrubs will stocked available in two fits – unisex and female – and the scrub top will be available in six colourways: Oasis, Navy, Eau de Nil, Bottle, Smoke Grey and Blue 18 each with a classic contrasting white trim The trousers will be available in Navy, Bottle and Black.

Grahame Gardner will also offer all six scrub colours in their Made to Order range with a bespoke choice of trim colour.

The scrub top design features multiple pockets, including two waterproof chest pockets and a wearers right hand hip pocket, which also has a pen divide and an elastic loop for a clip-on hand sanitiser. The trousers have a

drawstring waist, and also side and a back pockets.

A range of Micro-Fresh® tie back scrub caps will also be available in the same six colours to complement the scrubs, plus two additional colours – Black & Royal Blue Sarah Lowe, from Grahame Gardner, said: “We’re so pleased to reveal our exclusive Micro-Fresh® workwear range.

“These innovative garments harness leading technology to create scrubs that combine comfort with unique antimicrobial technology that’s proven to kill 99.9% bacteria – even after washing! We know there is the market for them and are confident our customers will appreciate the benefits this garment development bring. It’s been great to build a really positive working relationship with Micro-Fresh® and look forward to that continuing in the future.”

Chris Mellor-Dolman, head of marketing & business development at Micro-Fresh®, added: “The move to working with a brand such as Grahame Gardner, who uphold the highest standards of protection and hygiene with products for use in controlled environments, dovetails wholly with our ideology here at Micro-Fresh®.

“It’s reassuring to know that Micro-Fresh and Grahame Gardner scrubs are making a significant difference, protecting the health & wellbeing of much-valued medical professionals.”

For more information, visit: www.grahamegardner.co.uk/micro-fresh

Eliminate Odours and Sanitise Rooms with MAG Ozone

15 minutes is all it takes to remove bacteria, viruses and unpleasant odours from indoor rooms and spaces. Don’t just mask bad smells, permanently eliminate them with the MAG Room Sanitiser. It’s safe, it’s sustainable, it requires no chemicals, plus it’s quicker and 3,000 times more effective than other cleaning methods.

Hygienic indoor air quality is seen as an essential part of every business and we all have a responsibility to look after our staff, visitors, guests and clients.

Monkeypox, Covid-19 and other airborne viruses will continue to come and go so regular air purification is important as nobody knows what the future holds.

As well as sanitising the air and surfaces in a room, MAG’s sanitising machine guarantees to remove odours however strong including smoke, cooking, alcohol, body odour and incontinence. It’s used by care homes, hotels, pubs, restaurants and thousands of businesses in the UK and across the world.

How does it work? Ozone is safely created and destructed within your preferred time frame. Simply wheel the ozone generator into the room that needs sanitising,

Introducing The World’s First Movable Bedpan Disposer ® Panaway M1 It has been great to get back out helping some customers face to face again but we are also aware of ongoing restrictions and the many pressures facing all.

Haigh's product development has continued regardless and with the launch of the Panaway M1 mobile bedpan disposal system, the team has also made a virtual 3D version for you to view from your smartphone via the link / QR code below.

Bedpans, commode pots, kidney dishes & urine bottles are simply and efficiently disposed using Haigh's proven technology now in an easy to deploy, mobile, plug and play format.

Panaway M1 gives unprecedented flexibility when it comes to bringing the infection prevention bene-

fits of disposable medical pulp to your site, as well as the sustainability and cost considerations associated with using very little electricity and no hot water. A perfect solution as an emergency stand-in when a bedpan machine or washer is unavailable or as a cost-effective solution whilst migrating a site to a disposable system.

If you or your colleagues have any questions or would like to know more, please feel free to email or call us.

For more information about renting, purchasing or a trial of Panaway® M1 contact Michelle Marriot on +44 (0)7500 626463 or email info@haighmed.com or visit www.panaway.com

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

plug in the machine, start the cycle, leave the room and when you re-enter you will be pleasantly surprised by the extra fresh fragrance. It’s very simple, completely safe and free product demonstrations are available across the UK. Ask about our 5 star feedback and testimonials. Andrew Morgan, Managing Director of Morgan Care shares “Great sales experience with a pre-order demo and very efficient order & delivery service. Would have no hesitation in recommending MAG Ozone”.

For more information contact MAG Ozone Ltd on 01353 883025 or sales@magozone.com Did you know the MAG Group also provides commercial washing machines and tumble dryers? Find out more at www.maglaundryequipment.co.uk (Link: https://maglaundryequipment.co.uk/product/ozone-sanitation/ mag-ozone-generator )

PAGE 30 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

HYGIENE & INFECTION CONTROL 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.

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

Why Infection Control Is Just One of the Benefits of Outsourcing Laundry Care homes are facing many challenges, from infection control and Covid, to staff shortages and rising energy costs. Richard Page, UK Head of Care Homes at Elis (uk.elis.com), explains how making a simple change to how laundry is processed can have benefits that extend far beyond infection control.

How the laundry is managed can have a bigger impact on the care home than is sometimes realised. It may impact infection control standards and compliance but also staff availability, running costs and capital expenditure, how smoothly the care home can operate, the satisfaction of residents and families, space availability and even the quality of the bedlinen and towels.

While traditionally care homes often handled the laundry themselves, many are now recognising the advantages of outsourcing to a specialist, as is the norm in many other sectors, including the NHS and hotels.

Here are the top six ways that care homes can benefit from outsourcing to a specialist care home laundry provider, like Elis.

1 – INFECTION CONTROL AND COMPLIANCE It is essential to maintain high standards of infection prevention and control; an important part of care homes’ CQC inspection.

However, when laundry is done on site it can be difficult to consistently follow the strict procedures that help prevent cross infection and ensure compliance with the Department of Health’s HTM 01-04 regulation. Requirements such as the full segregation of clean and soiled items, the validation of wash processes and the stringent handling and transportation procedures can sometimes be difficult to maintain, especially when space is limited.

Outsourcing to Elis ensures immediate compliance, both now and in the future. With experience of working for hospitals and care homes across the UK and the world, Elis ensures that infection control is built into every process. It is accredited to the highest European standard in infection control (BS EN14065) and expert at laundry compliance, so care homes don’t have to be.

2 – RELIABILITY, SIMPLICITY AND PEACE OF MIND When a care home runs its own laundry it can be hard to avoid machine breakdowns, or even fires, and unexpected staff absences.

They all create extra pressure and make it hard to maintain standards.

With a network of laundries across the UK, each with multiple state-of-the-art machines, back-up facilities and stock and its own delivery fleet, Elis provides a guaranteed, reliable service, day after

day. The local Elis laundry collects soiled items, hygienically launders and maintains them and returns them to an agreed schedule.

Elis uses the latest technology in all aspects of its service, with tiny 2d Barcodes on linens and on special residents’ clothing bags, enabling meticulous tracking of items and meaning lost items are a thing of the past. Residents have their own dedicated bags, into which garments are placed, so Elis knows exactly where each resident’s items are in its fully tracked service.

3 – COST REDUCTION AND CONTROL Using the Elis service can be a more cost effective approach to care home laundry. It can free up care home capital, as there is no equipment or linen to buy and can provide efficiencies and cost savings because Elis operates on an industrial scale and passes savings on to customers. With competitive fixed priced contracts and no risk of unexpected laundry costs, the service also helps with cost control.

The usage of linens is tracked to provide complete cost transparency and there is flexibility to adjust quantities if demand changes.

Care homes can benefit from taking a look at their in-house laundry costs, including staff, water, electricity, gas, detergent, machine rental and breakdown costs and comparing with the cost of an Elis laundry service.

4 – FREEING UP TIME AND SPACE With staff shortages and illness, outsourcing laundry can also have the benefit of freeing up staff to focus on other tasks. It also significantly reduces the time that management need to focus on laundry.

It takes away the hassle and provides a simple, reliable solution.

The removal of in-house laundry equipment also frees up space for other activities or even for another bedroom.

5 – HOTEL QUALITY Items are provided on a cost effective rental basis, with no large up-front costs. High quality linen creates the perfect centrepiece for each resident’s room and fluffy white towels create a homely feel.

Bed linen and towelling are professionally finished using specialist driers, ironers and folders, to give a hotel-like quality, while every item of residents clothing is carefully washed and fully CQC compliant.

6 – EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY Elis is able to use gas, electricity and water more efficiently than individual homes, and so partnering with Elis means that care homes are choosing a more sustainable approach to laundry. Elis is Carbon Trust accredited and the first laundry and textile services company in the UK to state its intent to attain Net Zero carbon emissions by 2045.

Elis partners with thousands of care homes around the world.

From small independent homes and hospices to large care villages.

Elis provides solutions for linen and residents’ clothing, workwear and uniforms, chefs’ wear, table linen and kitchen cloths. Elis also provides washroom, mats and floorcare services.

For a trial without commitment email uk-carehomes@elis.com or call 0808 1969160 or for more information https://uk.elis.com/en/sectors/health-social-care/care-homes

CATERING FOR CARE

An NHS Chef’s Guide to Budget-Friendly, Nutritious, and Delicious Meals

Matt Willis, Co-Head Chef at Clacton Hospital, NHS Property Services (NHSPS) (www.property.nhs.uk) shares insight around the challenges of hospital catering, and how best to manage budgets while cooking delicious and nutritious meals for staff and patients.

Catering for hospitals comes with its challenges. It is often a balancing act between having nutritious, healthy meals, while also making sure they are within budget and not wasted. And most importantly, the meals must be enjoyable for patients and staff.

HAVING A SEASONAL MENU A big part of saving money and having a tasty menu is making sure meals are seasonal, freshly made and locally sourced. The patient menu is set by dietitians, so it must be adhered to for patients to get the nutrition they need. One way of ensuring this is cooking food from scratch. This can make a huge improvement to the quality of food. In our hospital, for example, making food from scratch allows us to significantly reduce salt out of the diets and ensuring that there are no pre-made or pre-packaged foods in every meal.

Using local suppliers is important, as the produce is fresh, and it is a more sustainable way of picking up ingredients needed for the daily menu. It is also great for altering the menu on the day – whether that is down to weather changes, or we have had requests to change up the menu. Ultimately, it is most important to provide people with the food they want. By going local, this can be done in a budget-friendly and sustainable way.

CATERING FOR EVERY NEED It is important to know who you are cooking for. With so many patients and staff, catering for all comes

with challenges – for example, there are 14 official allergens we need to consider. However, it also encourages creativity and to think more about what people want to and can eat. For example, providing an alternative menu is helpful, such as kosher, allergen-free, or needing softer foods. Ultimately, it is important to keep patients happy.

REDUCING FOOD WASTE Another important part of catering and sticking within budget is reducing food waste. In a hospital, if there are two portions left over on a counter, it cannot be saved for later and unfortunately it goes to waste. To prevent waste, we must consider portion control. This can be challenging as patients need a nutrient rich diet and to feel full for a sustained period of time. Where possible, always aim to prepare smaller portions, and if people are still hungry, recommend a snack like fruit or something to keep them going. In our hospital, I encourage the team to manage portion control – it is a crucial part of our training.

Leftovers can encourage you to be fun, creative and make simple foods delicious. Reducing food waste will also have a positive knock-on effect on budget, meaning that money won’t be wasted and can be continued to be spent on getting the best produce.

My top tips to reduce food waste and budget are: • Make a fish pie with leftover fish, with a quick sauce and mash potato ready for next day lunch service.

• I often put lamb in the slow cooker – if there is any leftover it works well in a lamb salad wrap.

• Leftover spaghetti Bolognese works a treat as a topping for jacket potatoes, or chili con carne! I also put it over chips sprinkled with cheese on top under the grill.

See our Catering for Care feature on pages 34-37.

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 31

CATERING FOR CARE Carte D’Or Launches The Perfect Base To Create Flavour-Filled Desserts For Your Residents To Enjoy The key to a delicious dessert is the right ingredients. As a chef, you need quality, adaptability, and versatility, to create efficiency in the kitchen and variety on your menu. Carte D’Or have got you covered with all this and more, with their range of powdered dessert bases offering endless possibilities for your dessert menu.

Carte D’Or have teamed up with Aaron Watson, Head Chef at Primrose Bank Care Home and winner of the NACC Care Chef Of The Year 2021, to demonstrate just how adaptable, controllable and reliable their range can be.

Alongside Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions, Alex Hall, Aaron has created a series of recipes that are easy to create and will really impress. These include a refreshing ‘Eaton less Mess’, soft doughnuts, a classic baked Alaska and fruity strawberry ice cream – all made using the Carte D’Or Strawberry Mousse and perfect for a movie night or warm summers day.

Alex and Aaron have used the Carte D’Or Panna Cotta mix to make a rhubarb & custard, black forest, and raspberry panna cotta. All these recipes are quick, simple, and packed full of different flavours – which is ideal when catering to various individuals’ preferences! Aaron commented: “You have to think of each resident as an individual, rather than thinking a dish will be suitable for everybody. You have to personalise it to each person”.

Finally, Carte D’Or Crème Brulée is used to make an apple tart, coconut crème caramel and the classic Queen of puddings. The latter utilising leftover ingredients such as breadcrumbs, which are usually seen to go to waste. It’s made in 4 simple steps; just whisk, mould, chill and serve your delicious pudding. The coconut crème caramel is a play on Aaron’s winning dish from the 2021 NACC Care Chef of the Year competition and he highlights the importance of having these exciting dishes for residents: “Obviously, the food we put on the plate is a really important part of the residents’ day to day lives, mealtimes are one of the main times of the day, where all the residents can come together and interact”.

To learn more and watch the full recipes visit www.ufs.com/cartedorincare

Food Procurement Experts, allmanhall are Helping Care Caterers Manage Rising Food Costs Here the causes behind significant food inflation and provide advice on practical ways care home catering teams can manage rising costs are explored.

“There are wide-ranging reasons why we’re currently experiencing such significant food inflation. Our global food supply chain comes with input cost factors that originate far beyond these shores” explains Oliver Hall, managing director of food procurement experts, allmanhall.

The Bank of England has revised its projections upwards, predicting that inflation will now peak at 10% towards the end of 2022. Upward pressure is expected this autumn as energy prices rise again and the full impact of harvest yields globally, and more specifically in Ukraine and Russia, become known. allmanhall’s apply such insight and understanding to managing suppliers, thus supporting care home catering teams with their food purchasing in these challenging times. As well as expert negotiations to mitigate the price increases and risk associated with food inflation, allmanhall’s hands-on, experienced consultants are able to offer care homes practical advice.

Coping strategies are key, addressing the things you can control:

- Select the purchasing approach that brings your care home maximum benefit - Undertake range management - Reduce your care home’s cost to serve - Increase your delivery values (add non-food items to your order) - Multi- and upskill your catering team - Reduce waste wherever possible - Review the efficiency of your equipment - Consider your care home’s menus and recipes - Review product specifications.

These steps will enable your catering budgets and food purchases to go as far as possible.

To learn more, go to https://allmanhall.co.uk/webinars Rachael Venditti from allmanhall will be talking on the topic of Food Inflation at the Care Home and Hospital Catering Forum in Haberdashers Hall, London on 13 June.

PAGE 32 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

CATERING FOR CARE

Anglia Crown – Looking To Make Your Lives Easier As the better weather approaches it is perhaps a time that we can start to look forward again. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit us all, those in the care sector have been at the forefront of the fight and Anglia Crown salute each and everyone of you who have been providing the best service you could throughout the crisis. Anglia Crown has been there beside you and will remain there to help you keep your residents happy and well fed.

Whilst the company maintained a rapid response team to react quickly to their customers’ needs during the crisis, they also allowed time to step back and see how best they could improve their offer for the care sector and beyond.

The company was also keen to recognise their 30th anniversary of championing choice with the release of their 2022 range of products. The range includes Crown Choice and Crown Advantage meals available frozen, with Crown Crown Choice also available as chilled products.

Company Dietitian, Ruth Smith, comments: “Whenever we update our product range, we always look to reflect current trends. There is a definite move towards plant-based foods which we have considered in these menus, which we believe will prove to be very popular.”

The company now offers over 70 vegan and vegetarian dishes, many have been accredited with the Vegan Society. This approach led to the company being named a Veggie

Wholesaler of the Year.

Another one of the initiatives was to create a menu cycle that can be readily adopted by any care setting, with the knowledge that the menu is nutritionally balanced and has been approved by a professional dietitian.

The two-week cycle offers something for everyone. Where a bulk service is required for resident dining, they have it covered, a similar menu using Crown Advantage dishes can be similarly employed. The specially designed menu is cost effective, as it has already considered the financial balancing that is always required in our sector and just as importantly, it also helps with any staffing issues that you might encounter, allowing properly trained Care Assistants to help with the complete delivery of the meals to your residents.

Mary Wedge, Business Development Manager at Anglia Crown concludes; “We needed to take fast action during the crisis, which led to a huge shift in thinking that has ensured that we could fully support our industry during this difficult period and beyond, whilst continuing to deliver on our vision – in driving excellence in residential and care home catering.”

The new range is now available. Visit www.angliacrown.co.uk for further details.

TME’s Colour Coded CA2005 Temporary Catering Facilities For Events & Kitchen Refurbishments Thermometer Range Ensuring that you have hygienic equipment in the kitchen and catering area can be easily achieved with TME’s colour coded CA2005 thermometer range.

We all understand the importance of equipment which is easy to clean and hygienic especially where food is cooked and prepared. It is also important to ensure that the equipment you have is accurate to avoid any risk of food being undercooked.

Our solution is the CA2005 thermometer and probe range, featuring our high accuracy CA2005 thermometer and a choice of up to 6 colour coded dishwasher-proof temperature probes to help you avoid cross contamination. Our CA2005-P kit, which

includes both thermometer and probe, can be picked up for a little as £65 and our CA2005-PK kit with thermometer and all 6 probes is only £125.

You can be sure you’re making the right purchase as all TME products are British built and our thermometers come with our Thermometer for Life pledge which means that you will never have to pay more than £35.00 to have the thermometer repaired or replaced.

See our products at www.tmethermometers.com or contact us on (01903) 700651 sales@tmethermometers.com for further details.

TME – When temperature matters

Mobile Kitchens Ltd specialises in the hire or sale of temporary catering facilities and foodservice equipment.

Ideal for events or to provide temporary catering facilities during your kitchen refurbishment, our versatile units and equipment offer an efficient and economic solution to the caterers’ needs.

Production Kitchens, Preparation Kitchens, Warewashing Units, Dry Store Units, Cold Rooms and Restaurant Units are available as individual units in their own right or they can be linked together on site to form a complete complex.

Alternatively, we can offer modular, open-plan facilities, usually for larger, longer-term hires.

We offer a free design service, and project management from concept through to delivery and installation on site, plus full technical support throughout the hire period.

The standard specification of our smallest

Production Kitchen unit includes a six burner oven range, salamander grill, twin basket fryer, upright fridge, hot cupboard, single bowl sink unit with integral hand wash basin, plus ample power points to plug in Microwaves, Food Processors, Toasters etc. Internal equipment can be interchanged and clients can effectively specify their preferred layout.

We have many tried and tested design layouts and would be pleased to put forward our recommendations for your project.

So if you’re planning a refurbishment or need to cater for an event then why not give us a call and we’ll be happy to provide advice and put forward a competitive proposal.

For further information or to arrange a site visit, email: sales@mk-hire.co.uk or call us on 0345 812 0800, or visit our website: www.mk-hire.co.uk

PAGE 34 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

NURSE CALL AND FALLS MONITORING Silent Running Fall Savers - Affordable Fall Monitoring Solutions Tranquility in Care Homes 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 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 or visit www.fallsavers.co.uk.

TO ADVERTISE IN THE CARER CONTACT OUR SALES TEAM TODAY ON 01202 552333 OR EMAIL SALES@THECARERUK.COM

Quiet and calm care homes ensure that residents are able to live in a more relaxing and pleasant home environment. Similarly, carers and staff find that they too benefit from reduced stress when working in a home where noise levels are kept to a minimum. There are many environmental factors that can affect those sensitive to their surroundings, particularly those suffering from dementia, these can be fluctuations in ambient temperature, light, and of course noise. Repetitive and high levels of noise can originate from a number of internal and external sources, for example, telephones ringing, loud conversations in corridors, and call bells sounding, often one of the largest contributors to increasing the levels of stress and discomfort in residents.

A published study by the University of Stirling stated that unanswered Nurse Call (Call Bell) alarms can be one of the most common causes of stress in dementia sufferers. The University recommends “fitting call alarms which alert nurses but do not resonate throughout the whole building. Alarms can be particularly disconcerting as they may encourage the person with dementia to respond or investigate what the matter is. At the very least the loss of sleep will compromise a person’s ability to

concentrate. It can affect their attention levels and capacity to cope, as well as being detrimental to their overall state of wellbeing. Personal paging systems are preferable to bells and buzzers.”

Modern Nurse Call systems can incorporate a number of methods to reduce their impact in a care home. These include zoning whereby there are separate alarm types used depending upon the location of the call. In these circumstances, dementia sufferers and those vulnerable to noise can be located in one “zone” whist less vulnerable residents live in an alternative “zone”. Each “zone” can operate different call tones, warning lights or other methods to alert when help is required Reducing noise levels is essential to create a tranquil environment for residents. Pagers have been around for many years, are a relatively simple and cost-effective measure in reducing the levels of noise, and can be added to most Nurse Call systems. Smart Mobile Devices are now becoming more commonplace for care home staff and hold a variety of apps for care planning, e-medication, etc.

Many Courtney Thorne clients are now utilising the “Go” app with their Nurse Call system. With the “Go” app, nurse call alarms are delivered immediately and silently straight to the handsets, alerting the individual carers to all Nurse call alarms without creating any general alarm sound and rarely disturbing the rest of the residents in the home.

Calmer residents ultimately means that staff are less stressed also, this creates a happier workplace where morale is greatly improved, staff are retained and CQC ratings improve. Clearly, the positive ramifications of a quiet Care Home run deep. Get in touch today to find out how we can help your home become a quieter, calmer, and more tranquil environment.

For more information email us at: info@c-t.co.uk

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 35

NURSE CALL AND FALLS MONITORING

Medpage Falls Management Products Medpage T/A Easylink UK have manufactured and distributed fall prevention and detection products for over 25 years. We specialise in products for one-to-one care, or small groups in a Care Home or Hospital. Our systems are robust, easy to set up and use, and have a proven track record in helping to reduce falls, in domestic and professional care establishments.

How can they help reduce falls?

Many falls occur when a person at risk from falls leaves their bed or chair, particularly during the night. By detecting an exit from the bed or chair early a carer or guardian gains time to attend and help the person, usually preventing the fall.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE

Medpage supply a diverse range of equipment for detecting bed and chair exit.

There are for example, simple bed alarms, chair alarms, or multiple use products for combining bed and chair monitoring, to allow the person to move from their bed to their chair. There are systems that use a cabled pressure mat sensor connected to an alarm controller, or pressure mat sensors with a self-contained alarm transmitter to signal a radio pager. Carer alarm notifications can be by a single or multiple user pager or alarm receiver, or an external alarm device.

You can find out more on the advert on page 11 or at www.easylinkuk.co.uk/product/ product-fall-detection

Nurse Alert Mats Designed to combat the problem of residents who are inclined to walk undetected, the Nurse Alert Mat can help protect residents especially at night that are at risk of falls and accidents.

When connected to a Nurse Call system or the mobile Floor Sentry Monitor it will then alert staff, sounding the alarm with a small amount of pressure thus enabling staff to investigate.

• Nurse Call Systems • Fire Alarm Systems • Door Access • Staff Attack • CCTV • Infection Control • Dementia Care • Electrical Contracting

Lotus Care Technology The NurseAlert pressure mat has been one of the most successful floor pressure mats due to it being non slip and carpeted which makes it feel very natural under a residents foot.

Lotus Care Technology Ltd have many other fall saving devices that can give you peace of mind whilst caring for this at risk of falls.

Having many years of experience in fitting and

maintaining Nurse Call Systems helps the guys at Lotus Care Technology understand that every home is different and has different needs. They can specify not only the best system for the environmental factors in the home but also take into consideration the best products that will make your carers and nurses jobs that little bit easier.

Visit www.lctuk.com for details.

In addition The Floor Pressure Mat has a heavy non slip backing, It comes professionally sealed so can easily be cleaned for liquid spills and is fully serviceable.

INCLUDES A 12 MONTH GUARANTEE

sales@lctuk.com 0800 8499 121 www.LCTUK.com

www.nursecallsystems.co.uk

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 37

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE Log my Care’s New Research Reveals The Sentiment In The Social Care Sector and Technology’s Place In Its Future

Log my Care has revealed the results of new research – The future of care: an analysis of job satisfaction and technology in social care.

Prompted by the reports of a sector in crisis, Log my Care disseminated a survey to better understand the sentiment of the social care workforce, if an exodus of care workers leaving the sector on the horizon and how technology can support them to stay.

The survey identified a workforce that was predominantly happy in their role. Reflecting these high levels of happiness in their jobs, only a small minority of respondents said they wanted to leave the care sector: • Respondents had an average happiness ranking of 7.9 in which 1 was ‘very unhappy’ and 10 ‘very happy’.

• Those in senior management roles appeared to be more satisfied (8.9) compared to those in frontline roles (8.2) or management positions (7.7).

• Only 4% of respondents said they wanted to leave the care sector.

Findings from the survey also revealed a workforce that is drawn to the sector for altruistic reasons: • 81% of respondents said that ‘purpose’ was ‘very important’ to them in their role, the most popular response from a predefined list.

• ‘Knowing that the job was done well’ was the most popular type of reward for respondents (56% selected this as their first choice) compared to a quarter (24%) selecting ‘money’.

• 83% of respondents reported that ‘passion for caring for others’ attracted them to the care sector, while more than three-quarters (77%) selected ‘making a difference’ as a reason.

• Factors connected to their own benefits were less important. With ‘personal development' (61%) and ‘career development’ (45%) bringing up the rear.

However, the stressors of the pandemic have exacerbated some of the unpleasant factors associated with working in social care: • Just under half (45%) of respondents reported that the ‘workload’ was the factor they disliked most about their role.

• 37% disliked their ‘work-life balance’ and 14% were unhappy with their ‘level of responsibility’.

When asked how digital they felt their workplace was already: • The majority (59%) said their workplace was a beginner when it came to digital with a long way to go.

• One-third of all respondents felt they were 'digital experts' (33%), using digital solutions in most aspects of their work, and only 9% identified as

complete novices.

There’s a positive sentiment towards the digitalisation of social care: • Two-thirds of respondents (67%) said they were 'super excited' about the increasing digitisation of the sector.

• Three-quarters of respondents (76%) felt that the care industry needs to become more digital.

Sam Hussain, Founder and CEO of Log my Care, comments, “The reports of the care sector in crisis are at odds with the incredible dedication and optimism voiced by many of our customers in our daily conversations. We wanted to dig a little deeper with this research — to understand the sentiment in the sector, why so many people were leaving it and what place technology has in supporting them to stay.

Although we were surveying an industry clearly in crisis, the passion and commitment of the people working in it is a light in the dark. We know it’s time for a change – with low pay, long hours and a lack of employee development coming up time and time again as the reasons our care staff are leaving. Technology can play a vital role in this change and by encouraging even the smallest care provider to go digital, we can begin to combat some of the problems highlighted by this survey.”

Scan this QR code to read Log my Care’s full report or read it online at https://tinyurl.com/4pxdfxex

‘Work Smarter’ To Tackle Care Recruitment Crisis, Advises Bizimply The recruitment crisis continues to hit care homes hard. According to the latest ONS figures, to 31 March this year, vacancies in the health & social work sector, which includes care, stood at 216,000 – a 6.5% increase on the previous quarter and massive 65% up on the previous year. Care home owners and managers are learning how to run their business with a staff vacancy rate that is here to stay for a while.

Conor Shaw, CEO at workforce management specialists Bizimply, says: “Tackling the staffing crisis means ensuring your teams are working not harder, but smarter.

“Technology such as ours can be really helpful, allowing managers to create staff rotas and payroll easily and quickly, so they can spend more time with their teams, which raises morale and motivation. It can also reduce the

Vayyar Imaging Secures $108M in Series E Funding Led

by Koch Disruptive Technologies Vayyar Imaging, a global leader in 4D imaging radar, has announced that it has finalized a USD 108 million Series E financing round led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), bringing the company’s total funding to over USD 300 million.

The new round includes first-time Vayyar backers GLy Capital Management and Atreides Management LP, alongside existing investors including KDT, Battery Ventures, Bessemer Ventures, More VC, Regal Four, and Claltech. To support investor outreach in China, Vayyar engaged China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC) as its lead financial adviser.

Founded with a vision of detecting early-stage breast cancer using RF technology, Vayyar has since

expanded its business into senior care, automotive, retail, public safety and other industries. The company provides solutions powered by its leading-edge system-on-chip, proprietary software stack, and breakthrough Machine Learning algorithms.

In the automotive space, Vayyar manufactures 4D imaging radar-based platforms that transform safety across the in-cabin, ADAS and motorcycle (ARAS) domains. The company’s ARAS platform is in mass production for deployment on Piaggio Group’s motorbikes, providing exceptional safety for the world’s most at-risk road users. Vayyar has also secured supply contracts with automakers from Japan and Vietnam and is in advanced engagements with almost every other OEM and supplier for both in-cabin and ADAS. In senior care, the company offers Vayyar Care, a unique remote monitoring solution, integrated with the world’s leading nurse call systems, that protects the aging population with automatic fall detection and data that drives predictive behavioral analytics. Vayyar recently signed a Joint Venture agreement with Haier subsidiary HCH Ventures, leveraging its senior care technology to address the 4 trillion yuan (625B USD) “silver tech” market in China. Vayyar has also established a large-scale partnership with Amazon for remote health, safety and security monitoring.

"KDT is excited to help further Vayyar’s vision to improve the health and safety of people’s lives at a global scale,” said Brett Chugg, senior managing director of KDT. “Their 4D imaging technology is transforming the medical, smart home, elderly care, and automotive markets here in the U.S. and around the world. We look forward to helping accelerate their continued growth.”

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 41...)

reliance on agency staff to fill the gaps.

“The other benefit is that managers can give staff members their shift patterns further in advance, putting an end to last-minute requests to work. Improving your employees’ work-life balance can go a long way to making them feel more valued in their job and less likely to leave.”

Shaw adds: “Nobody chooses a career in care to spend hours on administration. By automating routine tasks, care home managers and staff can concentrate on doing what they love - caring for residents.”

A growing number of care homes across the UK and Ireland are now using Bizimply’s software to create staff rotas, payroll and more. To find out more: https://www.bizimply.com/health-care/

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 39

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE Vayyar Imaging Secures $108M in Series E Funding Led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39) After opening new offices in five additional territories, including Japan and China, Vayyar will continue to expand its activities across numerous verticals and introduce a family of Machine Learning-enabled imaging solutions that are being integrated with the world’s leading smart building, robotics, retail and public safety solutions.

"We are pleased and proud to progress our partnership with existing investors including KDT, as well as additional backers which are joining forces with us for the first time,” said Raviv Melamed, co-founder and CEO of Vayyar Imaging. "During a challenging period for the global economy, this new funding round is a ringing endorsement of our mission and a clear vote of confidence in the strength of our technology and the strate-

gic agility of our organization.”

With a strong sales pipeline and a world-class patent portfolio, Vayyar will continue cementing its leadership in core verticals, expanding its activities in additional industries, and increasing its physical presence across the Americas, EMEA and East Asia.

About Koch Disruptive Technologies Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT) is a unique investment firm, partnering with principled entrepreneurs who are building transformative companies. KDT provides a flexible, multi-stage investment approach.

KDT works with companies that can help Koch transform its capabilities, disrupt existing businesses or expand into new platforms. KDT is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately held companies in

the world, with estimated revenues exceeding $125 billion and presence in over 70 countries. KDT helps its partners unlock their full potential by bringing Koch's full capabilities and network to them, structuring unique capital solutions and embracing a long-term, mutual benefit mindset.

About Vayyar Imaging Vayyar, the global leader in 4D imaging radar, supplies the world’s most advanced radar-on-chip platforms to gather life’s essential data, providing solutions for senior care, automotive, security, smart home, robotics, and more, while maintaining privacy at all times. Vayyar’s mission is to deliver the next generation of sensing technology that is miniature, affordable, and versatile enough to impact everyone’s lives, enabling a safer world.

Visit www.vayyar.com to learn more.

Cloud Finance Software That is Helping Care Homes Thrive Healthcare organisations face unique challenges from cost containment and multi-entity reporting to new billing models and product offerings and a cloudbased accounting system allows you to better understand your organisation and succeed in the future.

At Sage Intacct, we’re passionate about building accounting software that helps you better understand your business, maintain compliance, and succeed in the ever-evolving healthcare industry.

BUILT FOR HEALTHCARE

As healthcare grows in complexity, so does your organisation. You’re managing multiple locations and practices, navigating changing reimbursement methods, and initiating cost reduction initiatives, while manual processes are draining your productivity.

You need insight into your growing breadth of financial and operational data, and we’ve built our healthcare accounting software with you in mind. We provide compliant financials with continuous consolidation across multiple offices, practices and locations. Sage Intacct healthcare customers have increased profitability by 30% with better insight for informed decisions, realised 25% improvement in efficiency gains, and taken departmental reporting

from 10 days to 10 minutes.

REAL-TIME VISIBILITY AND INSIGHTS Sage Intacct’s real-time reporting allows you to understand and measure performance for both financial metrics and operational outcomes. Because every transaction in the system can be tagged with dimensions, finance professionals can sort, view, filter, and report on the specific information they need. With greater insight, our healthcare customers have reduced board budget reporting from three weeks to one hour and have improved revenues by 25% without adding additional headcount.

TRUE CLOUD TECHNOLOGY WITH OPEN API True cloud technology with open API As an innovator in the cloud space, Sage Intacct’s multi-tenant, true cloud foundation brings robust technology infrastructure to your organisation, without the high costs of managing servers. Our open API lets you connect to existing systems or those you are considering in the future. This means you can leverage key data from electronic medical records, payroll, budget, CRMs (including Salesforce), and other systems to track key performance indicators.

For more information on how Sage can help your business please visit: www.sage.com/en-gb/cp/intacct-carehomes/

Keep VIPs Safe at Home and Safe away from Home Button and box have been the traditional method of keeping Vulnerable Independent People (VIPs) safe at home, however, by continuing to install them in homes, you are inadvertently telling VIPs that they are only safe at home.

Oysta have developed telecare devices for VIPs to stay safe as they maintain an active lifestyle and passive sensors in the home to enable preventative care. VIPs should be encouraged to pursue an active lifestyle as movement is medicine. VIPs that remain physically active for longer are less likely to decline as quickly as they would if they are housebound.

Our Oysta devices and sensors link into our care platform, IntelliCare™. IntelliCare positions the care circle to provide preventative care as they receive insights and notifications when their VIPs activity falls outside of normal parameters. Likewise, in the case of an emergency, the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) has a full picture of the VIPs activity and location.

We are looking forward to showcasing our services to visitors at the Care and Occupational

Therapy Show in Exeter on 21 June. We are speaking at the show on ‘Movement is Medicine.’

Natasha Salway will show how mobile technology can play a big part in enabling VIPs to remain physically active for longer and providing them a safety net if their condition deteriorates.

Natasha will demonstrate how technology can remove isolation boundaries and cover how to ensure VIPs can be safe at home, or in a care home when pursuing an active lifestyle.

Natasha has hands-on experience of assistive technology, how it can benefit vulnerable adults, their families, and carers. She worked in Adult Social Care for 18 years, 14 years, specifically within the TEC, Assistive Technology and Telecare field.

Visit us at Stand 188 at the Care and Occupational Therapy Show, Westpoint Arena, Exeter 21st June 2022 for a free demonstration or if you’d like to speak sooner, get in touch today on 01295 530 101.

See the advert on the facing page for further details.

PAGE 40 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE The Access Group Launches Support For New Care Providers With Care Foundations Access Health, Support & Care, a division of The Access Group, has launched Care Foundations, new software packages to support start-up home care providers in implementing the digital solutions they need to register, establish and grow their business.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid previously announced £150 million of funding to support digitisation in social care, with the aim for 80 per cent of social care providers to be using digital care records by March 2024.

Used by many of the UK’s leading care providers, Care Foundations is part of the Access care management software suite that helps new and growing care providers register and develop their business.

The solution is designed to help home care businesses seamlessly integrate specialist health and social care technology into their day-to-day processes. Ranging from essential to premium, the three bespoke packages include information on various aspects, including policies and procedures, recruitment, and care plans.

Steve Sawyer, managing director, Access Health and Social Care, explained that this platform would be a perfect introduction to digitisation. He said: “Access Care Foundations will make the road to implementing digital processes much easier for new and growing care providers. This tool supports the vision of the recent announcement from Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid and will make that transition to digitising care records much easier.

“Providing the best possible quality of care is clearly the main priority for providers. The aim of this tool is to simplify

Intelligent Care Software (ICS) If you are looking for a care management system which answers all of your quality, monitoring and compliance needs, then looks no further than Care is. Care is provides the intelligent software solution for care home and domiciliary care managers and owners looking to roll all of their care and management functions into one electronic platform. We know this to be true because unlike some other CMS’s Care is was conceived, designed, built and is managed by nurses, registered managers and care home owners.

establishing a business as well as provide a space to continue elevating current processes with support and guidance.

Each package has different options that can cater to different levels of care, this means there is always an option for each provider depending on their business needs.

“If we have learned anything from the past few years, it’s that technology has massive potential to continue to innovate the health and social care sector. Moving forward it’s clear to say that this will become the norm for home care providers. It’s important we continue to create safer and seamless healthcare processes and we believe that can be done with technology.”

Access is currently offering exclusive discounts of up to 25% on Access Care Foundations for new start-ups and unregistered providers only pay for what they need to get registered. Each package is on an integrated system and contains tools which can monitor and improve care quality.

For care providers who might be unfamiliar with specific protocols and regulations, this tool provides peace of mind knowing experts are on hand to help.

For more information visit www.theaccessgroup.com/carefoundations

The ‘CARE is’ suite includes care and support, care planning platform, our policy app with over 200 high quality policies which are updated regularly and which also includes our supervision, appraisals and training record apps and our audit app which templates all the essential audits and includes a record of inspection visits.

At Care is we can get you started on your journey from paper or another care management system with minimum fuss, plenty of support and all for what we believe to be good value for money.

With eMAR, mandatory training and a complementary care certificate coming in 2022, there has never been a better time to get on board. https://careis.net

PAGE 42 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

FINANCE, TRAINING & RECRUITMENT

How the Care Sector Can Recruit and Retain Staff

Professor Martin Green OBE is an Expert Advisory Council member for P&G Professional and the Chief Executive of Care England.

Social care is facing many challenges, but one of the biggest is how to recruit and retain our workforce. The social care workforce is very large, consisting of over 1.4 million people (more than work in the NHS), but we also have a 34% turnover rate – and there are over 105,000 vacant posts.

Our workforce is the biggest asset in social care, and throughout the pandemic, they really showed both their commitment and professionalism. I heard of many occasions when social care staff went above and beyond the call of duty to support the people in their care.

The pandemic has left many social care staff exhausted and it is really important that as we start to develop a new future for our sector, we begin by giving staff the recognition they deserve. The legacy of Covid has to be a new deal for the social care workforce.

Not only have we lost staff because of the pandemic, but the Government introduced a policy of mandatory vaccinations in care homes,

though not in other parts of social care or the NHS, which led to about 30,000 staff resigning. While it is very important that all social care staff are vaccinated, implementing the policy was very challenging for social care.

The UK's withdrawal from the EU also took another group of people away from our sector. There now needs to be a reappraisal of every aspect of the social care workforce, including planning and career prospects, to put staffing issues on a sustainable footing.

It is my view that we need new skills and competency frameworks, with very clear career pathways and portable qualifications that must be the building block for careers in social care. We also need to look at the quality of the social care offering and create good quality jobs where staff are well supported in order to ease the challenges ahead.

In order to make social care an attractive place to work, there are several things that employers need to do to ensure that social care is a destination of choice, both for younger people starting out on their careers or, indeed, for people who are changing from other sectors.

Social care is a very diverse sector, and there are so many different roles and professions in which you can develop your career. We not only need frontline care staff, but there are also good roles in logistics, catering, and of course, hygiene and infection control.

The latter was always an important part of social care delivery. Still, the

pandemic has put into sharp focus the importance of having proper hygiene and infection control regimes, and the staff that deliver these crucially important services are a vital part of the social care workforce.

Working in social care is not easy, but it is very rewarding – and the rewards for staff come from the interaction between themselves and those they support. With this in mind, any repetitive tasks requiring staff to be taken away from frontline interactions with the people they support must be as easy and effective as possible. That certainly goes for the issues around cleanliness and hygiene; these are vitally important, but it is up to social care employers to make sure that they are as easy as possible for staff to complete.

Both staff and residents want the assurance that anything they are delivering is good quality, and that's why they use products that are tried and tested, providing both peace of mind and ease of use. P&G Professional products such as Flash Professional and Fairy Professional are simple to use yet highly effective. Staff and residents alike can feel assured that they will deliver the best possible cleaning solutions.

Choosing household name brands provides a sense of the familiar, given their consumer counterparts are seen in millions of homes and trusted by countless loyal customers. Professional brands adapted for the care sector provide comfort through a sense of reassurance thanks to their efficacy and reliability.

Workforce Challenge - The Eden Alternative – A Modern, Proven Model of Care for Staff and Resident Wellbeing WHY DO THIS? The Eden model, is built on what people say they want, in a Home or a workplace, which therefore attracts residents and team members alike.

As an Eden Home builds its reputation upon the quality of life it offers to the people that reside there, it follows that occupancy improves.

As a programme that empowers staff and focuses on their wellbeing, It follows that staff retention improves.

With a positive culture, a motivated and dedicated workforce, It follows that positive innovation becomes more possible, sustainable and continuous.

When demand for services increase, it follows that viability improves.

As a cohesive cultural progression programme, it follows that innovation, modernisation and positivity increase.

The model is efficient, cost effective and the training is delivered by experienced practitioners in Care Homes.

Homes are very busy places, and the programme is therefore run on line for 1 hour per week for 6 weeks, and people can do this at work or at home.

The 6 weekly sessions are run online, with a workbook, with links for further optional reading or viewing and should not be a burden to busy Homes, teams and managers.

It is however effective. You can try without obligation.

It is designed to make business sense to providers.

It is designed to enhance viability.

It is designed to support recruitment and retention.

It is designed to motivate Care teams and is open to any individual to add their CV.

WHAT IS IT. It is a training programme which leads to accreditation and focuses in detail on 7 domains of wellbeing, 10 principles, and is particularly designed to address instances of loneliness, helplessness and boredom.

An inspiring approach to care As experienced Care Home practitioners we provide training to care home teams in sustainable innovation and positive leadership that empowers people to embed companionship, partnership working and vibrancy to build enriched quality of life into care homes.

Develop a culture of care with wellbeing and positive relationships at its heart, with our 6 week online training programme. Discover how to replace loneliness, helplessness and boredom with wellbeing, companionship, and meaningful activities, in just one hour of training a week.

Validated Eden Alternative associates can benefit from continuing support from our expert team.

Sign up today and join the care evolution

Call today on 01626 868192 or visit www.eden-alternative.co.uk

Geoffrey Cox The Eden Alternative

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 43

FINANCE, TRAINING & RECRUITMENT ELGee Specialists In The Training of Elderly Care and Those with Learning Disabilities ELGee Training can provide various training courses for people who work in the Health & Social Care sector.

ELGee Training is a local company with over 20 years of experience managing of and training in residential homes, care homes and domiciliary care organisations for the elderly and for those with a learning disability.

ELGee Training provides up to date and current information for your workforce based on the requirements of the regulating authorities, and all courses are delivered by qualified trainers. ELGee Training will write and deliver tailor made courses for your requirements, and could be courses that run ½ days or all day.

WITH THE ELDERLY IN MIND Courses aimed at our elderly carers, with courses ranging from Dementia Awareness to Moving and Handling.

Assisted Living Training caregivers to provide assistance with medication management, activities of daily living, engaging and coordination.

SPECIALIST TRAINING TEAM Specialists in the training of elderly care and those with learning disabilities.

For more information on our courses or to arrange a consultation with one of our training facilitators then please do not hesitate to contact us on 023 9237 3857 | 079 4994 0860 or visit www.elgeetraining.co.uk

Skills, Knowledge, and Confidence Delivered Online Covid19 reminded us all just how important the NHS and care home staff are to our society. We are grateful for their hard work and bravery, and feel honoured to support them through our Laser Care Certificate course and CPD short courses. Working in the care sector is certainly demanding, so our objective is to make it convenient and straightforward for workers to upskill and acquire confidence in the process.

The Laser Care Certificate course provides knowledge to cover every standard included in the official Skills for Care specification. Every lesson includes bespoke video tutorials specifically for the Care Certificate course, as well as reading materials and good practice examples. Furthermore, a mandatory quiz at the end of each lesson (which requires a 100% pass mark) ensures both competence and confidence. Managers are able to create their own accounts to enrol staff on the course and track their

progress. All of the content is accessible remotely via computer, smartphone or tablet, enabling care professionals to make progress towards the certificate in a way that suits their circumstances.

Additionally, Laser delivers CPD short courses to equip staff with highly-relevant skills and knowledge so they can tackle new challenges or progress in their career. Two courses in particular – ‘Causes and spread of infection’ and ‘Infection control and prevention’ – were very popular during the pandemic.

Unlimited use subscriptions are available at affordable rates, for organisations wishing to take advantage of a large number of short courses.

Whether you are an owner, manager, or independent learner, please don't hesitate to get in touch for a free demo of the Care Certificate course platform, and/or the CPD short course offering. The Laser Learning team can be contacted on info@lasersys.co.uk or +44 (0)1753 584 112.

Specialists in the training of elderly care and those with learning disabilities Our quality health and social care training services include.

• Moving & Handling • Dementia & Epilepsy Awareness • Risk Assessments ELGee Training provides up to date and current information for your

• Health & Safety Awareness

workforce based on the requirements of the regulating authorities.

We will write and deliver tailor made courses for your requirements, and these could be courses that run ½ days or the full day.

• Medication Overview & Infection Overview • Personal Centred Plans & Much More…

Our courses are second to none...

023 9237 3857 | 079 4994 0860 www.elgeetraining.co.uk

PAGE 44 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104

FINANCE, TRAINING & RECRUITMENT

In Dire Need Of Experienced Health Care Assistant, Senior Carer Or A Nurse?

JJ Recruitment has the large database of well qualified applicants with experience in the healthcare industry, such as health care assistants, senior carers, and nurses from overseas. We also have an expert team of solicitors for the necessary legal proceedings and advices.

WHY JJ?

• We have very minimal processing fees.

• We assist you to get a sponsorship license.

• Qualified and experienced candidates from overseas.

Tel: 01704 809756 www.jjcarerecruitment.co.uk admin@jjrecruitment.co.uk

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

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

size we 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

THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 104 | PAGE 45

INSURANCE FOR CARE

Is Your Care Home At Risk From Underinsurance?

They also noted that one in four firms had not made a material change to at least one Sum Insured in the last four years. The Sum Insured is the maximum amount of money that your insurance company could pay out in the event of a covered loss. With costs increasing in the construction industry, in raw materials as well as labour, checking your building sum insured is a great place to start.

CONSIDER BUSINESS INTERRUPTION COVER

A recent article, written by Aviva, one of our insurer partners has highlighted some startling figures on commercial insurance among businesses in the UK. Whilst your insurance may not be held by Aviva, the risks identified are likely to be reflected across many organisations and could be relevant to you and your care home.

You might not be aware, but underinsurance is often seen amongst small to medium sized businesses, and the pandemic has only intensified the threat. The reason for this is that to ensure long term survival, many businesses made changes to their operating models, which have not been reflected in their insurance cover.

According to Aviva’s data¹, only 20% of small and medium businesses had their policies changed in line with their new business models. This could mean that in the event of a claim, they may not receive the appropriate level of cover they now require, putting their business at unnecessary risk.

ARE YOUR SUMS INSURED AT THE RIGHT LEVEL?

Further, they identified that 40% of clients with Business Interruption insurance did not have an adequately set indemnity period. This is the maximum length of time your insurance company is obligated to make payments to cover the losses insured under the policy. When the maximum indemnity period has been reached, then claim payments will cease.

Business Interruption insurance covers your operational costs in the event of a crisis. If your business suffered a total loss claim, you need to consider how long you would need the cover to last whilst you rebuild or relocate. As a care home owner or operator, following a total loss event, the cover period required is likely to be long, as you’ll need to rebuild or refurbish your property. You will also need to relocate your residents whilst this is happening, which may also result in a temporary change in staffing and supplier requirements.

When cover is not reviewed regularly and doesn’t reflect new operating models, your business may be at an increased risk from gaps in cover and underinsurance.

what’s right for your business, bringing you peace of mind. We’re here to help you and your business succeed.

Barnes Commercial Insurance Broker 01480 272727 enquiries@barnesinsurancebroker.co.uk www.barnesinsurancebroker.co.uk

IS IT TIME TO REVIEW YOUR INSURANCE? There is no time like the present to take some time to review your insurance cover levels. With so much economic uncertainty driven by the pandemic and Brexit, we would advise making sure your risk management plans are firmly in place, which includes adequate insurance.

You should talk to an experienced broker who can help you to take a look at the bigger picture and ensure that you have the right insurance in place for your specific needs. As an independent commercial broker, with access to a wide panel of A rated insurers, we can advise on

¹ Data is based on Aviva held small to medium sized business, excluding fleet November 2021 – modelling 80% of the account and extrapolating the total.

Specialist care home insurance We arrange tailored insurance programmes for care and nursing homes, hospices and domiciliary care providers, for both staff and business owners.

Our extensive knowledge of the care market will help to ensure you have the right protection in place for now and, for the future.

Secure robust cover that’s right for your business.

CALL NOW FOR A QUOTE

01480 272727

Impartial advice from experienced advisers

Exceptional service from a dedicated account executive

Let us help you to protect your business with a no obligation risk review today!

Market-leading products from A rated insurers

Send us an email: Visit our website: Follow us:

Support with claims

Guidance on risk management solutions including H&S and HR

enquiries@barnesinsurancebroker.co.uk www.barnesinsurancebroker.co.uk/care /barnes-commercial

Barnes Commercial Insurance Broker is a trading style of Barnes Commercial Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN: 844370. Registered address: 3 Fenice Court, Phoenix Park, Eaton Socon, St Neots, Cambs, PE19 8EW. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 11909011.