The Carer Digital - Issue #120

Social Care Sector Anger Over Care Reform ‘Betrayal’

New chancellor urged to invest

EDITOR'S

Welcome to the latest edition of The Carer Digital!

ROY T BENNETT

Editor Peter Adams

show so a little light this week!

Again I am at a

And once again our lead story highlights the anger and astonishment the sector feels over the new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt s announcements this week and his refusal to commit to previously promised sector support

I remember reading somewhere that one of the “easiest jobs” is that of a opposition MP The point being that it is all too easy to promise the earth when not in a position to deliver

Well is that the position Chancellor Jeremy Hunt finds himself in now?

Let’s cast our minds back to October 2020 when chair of Health and Social Care Committee Jeremy Hunt said: “The pandemic has held up in lights the brilliant and brave work done by the social care workforce but the real thank you they want is not a weekly clap but a long term plan for the crisis in their sector

In the report we look at one element of that namely the funding pressures and conclude that the government must use the spending review to raise the annual adult social care budget by £7bn by the end of parliament as a starting point for a wider series of reforms

It does not get any clearer than that, when he was not a Chancellor he called for a £7pm raise in the budget Now he is Chancellor well one can understand the sector anger

I am reading reports as I write this that the social care cost cap will be kicked down the road yet again as the Chancellor searches for “eye watering emergency cuts”

I understand he is to put back the previous Boris Johnson pledge of £86 000 cap a year

It will I suspect not see the light of day come October 2023

It is and always has been highly controversial Some critics say it allows wealthy asset and homeowners to leave more to their children at the expense of the tax

payers who pick up the shortfall Others say it punishes those who have been frugal while rewarding those that have not

There is I believe a case for both sides and if left unaddressed it will be an ongoing unresolvable debate

Some countries, including I understand Nordic countries, have a universal tax based model which provides for substantial long term care (LTC) needs with limited charges to those in need Whereas other countries such as Germany and Japan have long established insurance based models

Sooner or later a nettle will have to be grasped It simply cannot go on as it is now and the Chancellor of all people must realise that

Once again this issue we have received some wonderful and uplifting stories from care homes around the country, awards, birthday celebrations, fundraising, sports events singing and dancing you name it we are receiving them at the moment all feelgood stories which highlight the dedication commitment and devotion staff display in every day improving the well being of the residents so well done and please do keep them coming!

I can always be contacted at editor@thecareruk com

“Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody’s watching, and doing as you say you would do”

Social Care Sector Anger Over Care Reform ‘Betrayal’

(CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER)

Care providers are worried that promised extra funding is to be taken away at a time when the sector is in crisis and 1 6m people can’t get care

Mr Padgham added: “We already feared that the promised £13bn, to be funded from the now scrapped National Insurance increase will be kicked into the long grass and the sector left wanting at a time when it needs reform and more funding, rather than less ”

The ICG has written to Jeremy Hunt calling on him to at least reinstate the promised £13bn and to honour his own call for an extra £7bn a year to be invested in the sector

We know that the country is in financial difficulty but we are appealing for the Chancellor to help and not harm social care Mr Padgham added

In the letter to Mr Hunt Mr Padgham says: “As a country we have failed to invest in social care when the economy was in better shape Instead, social care services have been cut to the bone and there is no more fat to trim The country’s failure to make hay while the sun shines should not be punished with cuts to care now

I appeal for social care to be spared further cuts and instead for it to receive the reform and investment it needs to flourish ”

30 YEARS OF NEGLECT

The ICG says more than 30 years of neglect and under funding has left social care in crisis with Covid 19 chronic staff shortages and the cost of living crisis turning the situation critical Care and nursing homes are clos ing and homecare providers are handing back undeliverable contracts At least 1 6m people are living without the care they need and there are 165 000 job vacancies in the sector

Mr Padgham added: It isn t that we haven t been patient we have been waiting since 1997 when Tony Blair said he didn t want children growing up in a country where the only way people could get care was by selling their home

Mr Hunt recognised when he was Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee that social care needed an extra £7bn a year just to stand still He said then that the £7bn would be “a starting point for a wider series of reforms

“Now Mr Hunt has his hands on the purse strings and we call upon him not to cut social care but to give it the investment he knows it needs, right now

In the past the Treasury has been blamed for a lack of progress on social care reform now we have a Chancellor who has supported social care in the past We need to see him now act upon that and help the sec tor

The ICG has called for root and branch reform of the social care sector

It has launched its Five Pillars of Social Care Reform setting out what it believes are the actions required to save the sector

The five pillars are:

Ring fence a percentage of GDP to be spent on providing social care to those who already receive it and the 1 6m who can t get it

Create a unified National Care Service incorporating health and social care

• Set a National Minimum Wage per hour for care staff on a par with NHS

Set up an urgent social care task force to oversee reform

• Fix a ‘fair price for care’ cost per bed and cost per homecare visit

LESS MONEY MEANS LESS CARE

A spokesperson for the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services

for (ADASS) said This winter people are going without care and support staff are leaving carers are breaking down Less money simply means less care and support more unfulfilled lives fewer staff more of us hav ing no choice but to give up work to care more of us having restricted access to healthcare Social care is an essential service and a benefit to all of us ”

SOCIAL CARE AND NHS GO “HAND IN HAND”

The warnings have come after the Chancellor failed to commit to implementing the government’s reforms to adult social care, following a question by former care minister Helen Whateley

Referring to the now Chancellors previous role as health and social care secretary and of late as chair of the Commons health and social care select committee she asked: Can I ask my right honourable friend par ticularly considering his experiences of many years to continue to press ahead with our commitment to reform social care knowing as he does that social care and the NHS go hand in hand and how important they are to our constituents?

The Chancellor who as select committee chair supported a £7bn increase in annual funding for the sector, replied: “It is a sector that is in great difficult at the moment I m very aware of those concerns I m also very aware of the pressures in the NHS at the moment I m not making any commitments as to what exactly we will do, but as I said earlier, all of these decisions will be taken through the prism of what matters most to those who need the help the most HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE LEVY SCRAPPED

The government had previously committed £5 4bn for social care reform from 2022 25 with £3 6bn allocated to supporting the cap on care costs and more generous means test from October 2023 and ensure councils pay providers a “fair cost of care”

This along with extra resource for the NHS was due to be funded by a health and social care levy a 1 25 percentage point increase in national insurance contributions, and an equivalent rise in dividend tax, raising £13bn a year in total however this was scrapped in former Chancellor Kwai Kwarteng s short lived mini budget and has not been reversed NCF WRITES OPEN LETTER

The National Care Forum (NCF) has also sent an open letter to Jeremy Hunt calling on the new Chancellor to make good on his convictions and guarantee additional funding for adult social care at this pivotal time

Open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt from the National Care Forum the membership body for not for profit care and support providers

Dear Chancellor, We welcome the appointment of a chancellor with such a deep under standing of social care and we are confident that you will take the opportu nity to strengthen the sector that you have championed over recent years However we are deeply concerned about your statement that all depart ments will need to redouble their efforts to find savings and some areas of spending will need to be cut ”

Funding As Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee you demonstrated a knowledge of adult social care and the need for reform via sustainable funding, workforce planning and the greater involvement of people in their own care Numerous reports produced by the Health and Social Care Select Committee during your time as Chair set out the need for an additional £7bn a year as a starting point for social care reform and a

long term sustainable strategy which includes pay progression on par with the NHS professional development, training, and career pathways

As the new Chancellor the care and support sector is relying on you to seize the opportunity you now have to secure that additional funding and ensure that essential reforms and funding are brought forward for adult social care The Prime Minister’s pledge during her leadership campaign to fund social care with the £13bn that would have been raised from the now scrapped National Insurance levy should cement adult soc al care as one of the priority areas for the government

Public spending cuts to adult social care would be disastrous especially given current pressure on the NHS and the looming winter pressures

Equally failing to increase public spending on social care in line with rising costs and ignoring the urgent need to inject funding into the workforce would also be unthinkable We urge you to honour the recommendations of the Health and Social Care Select Committee

Workforce planning: We welcomed your strong advocacy during the Health and Care Bill debates for the government to publish independently verified assessments on current and future workforce numbers needed for health and social care as a means to force the issue on workforce planning

This is even more essential given most recent data from Skills for Care on the state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England has revealed that there are now 165 000 vacancies in the sector and more sig nificantly a decrease in the workforce of around 3% (50 000 people) from the previous year Demand for services is growing at the same time

According to Carers UK there are 6 5 million unpaid carers in the UK and a recent survey carried out by ADASS found that over half a million people in England were waiting for care assessments reviews and/or care and sup port to begin

Our asks

At this pivotal time in our nation we ask you to:

Make good on your convictions and guarantee additional funding for adult social care in line with the findings of the Health and Social Care Select Committee s recommendations & the Prime Minister s pledge of £13bn

Commit to the reform of adult social care as outl ned in People at the Heart of Care and provide the funding to fully realise this to ensure people are able to access high quality services when they need them

Bring forward a fully funded, workforce plan with pay progression in line with the NHS making provision for better terms and conditions training and career structures

Guarantee that adult social care providers are defined as a vulnerable sec tor as part of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme following April 2023

Guarantee that those people accessing adult social care support will still be able to access a version of the Energy Price Guarantee following April 2023

Good quality and well resourced social care is good for growth it is pre ventative in nature allowing people to retain their independence for longer doing the things they want to do l ving in and contr buting to their communi ties and work ng if they w sh Poor health and wellbeing are a leading rea son for economic inactivity and low productivity in our society Public spending cuts for adult social care are inconceivable as they will damage one of the key drivers of not only economic growth but also wider societal cohesion and wellbeing

Yours sincerely Vic Rayner, CEO, National Care Forum

Tips for Care Staff on Managing Stress This Stress Awareness Day

The 2020 NHS annual survey results revealed that 44 per cent of NHS workers feel unwell as the result of work related stress (up from 40 per cent in 2019)

What s more a Parliamentary report published in June 2021 called Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care stated that Workforce burnout” was described by many as the “highest in the history of the NHS and care systems (pp3)

Stress is a normal part of life Although many of us recognise we need to manage our stress knowing how to do it or where to even start can be over whelming

Ahead of Stress Awareness Day 2022 here are some tips to help care staff manage stress better REFOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL

You can reduce stress by focussing on the things you can control instead of what is out of your hands

People tend to focus on bad news because the brain is wired to spot and try to avoid danger This means you pay more attention to what s happening in the world rather than what’s directly affecting you

The trick is to take one small step at a time Three specific areas where most people say they d like to make a change but feel unable to are career health and finances Luckily these are the three areas where you have the greatest potential for action and the most control

DE STRESS YOUR CAREER

Of course it s not just care workers who are struggling Recent data shows that 71% of UK professionals are experiencing moderate to high levels of stress

If this sounds like you try prioritising your daily to do list with the most important items at the top

By Susan Stick, VP People and General Counsel at Evernote (www.evernote.com)

Tackling these tasks early in the day creates a sense of accomplishment that makes your to do list feel pro gressively more manageable By tracking your workplace wins in the form of accomplished tasks you ll have a ready list of measurable success

Keep this collection of wins handy when asking for a promotion or applying to online job postings and recruiter emails to easily showcase what you ve achieved in your current role

DE STRESS YOUR HEALTH

Goals like losing weight or stopping smoking appear on countless New Year’s resolutions lists But most resolutions fail because the goals are too vague

Rather than “lose weight,” set a specific goal like “I want to lose five kilograms by 1st July” The more clearly you can define and quantify your goal, the easier it will be to achieve

Track your progress toward your goals daily or weekly to measure change Habit tracking is a powerful tool that many people have successfully used to stay focused and move forward

Keep a journal to record the circumstances surrounding your journey so you can identify what causes you to stress and/or lose focus This can help you change stress inducing patterns that negatively impact your health

DE STRESS YOUR FINANCES

Money worries are extremely common especially with the current cost of living uncertainty Once your basic needs are met look for the ways in which you are able to direct your income to purposes that are likely to bring you happiness and satisfaction

By taking control of your finances you are more likely to free up money to spend on things you really want

Practical tips include creating a budget and setting aside a little extra each month to save or pay off debt You can also set reminders on your mobile device or digital calendar for bills and other money related tasks you need to complete to avoid late fees

Ultimately, as you start thinking about your plans for next year, recognise that you have within you the ability to take control and reduce stress in your life Small steps will add up to big wins

Supporting Those Who Support Us: The Brooklands Centre

Over the last couple of years especially Excelcare homes have received an incredible amount of support from businesses and individuals within each of the communities they are a part of The pandemic was a challeng ing time for care homes so receiving donations letters and gifts helped to keep people in high spirits and team members feeling supported

One local group The Brooklands Centre has been very supportive of Castlemead Court Care Home in Newport Pagnell

The Brooklands Centre is known as ‘The Jewel’ in the town by locals due to the help and support they provide to people who live in the community Their daycare services include picking up and dropping home members of the community hosting engaging activities with them serving delicious meals and providing entertainment

Although members pay a small fee for the services the Brooklands Centre provides they rely heavily on donations to ensure that they can con tinue to make days exciting for the people they welcome These donations also help the Brooklands Centre put on engaging events like Christmas par ties All of this combined really helps to combat loneliness within the com munity and helps to ensure that people have a life well lived

As well as the support they provide to individuals, the Brooklands Centre also support services in their local community They have been particularly

supportive of Castlemead Court and have allowed the home to use their minibus so the team can take residents out on exciting day trips Their sup port has had a huge positive impact on everyone’s wellbeing and enabled residents to visit places they may not have been able to otherwise The team also feel the same way because they know there are people in the local community looking out for them and providing help when they need it

Some of the people who used to visit the Brooklands Centre have moved into Castlemead Court as they have connected with the team during activi ties and feel at ease knowing their friends from the Brooklands Centre are only a stone’s throw away

Due to the unwavering support the Brooklands Centre has proved to Excelcare homes in Milton Keynes, the care provider recently donated £200 towards their Christmas raffle alongside a special item they can sell tickets for “The Brooklands Centre really appreciate Excelcare’s very kind donation for our Christmas raffle this will make such a difference to what we can pro vide for our members

“We will use the money raised from the Christmas raffle to purchase a Karaoke machine as all of the members love to sing and a karaoke machine would be so much fun for them,” said Sandy Payne, Volunteer and Fundraising Trustee

Lakeland Dairies Festive Cocktail Competition Open For Entries

Following the success of last year s inaugural Lakeland Dairies Festive Tipples cocktail competition, the contest has returned for 2022 and is now open for entries

Jean Cattanach marketing controller Lakeland Dairies comments: We had a truly fantastic response to last year s competition We were so delighted to see care homes enjoying a fun and entertaining Christmas activity using our deliciously versatile Millac Gold Double, that we have bought it back for a second year In 2021 we awarded Russell Churcher Court care home first place for their beautiful drink collages and exceptional creativity and we can t wait to see what exciting ideas this year’s competition will bring ”

THE CHALLENGE

Lakeland Dairies have teamed up with wellbeing specialists NAPA, to provide an engaging festive cocktail competition for care home resi dents Together they are challenging care homes to host a cocktail party whilst at the same time encouraging residents to participate through designing their own cocktail WIN

The winning entry will receive a Lakeland Dairies activity pack, including a cocktail shaker Relish Aqua Paint set and a case of deli cious Millac Gold Double Every entry will also receive a helpful roll of piping bags ENTER

Simply ask residents to draw paint or make their cocktail and email the designs to Lakeland Dairies by midnight on the 4th December 2022

Email: competitions@lakelanddairies com

Full terms and conditions https://bit ly/3xW0ttL INSPIRATION

To support care caterers even further Lakeland Dairies have also released a fortified recipe and activity resource Fortified Focus: Festive Tipples The resource demonstrates how to deliver fortified food and drink in a delicious, appetising, and engaging way

It is packed with delicious alcoholic and non alcoholic cocktail recipes The drinks are fortified with Lakeland Dairies 100% Dairy Skimmed Milk Powder which is full of the goodness of milk and rec ommended by dietitians for fortification because it has the ideal combi nation of protein and calories

FORTIFIED COCKTAIL RECIPES

Each recipe has been carefully created by Lakeland Dairies a regis tered dietitian and a specialist care home chef Together they have

successfully overcome some of the enormous challenges faced by care caterers when fortifying drinks namely that of how to devise recipes which are high in protein and still delicious to consume PROTEIN & CALORIES

Dietitian Rachael Masters who worked on the project comments: “As dietitians we promote 100% dairy skimmed milk powder for fortification because of the protein content An ideal milk powder for fortifying would have at least 50 calories and 5g protein per heaped tablespoon (15g)”

Lakeland Dairies 100% Dairy Skimmed Milk Powder exceeds dietit ian s ideal requirement from a milk powder for fortification as it has 55kcal and 5 5 g of protein in a single heaped tablespoon

Lakeland Dairies creates professional dairy products for chefs which have been carefully crafted and treated to have great taste, and to pro vide a longer life for added convenience in busy kitchens With a proud heritage in dairy farming Lakeland Dairies is a 100% farmer owned and managed dairy co operative whose products are made from high quality milk from the lush green pastures of its 3 200 family farms

Claim the free fortified recipe and activity resource here https://bit ly/3xW0ttL

Every entrant who requests the guide will receive a free roll of Millac piping bags

F lakelanddairiesfoodservice

T @lakelandFS #festivetipples

Post-Pandemic Loss of Older Workers from Labour Market Continues

Labour market figures released this week show 27 6% of all people aged 50 64 are economically inactive’ neither in work nor looking for work up from 25 4% before the start of the pandemic

The employment rate for people aged 35 49 has recovered and now exceeded pre pandemic levels with 85 8% of people in this age group in employ ment again Yet the same has not been true for the 50 64 group (70 5%) with the employment gap between the two age groups now rising to over 15 percentage points

The number of economically inactive workers in the 50 64 group has grown by more than 100 000 in the last quarter an indicator that the trend shows no sign of abating any time soon without greater action by employers and government Employment rates among people in the 65+ age group have also fallen over the last quarter suggesting that the hoped for ‘great unretirement’ is not underway

Dr Emily Andrews Deputy Director for Work at the Centre for Ageing Better, said:

It is incredibly worrying that the trend for more and more older workers to leave the labour market continues

The legacy of the pandemic impact is still very much evident and it is clear that it will require con certed action from both government and employers to turn this around to the dominant trend of more older workers in employment prior to the spring of 2020

We welcome the fact that DWP is already attempting to tackle the challenges around older

people and employment in this country and the indi cations that support might be expanded upon But this extra support will focus on those seeking sup port via Jobcentre Plus so will not benefit those older workers who have disengaged with the labour market altogether

Older workers can have an invaluable role to play in boosting national growth and productivity if given the opportunities to showcase the benefits they can bring businesses Unfortunately all too often they are frozen out by bias in the recruitment process or not given the opportunities to fulfil their potential because of a lack of training and progression

Businesses benefit from having a multigenera tional workforce and in this challenging recruitment climate finding the hires needed in the underused pool of older workers makes perfect sense We would like to see more companies to commit them selves to take meaningful and long term action around the recruitment, retention and support of workers in their 50s and 60s

PROVIDING PRACTICAL AND ST YLISH TROLLEYS TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS

Freedom to Speak Up Awareness Month

By Agnes Tutani, Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, Cygnet Health Care (www cygnethealth co uk)

place less emphasis on blame when things go wrong and more impor tance on transparency learning from mistakes and recognising oppor tunities for improvement To date, at Cygnet Health Care we have 147 ambassadors across both Health and Social Care who take responsibil ity for ensuring a culture where staff feel empowered and able to raise concerns is embedded across the organisation

Speaking up can take many forms At Cygnet, there are already many channels for speaking up from a discussion with a line manag er to submitting suggestions for improvements My role within the organisation is to give staff an extra level of support if they are worried unsure, concerned or feel they can’t talk to someone within their line management or in their team By speaking up the hope is that anything that is getting in the way of high quality effective care or that affects their working life can be identified early and that potential harm is pre vented

I do not carry out investigations but I help people to have a voice and work alongside the service and the person raising the concern to address it Issues can also be raised anonymously if preferred I can escalate concerns to the Cygnet Board and externally if needed but my hope would always be to address issues before it gets that far

When we Speak Up we demonstrate that we care and respect not only each other but those in our care I am convinced that when we all take personal responsibility to speak up listen up and follow up we enable an open culture which contributes to keeping our services safe promotes learning and improves the experience of all our staff

who do the caring don t feel they can discuss what they see, question what perhaps feels wrong and be supported to raise questions

Staff need to feel heard and understood and leaders must demon strate that they are open to new ideas Leaders who do not listen will eventually be surrounded by staff who have nothing to say Staff want and need to be heard; listening transmits respect and builds trust which in turn makes staff feel valued and more motivated Listening to staff helps to reduce risk, prevent harm and make improvements A valued motivated and committed team will improve the care out comes of service users so listening is at the very core of better service delivery and improving the lives of our service users

An important part of the FTSU remit is ensuring appropriate follow up Following up is just as important because its closes the loop and ensures there is the opportunity for change, learning and improve ments People will only have the confidence to speak up if they feel that their voices are heard and that they see evidence of the organisa tion listening and acting on their concerns By following up with good quality and independent investigations we ensure that every opportu nity is utilised to learn as an organisation Ultimately this will allow the organisation to deliver better care share knowledge to identify best practice and review guidance where necessary

We have worked hard to ensure

To truly improve safety and make the health sector a better place to work the National Guardians Office says that organisations need to

The sign of a healthy organisation, is one that listens to its people We have learnt that the healthiest and safest cultures for patient care are those that are aware, are transparent and are reflective All of these values are fed by the one crucial skill that we all possess; that is to listen Dangerous cultures are bred when silence multiplies and staff

Cygnet Health Care is a provider where speaking up is the norm and it’s encouraged a place where people feel valued and fully supported when raising concerns about patient safety or about ways of working or things they think could be done a little bit better As part of Speak Up month I urge all those working in the health and social care sector to raise awareness of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians to help foster a culture which will improve the care provided to those who need it

Royal Star & Garter Resident Celebrates 104th Birthday

A resident at a veterans care home has celebrated her 104th birthday

Ena Mitchell enjoyed a party with fellow residents from her floor at the Home in High Wycombe on Friday 30 September

Royal Star & Garter is a charity which provides loving compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia and also has Homes in Solihull and Surbiton

Ena was born in 1918, in Kingsley, Hampshire Royal Star & Garter had been established just two years earlier to care for the severely injured young men returning from the battlegrounds of the First World War

Ena s husband Bill who she married in 1938 was a soldier in the East Yorkshire Regiment He was one of the 330 000 troops successfully evacuat ed from Dunkirk in 1940 and four years later took part in the D Day landings on 6 June Bill survived the offensive but later that year on 13 September the 33 year old was killed in Belgium by enemy fire Their daughter was just two at the time

Later, Ena started fighting for the rights of the women who had lost hus bands during the war and joined the War Widows Association (WWA) She has lived at Royal Star & Garter since 2019

New Initiative to Reduce the Impact of Infection in Care Homes

Care England UCL (University College London) and The Outstanding Society (OS) have established a new partnership to tackle the problem of infec tions in care homes and learn lessons from the pan demic The project builds on the national VIVALDI study when researchers and care providers worked together to produce evidence rapidly, which directly informed care home policy on COVID 19 Key exam ples include showing how important it was to pay full sick pay to staff supporting the set up of the Infection Control Fund, and monitoring how well vaccines protect vulnerable residents informing when to use booster vaccines

Professor Laura Shallcross (UCL) said:

The VIVALDI study showed what could be done when researchers and care homes worked together, informing national responses to COVID 19 If we can do this kind of work during a pandemic, imagine what could be achieved if we adopted the same approach for other common infections like flu or norovirus We want to challenge the view that infec tions and outbreaks are simply an inevitable part of living in a care home, by delivering research and surveillance that tackles all kinds of infections

Professor Martin Green OBE (Care England) said:

The Vivaldi project really shows the benefit of care homes being involved in research Vivaldi deliv ered changes in policy and practice that were driven by the experiences of care homes For one of the first times in our recent history, we had a policy agenda that was dictated by what worked for the care homes during a global pandemic Vivaldi has

clearly shown the power of care homes coming together with researchers to define the best practice for both residents and staff

Zoe Fry (OS) said: “The VIVALDI study was such a significant milestone for Social Care to use research and surveillance to inform best practice to improve the lives of residents and teams within Care Homes

The OS is delighted to work with UCL and Care England to continue using evidence obtained within Social Care to reduce the impact of infections for the Care Home Community, not only for the physical wellbeing of residents teams and visitors but their mental wellbeing too

A care home network to reduce the impact of infection

Our goal is to establish a network of 500 1500 care homes in England that are motivated by the idea of research to improve care quality and are open to the idea of sharing data on their residents (with appropriate governance and oversight)

Importantly all the work that we produce will have the needs and values of care home residents families, and staff at its core

Between now and December 2022 our working group of care providers, researchers, and people with lived experience will meet regularly to develop a detailed plan for this network We will also identify providers who are willing to take part in a pilot study

If you are interested in taking part please contact us at Vivaldi@careengland org uk to register your interest in stakeholder meetings or the pilot

WE NOW SUPPLY A WIDE RANGE OF FURNITURE

Care Sector Still Suffering From A Real Perception Problem

As fears that the cost of living crisis will put further pressure on the ability to attract staff into the care sector

Charlotte Rowe, Care Practice Manager Markel Care

Practitioners says the sector needs to highlight the range and benefits of careers on offer and change the public perception of its role and that of those who work within the sector

The care industry including the commissioner the state and other institutions must change its perception if it is to have any chance of solving the staffing crisis which con tinues to impact the sector Perception from outside the sector is impacting the ability to attract new and talented staff to an industry dealing with ever more complex needs

One issue is that those in the industry understand the professionalism they show but it is not recognised by those we wish to attract including young people looking at their potential career options

If you look at doctors and nurses, they’re (at the very least) considered semi professional But that is not the case for others who are the lifeblood of the sector Misconceptions can easily spread to areas such as the job titles, pay, as well as the potential career paths open to staff This is causing frustration for many who have shown tremendous resilience over the last almost two year period That is not to say the sector is not trying We are seeing innovation and people looking to bring in addi tional packages to attract employees However this needs to go beyond advertising which just describes the roles in community care and salaries payable and move towards clearly showing how rewarding careers can be

This cannot be done by the sector alone and whilst it strives to recognise those who work there there is also the key point that the sector is funded by the state and they too have a key role to play in creating the conditions for a such an important workforce

The sector needs to give a fair representation of the job that is done which is increasingly about support ing the NHS In addition, there s the aging population to cater for, meaning now more than ever, a solid foun dation needs to be created in the sector which can and will support the expected growth

The use of agency workers is sometimes the only option for some organisations to fill the gaps However organisations take different approaches including recruiting from colleges and universities And while quali fied workers from outside the UK have always been a mainstay of the sector immigration laws can hinder this approach

I remember speaking to a group of people quite early in my career about what they thought care assis tants did The perception was that it was all around personal care and that was a big barrier for why they did not want to come into the sector

There is a vast range of roles within the sector, so an education piece is needed to better inform those who are looking to get involved It s all about campaigning and having discussions about what it is really like in the sector and what workers do on a day to day basis Recruitment advertising and other communica tions need to explain the benefits and the long term career prospects in the care sector and what an appli cant can expect to get out of the role they are applying for Also what skills are required how the role will develop and what support and training can be expected

Working in the care sector is one of the most rewarding jobs with a range of difference services and activities, career prospects To assist organisations in combating the current staffing crisis consideration should be made as to the packages of care they provide This should include review of how individual organisations operate and potential for restructuring and reallocation of staff The sector has a unique opportunity to shape the changes it wants to see through forward thinking reviewing how they operate investing in our workforce with training and lobbying for professional recognition

It is time to change the perception of the care sector and, in doing so, ensure that the financial rewards,

Kent Care Homes Take Residents Down Memor y Lane with a Nostalgic Throwback to the Iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival

Two Kent care homes recently treated their residents to a rock n roll themed party based on the iconic Woodstock Festival of 1969 cele brating the music of the day and the ‘spirit of peace and unity’ with an array of 1960 s themed games and festivities

Hengist Field Care Centre and Woodstock Residential Care Centre in Sittingbourne joined forces for the throwback party hosting celebra tions within the grounds of Hengist Field As part of Nellsar a care group with homes across Kent, Surrey and Essex staff, residents and families from both homes were invited to join in the fun

The event saw residents get stuck into decorative arts and crafts, including making bracelets, neck laces flower headbands and tie dye art to really capture that 60s spirit The party also saw the staff and management getting dressed up for the occasion, with many donning brightly coloured outfits with colourful tops headbands and coloured glasses all ready to get groovy Residents tastebuds were then treated by Hengist Field Chef Johnny and Woodstock Chef Sebastian who came in to cook an array of US themed culinary delights and BBQ food

The crux of the event centred on reinstating the message of unity and peace that the original Woodstock Festival promoted, and was a huge success with a fantastic atmosphere The afternoon was

kicked off by local singer, Rob T, who got peo ple singing and dancing to 60s classics before residents enjoyed games of Tin Can Alley Coconut Shy and even Bra Pong

Commenting on the day a resident of the home said:

The positive atmosphere around the party was amazing You could really see how hard the staff worked to organise it and make sure there was something for everyone ”

Neli Koleva Manager at Hengist Field Care Centre said:

“Our residents and their families compli mented us on hosting such a wonderful event which gave us a fantastic feeling It was lovely to see the smiles on residents faces and see ing everyone get involved It took everyone back down memory lane and was a day of great happiness with attendees really embracing the spirit of the 60s

Roz Kelly, Manager at Woodstock Residential Care Centre, said:

Our residents loved this day out and all the fun they had preparing for it They were really excited to go out to the event and WOW what a great time they had once there! Our relatives’ feedback was great and all the staff had a really good time too they really enjoyed it and were so glad that everyone s hard work was such a success

NCF Supports The Care Workers Charity £500 Challenge

The National Care Forum (NCF) a founding member of the £500 Challenge a fundraising campaign launched by The Care Workers Charity is encouraging businesses across the adult social care sector to commit to an annual donation of £500 the same as an average grant they award to a care worker experiencing financial hardship

Social care is experiencing a workforce crisis, and it is important now more than ever that organisations in the sector come together to recog nise the immense value and tireless contributions of care workers across the UK in helping services to stay open The National Care Forum are con tributing to this worthwhile cause to ensure that there is a helping hand for care workers in these difficult times

By signing up as a Founding Member we hope to encourage other organisations to sign up themselves The Care Workers’ Charity who are one of NCF s 165 members is experiencing high demand for their services since 2020 they have made over 6000 grants to care workers in crisis If one in ten organisations providing and organising care in the UK accepted the £500 Challenge they could raise £2 5 million per year to support care workers

said:

“We are extremely grateful to The National Care Forum who have signed up as a Founding Member of our £500 Challenge Every organisa tion who signs up and spreads the word is making it more likely that our charity can support care workers across the UK providing the right sup port when it is needed most We hope to sign up hundreds of businesses ensuring that we have the funds we need to continue providing essential grants and mental health support in the years to come

Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of the NCF said:

NCF are delighted to be founding members of this initiative By com mitting to the £500 challenge we will contribute to fund vital work to sup port and make a difference to care workers all over the country through this great charity

We urge organisations working in adult social care to accept this chal lenge and show that they really care about supporting the people who make up our essential workforce It is everyone s responsibility to ensure that care workers are supported to stay in their jobs and have a place to go in times of crisis Please donate what you can by following this link to The Care Workers’ Charity website:

care workers

Charlotte Rowe, Markel Care Practitioners (https://uk.markel.com), discusses the industry challenges when recruiting into the care sector

Karolina Gerlich

Inspections Fall Dramatically in Care Sector, Figures Show

Inspections in the UK s care sector have fallen dramatically in the last seven years as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) continues to evolve its regulatory model accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic

From 2015 to this year the number of inspections undertaken by the CQC has dropped by around 97 per cent from a peak of almost 23,000 to just over 8 000 to date in 2022 Understandably there was a signifi cant reduction across all types of inspections during 2020 as a result of the pandemic with the CQC tem porarily ceasing all physical inspections from 16 March

The figure obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the CQC conducted by Pannone Corporate also shows that announced inspections fell from a peak figure 6 684 in 2019 to 3 593 with unannounced inspections also decreasing from 19 586 in 2016 to 4 663 to date in 2022

Bill Dunkerley regulatory lawyer and associate partner at law firm Pannone Corporate, commented

It s very clear that the coronavirus pandemic had a profound effect on the CQC’s ability to carry out inspections within the care sector, despite a number of inspections taking place by means of its Emergency Support Framework

“However what is clear from the figures is that inspections have been progressively declining over a number of years from their peak in 2016 The reason for this decline is unclear given that inspections are the primary way the CQC monitors compliance Anecdotally there may have been an initial backlog from when the new legislation came into force with the CQC reviewing every application for re registration

“As the Commission continues to capture information and rate providers in accordance with the new standards there is less need for unannounced inspections with Inspectors proceeding instead by way of ongoing monitoring and announced follow up visits in response to specific concerns received This reflects the CQC s revised and evolv ing regulatory model, which emphasises targeted inspections in

response to specific concerns received Moving forward this risk based approach is likely to continue as part of the Commission s move towards a single inspection frame work and programme of rolling multi point assess ments

The research also shows that between 11 November 2021 and 15 March 2022 when vaccination was a con dition of deployment the CQC received 13 339 concern safeguarding and whistle blowing enquiries By contrast, the total number of concern enquiries received by the CQC in 2019 as a whole was just over 43,000

Dunkerley said: During a short period of time the number of concern enquiries remained at a high level However the annual figures are broadly consistent over a number of years which indicates perhaps that the presence of COVID 19 had little impact on the number of complaints generated What is evident from the CQC figures is that in terms of enforcement, notices remain by far the single most com monly used regulatory action by the Commission account ing for more than half of its enforcement activity ”

The FOI request shows that more than 69 000 require ment notices have been issued since 2015 (3 099 in 2022 to date) with over 7 000 warning notices during the same peri od (152 during 2022 to date)

Dunkerley added: “The changing landscape and evolving position of the CQC cannot detract from the fact that the Commission is still eager to impose conditions cancel regis trations and vary conditions of care providers With the num ber of legal reviews standing at 132 it’s imperative that service providers review their procedures systems and address risk areas in anticipation of inspection or interven tion The most effective management, however, is to avoid

Raising the standard of stair climbing solutions

Pressures Pose Risks to CIntegrated are Systems says Report

The introduction of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) has been broadly welcomed, but the wider service and financial pressures faced by the NHS and care providers pose significant risks to ICSs ability to focus their attention and resources on local priorities, according to the National Audit Office (NAO)

ICSs are the latest in a long line of restructures by the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) aimed at improving health outcomes and efficiency by joining up health and care services 1 Their introduction is widely supported by stakeholders unlike the previous set of major reforms in 2012 The NAO’s survey of key stakeholders found that 76% support the introduction of ICSs NHS England (NHSE) consulted exten sively in designing and implementing ICSs, by first testing and then refining its plans in response to feedback

However, this restructuring comes at a time of intense pressure on the NHS and its partners NHS and social care providers have high lev els of staff vacancies, and in 2019 20, the year before extraordinary financial arrangements were put in place in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, around a quarter of both NHS trusts2 and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)3 overspent their budgets Local authori ties are facing increasing demand for care services while local govern ment spending power reduced by 26% between 2010 11 and 2020 21 These challenges have been further exacerbated by the pandemic which continues to put pressure on the NHS NHSE and DHSC have recognised that efficiency targets must be

realistic The scale of savings targets facing some ICSs will require even more effective partnership working to find and sustain efficiency gains In this financial year ICSs across England must make savings of £5 7 billion (equivalent to 5% of their budgets) to balance the books, and will then need to maintain this lower level of spending

NHSE has asked ICSs to take a long term approach focused on pre venting ill health but the targets it has so far set for ICSs are about short term improvements, principally elective care recovery NAO case study interviewees reported that NHSE s scrutiny of them so far has focused on financial management and tackling elective care backlogs, with prevention rarely mentioned NHSE has allocated £97 million across all 42 ICSs for efforts to improve prevention and an additional £200 million for tackling health inequalities compared with £2 billion to tackle elective care backlogs NHSE commissions prevention services including immunisation and screening programmes at national and regional levels These programmes cost £1 4 billion in 2019 20

NHSE and DHSC recognise that health outcomes are largely driven by wider factors beyond clinical healthcare, such as healthy behav iours social and economic reasons and the physical environment However, there has been little progress on establishing a structured approach for addressing these wider factors which are affected by the policies of almost all central government departments

There is an inherent tension between the local needs based care strategies that ICSs are expected to prepare and a standardised health

service delivering national NHS targets ICSs must manage these ten sions achieving stretching efficiency targets and the national priorities NHSE has identified if they are to create capacity and resources to respond to local priorities

To maximise the chances that ICSs can make meaningful progress in achieving their aims, the NAO recommends that DHSC works with departments across government to establish arrangements to address issues beyond clinical healthcare that contribute towards poor health, such as education, employment, benefits, and transport DHSC should also publish the assessment of long term factors affecting the health and regulated social care workforce that it commissioned from Health Education England and the NHS plan to address staffing shortages It should then publish at least annual progress updates against it NHSE and DHSC should also publish plans that address the current financial deficits faced by the NHS and ensure oversight arrangements properly assess joint working between the NHS and local government

Gareth Davies head of the NAO says: The new model of integrated health and social care services is being implemented with broad sup port but at a time of extreme pressure on both services To maximise the chances of success for these new arrangements DHSC and NHS England need to put realistic medium term objectives in place They must also tackle pressures on ICSs that require action at a national level, including workforce shortages in health and social care ”

Local Petting Zoo Visits Waterside Court

Waterside Court care home, in Wallingford, was full of ani mal mischief on Thursday 13th October when the Smelly Wellies Care Farm in Woodcote came to visit the home

Residents at Waterside Court were pleasantly surprised to see animals such as guinea pigs and rabbits roaming around their lounge as a troop of small animals paid a visit General Manager Maraya Rabuka said:

Our residents have really enjoyed their

looking for new activities for the residents and today we have seen the seen the enjoyment and the therapeutic influence animals can have on people ”

Residents loved sharing memories of their own pets and having conversations with the Smelly Wellies staff that care for the animals After feeding snacks of grass and vegetables most guinea pigs fell asleep in their little doughnut nests as we stroked and cuddled them Rene and Nell commented Today was very enjoyable and it was wonderful to hold the animals listening to them squeak and snuffle

Is Your Care Home In Danger Of Not Being Permitted To Operate?

The Changes In Healthcare Waste Regulation You Need To Know

By Kim Ormsby, Assistant Director at

Ensuring that care home waste is disposed of in the correct waste stream might not sound like a big deal but it is a process fraught with error and one to be ignored at your peril Failure to comply with strict regulations runs the risk of putting your care home in danger of not being able to operate Put in that context under standing healthcare waste regulations suddenly becomes mission critical

Recent changes that affect all care homes in England need to be clear ly understood Their introduction follows recent incidents within the healthcare waste sector which has led to a growing emphasis from the authorities on the need for producers of waste to comply with govern ing regulation This is partly because the Environment Agency (EA) has witnessed disposal capacity issues As a result positive steps are now being taken to ensure that the UK meets its UK wide sustainability and net carbon reduction targets

Just like any other healthcare provider, care homes need to comply with the management of healthcare waste in accordance with the revised Health Technical Memorandum 0701 (HTM 0701) This includes the completion of waste pre acceptance audits without which haz ardous and non hazardous healthcare waste cannot be legally removed from your site Failure to undertake a pre acceptance audit would therefore render your care home inoperable

Detailed compositional audits of care home waste, undertaken both by Anenta and separately by the EA have proven that a significant amount of contamination exists in the various waste streams produced by care homes Worryingly 70% of waste is consistently put in the wrong waste channels and that includes 90% of clinical waste and 35% of offensive waste that are regularly contaminated with recyclable materials

The cause of this confusion lies largely with poor training procedures that lead to inadvertent non compliance with rules on the segregation of waste

Segregation of waste is critically important as it ensures that waste is disposed of appropriately helping to avoid items that are categorised as low risk being disposed of in high risk collection receptacles such as recyclable items being put in sharps containers which go to inciner ation

This is important because incorrectly disposed waste not only puts a strain on England’s waste capacity hampering sustainable waste tar gets it also significantly adds to the cost of care home waste bills So instead of paying £300 £500 per tonne for offensive waste you could be facing bills north of £800 per tonne for items incorrectly binned in

infectious waste

To address this, good policy and procedure need to be implement ed This will help standardise the way in which your waste is managed reducing error, increasing efficiency, enhancing resident safety, and reducing costs

At the heart of this is the pre acceptance audit a statutory require ment that your care home has to fulfil providing detail on the waste produced at each premises This enables waste disposal companies to conform with their permits, allowing the collection of your waste

In the case of care homes in regulations updated in December 2021 the audits need to be undertaken every five years, unless the waste produced on site changes They remain valid until renewal date but can be rescinded if waste types undeclared in the pre acceptance audit are discovered

Bound up in this process is the duty of care audit requiring extensive detail on waste disposal practices to show that all waste produced on site is compliant with all aspects that relate to the safe disposal of that waste on site The audit should demonstrate good waste management practice which is required to achieve legislative compliance cost reductions environmental protection, health and safety best practice, and infection control

The output will be good procedure and policy that falls in line with current guidance and regulations and an on site action plan that will improve waste compliance and enhance efficiencies DEALING WITH THE DETAIL

Understanding what waste goes into which stream is vital Improper segregation of waste or misuse of bag types can cause pinch points in the disposal of that waste particularly clinical waste leading to unplanned shutdowns and significant costs to the producer as well as the lost opportunity for energy production from incineration

GUIDE TO WASTE TYPES AND RECEPTACLES

Tiger bags

These distinctive bags are for the collection of offensive waste, covering all non infectious healthcare waste including items contaminated with blood or bodily fluids as well as PPE specu lums and similar items All healthcare waste should be disposed of in this waste stream unless items are proven to be carrying infection This means that tiger bag bins should be present in every room within the care home

Orange bags

These bags should only be used for proven infectious waste and as such are typically only needed in treatment rooms for dressings such as leg ulcers, or material resulting from minor opera tions Most other procedures on residents are not infectious

The yellow lidded containers are for nee dles, syringes and vials contaminated by anything administered to the resident such as pharmaceuticals or vaccines

The purple lidded containers are for needles syringes and vials con taminated with cytotoxic and/or cytostatic medicinal products and their residues such as Leuprorelin Testosterone or Goserelin

The orange lidded containers are used for needles vacutainers and waste from phlebotomy/podiatry which are contaminated by blood or bodily fluids taken from the patient that are not contaminated with pharmaceuticals

Medicinal waste

All expired or resident returned medicines, should be placed in blue lidded containers with the exception of cytotoxic and/or cytostatic medicines which should be placed in purple lid ded containers

General waste and recycling

All other waste types including packaging papers plastics and items as advised by your local authori ty s policies should be disposed of in general waste and recycling bins which should be present in every room Confidential waste such as identifiable patient papers or sensitive information should be shredded and recycled on site or by an appointed third party

CONFIGURING YOUR WASTE BINS CORRECTLY

As a general rule waste bins should align with the activity undertaken in any given room, and should always have appropriate signage to avoid any confusion For example, residents’ rooms should only have offensive waste bins general waste and recy cling bins present Hazardous waste types should be centralised to prevent contamination and to prevent non hazardous items entering this waste stream due to carelessness or laziness

Sharps waste

Adopting this process will help to ensure that the correct waste goes into the correct channels saving your care home money minimising environmental impact, and avoiding inadvertent contamination that could cause issues with your waste collection and pre acceptance audit validity It will also help to deliver continuity of care to your resi dents enhanced infection control the avoidance of contamination and critically compliance with regulations preventing potential enforce ment action from the regulatory Authorities

Belong Celebrates 15 Years Ser ving Macclesfield Community

Macclesfield has been dazzling in high glamour and glitz as dementia care village Belong brought together its customers families and the local community for a crystal themed birth day party, celebrating 15 years since opening its doors

The sweet fifteen was marked with live entertainment including big band performances from Rich Swings, and the contorting skills of a balloon sculpture artist Tiaras were on trend as guests dressed up to the nines for the lavish occa sion whilst sipping bubbly and sharing happy memories of village life over the years with guest of honour David Rutley Member of Parliament for Macclesfield Residents were wined and dined with a three course meal before tucking into a con fectionery cart hosting their favourite treats

Belong Macclesfield opened in Upton Priory in autumn 2007, establishing a new era in specialist dementia care The launch of the not for profit village living model has enabled hundreds of customers to enjoy an active life whilst living in a vibrant hub complete with amenities including a bistro specialist gym

Commission (CQC) has recognised its consistent high stan dards with the most recent full inspection awarding care pro vision Outstanding status

Caroline Ray, general manager at Belong Macclesfield, commented:

“Celebrating 15 years is a wonderful feeling We are a strong member of our community; pleased to be experts in dementia care bringing professionalism and an abundance of love and compassion Would you believe we have 12 colleagues who have been with us from day one? It s a testament to the ded ication of Belong as an employer and the support of everyone around us

David Rutley MP for Macclesfield, added:

Many congratulations to Belong on 15 years of serving their residents and tenants in Macclesfield and on being an active part in our community Feedback from families who have experience with Belong’s village is very positive I wish the team continued success in providing this much needed social care locally over the decades ahead ”

There are three types: yellow lidded purple lidded and orange lid

ded

How To Empower People with Learning Disabilities and Autism to Report Hate Crime

As Hate Crime Awareness Week came and went last week, so too did a familiar lack of public attention placed on the underreporting of hate crime against people with learning disabilities and autism While 53% of people with learning disabilities or autism have experienced hate crime in the past year, only 48% of victims reported their experience to the police Many of those who suffer hate crime don’t have the confidence to tell their story

90% of people with autism or learning disabilities will experience hate crime during their lifetime, and, as one of this 90% I know well how these experiences can affect a person how they can destroy a life Online abuse verbal attacks physical assaults none of these are trivial and none of them should be ignored In a survey produced by Dimensions one of the country’s largest not for profit organisations supporting people with learning disabilities and autism 82% of respondents revealed they had been verbally abused in person while 34% had experienced this online

A further 44% said that they had been threatened hurt or coerced into doing things and 34% said that they had been the victims of sexual abuse Freedom of Information Requests made by United Response and Leonard Cheshire from 35 police forces also revealed that hate crimes involving violence were 27% higher in 2021/22 than the previous year with online hate crimes up by 20% Yet despite these startling numbers there has been little action to empower people with learning disabilities and autism to share their experi ences with those in a position to effect change

By Dr Mark Brookes MBE , Dimensions hate crime ambassador (www dimensions uk org)

One way to address this is through collaboration with police forces This year Dimensions in consultation with Avon and Somerset Constabulary, have developed an e learning resource for front line police officers to support them in responding to learning disability and autism hate crime

The resource builds on the deliv ery of a six year campaign and national training with police forces nationwide and was created in consulta tion with the Avon and Somerset Police, aimed at helping police officers to understand what barriers might exist for people in reporting a hate crime and increase the chances of gaining a conviction

Police force training constitutes one step forward in a broader journey to challenge hate crime and sup port victims A comprehensive plan to tackle the underreporting of hate crime and its causes must be aug mented with targeted strategies including the integration of positive messages around difference into primary and secondary education and clear proposals addressed to those national bodies such as the Crown Prosecution Service who are best placed to improve investigation protocols within the criminal jus tice system Both of these approaches which also form part of Dimensions #ImWithSam campaign provide those in positions of power with the necessary tools to competently support victims and increase levels of reporting

Our experiences and awareness of hate crime allow us to pass insights onto those groups best placed to implement institutionalised improvement Organisations with the power to bring about change for victims of hate crime are invited to collaborate with Dimensions so that we may empower people with learning dis abilities and autism to come forward and have their voices heard

Sky’s the Limit for Virtual Spitfire Pilot Robin, 92

A 92 year old Chichester care home resi dent fulfilled a long held wish to reach for the sky once again after carers enabled him to take the controls of a flight simulator

Former army officer Robin Bowley flew an MK392 Spitfire from Goodwood Aerodrome down over Chichester harbour across to Selsey and on to Southampton before turning back to base

The simulated flight arranged by staff at Colten Care s Wellington Grange care home delighted Robin who has previous experi ence of flying light aircraft for real

It was an amazing experience he said “Although it was all digital and we didn’t actually leave the ground the take off the flight itself and the landing were all so realistic The cockpit was indistinguishable from the real thing It was a really unusual thing to do, I’m only just coming back down to earth now

Flo Dudley Barritt Companionship Team member at Wellington Grange accompanied Robin to the aerodrome along with his daughters Penny Rowden and Sally Fitzmaurice

They watched as simulator instructor Nigel Coverwell talked Robin through what the flight would entail where he would be flying to and what procedures he needed to follow in the air Flo said This took around 20 minutes after which Nigel said: Do you think you re ready then Robin? to which Robin replied: Why yes, of course I am ” The party then made sure Robin was totally comfortable in the cockpit and had his flight gloves and cap safely on

Nigel started the simulation and then passed over full control to Robin, with conversations between the two done from then on through earpieces

Flo said: “Robin headed past Chichester harbour and round to Selsey before attempting his first victory roll which he got absolutely spot on You could tell he had really listened to what Nigel had told him in the briefing and flew the plane impeccably clearly enjoying the experience He was a natural in the pilot s seat He succeeded in doing another victory roll as they approached Southampton before eventually turn ing back The simulation seemed so real and the fuselage of the plane would move when Robin ascended and descended This all added to the ambience and authenticity he felt during the flight ”

Flo added: In his younger days Robin had tried to become a pilot in the RAF like his father but despite going through all the vigorous training he wasn t allowed to progress due to being born deaf in one ear and he eventually went on to join the army Robin did have a few lessons in light air craft at Goodwood and so developed a real taste for flying We knew he would love this opportunity on the simulator On the day he concentrated so well and was com pletely focused on the task in hand He and his daughters were thrilled We could all feel the adrenaline

To round off the visit the aerodrome’s head of sales Matt Ponsford gave Robin and his daughters a tour of the Spitfire hangar This enabled Robin to get up close with the five Spitfires kept there and hear detailed accounts of where they had come from how old they were and who had

Government Needs to Urgently

Rethink Relationship Between Health and the Economy, says BMA

In a major new report the BMA calls on the Government to consider the health of the population as crucial to sustainable economic growth, rather than being dependent on a prosperous economy In Valuing Health: why prioritising population health is essential to prosperity’, the Association calls on governments and policy makers to move beyond GDP as the predominant measure of national success

Raising alarm about rapidly declining population health and widen ing health inequalities the report identifies that the nation is facing a ‘ticking time bomb’ of ill health with current Government policies insuf ficient to meet the scale of the challenge Urging a joined up approach across government departments it argues that health is the responsibility of all ministers and departments and that the conditions in which people are born, grow up, go to school, live, work and age are the primary drivers of population and individual health However to date, principal discourse focuses around health centres upon health

care and treatments rather than developing and sustaining trajectories that preserve health

Former BMA president Professor Neena Modi whose project on human health and wellbeing is the basis of this report, said:

For a long time it has been GDP that has been the be all and end all when it comes to measuring the success of a nation However, the alarming increase in the population prevalence of chronic non commu nicable diseases such as diabetes and the experience of the pandemic illustrating the ongoing threat from infectious diseases shows clearly that the economy depends on a healthy population GDP is a simplistic number that measures activities and products including those that actively damage health and is wholly inadequate as a measure upon which to base policy and judge prosperity and success

Government policy at present does not appear to recognise the absolutely fundamental necessity of protecting and improving popula

tion health The recent mini budget with its dash for GDP growth at all costs is a prime example of this mindset Public health budgets have already been depleted over the last decade; further spending cuts to pay for inequality fuelling tax cuts will deplete them further With pub lic health spending declining and inequality rising the price will be paid by a less healthy population that will be less economically productive

“A government able to plan competently for the future would con sider a healthy population a prime driver of economic success as nec essary as one with the right skills for a modern economy Government must stop treating healthcare as the principal driver of health and instead see the health of the population as a positive asset targeted in cross departmental and cross sectoral policies from conception to old age ”

Scientists Detect Dementia Signs as

Early as Nine Years Ahead of Diagnosis

In new research published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer s Association researchers at the University of Cambridge have found brain impairment in several areas, such as problem solving and number recall across a range of dementia related diseases years before symptoms are generally noticeable and a formal diagnosis is made

The findings raise the possibility that in the future at risk patients could be screened to help select those who would benefit from interventions to reduce their risk of developing one of the conditions or to help identify patients suitable for recruitment to clinical trials for new treatments

Dr Nol Swaddiwudhipong a Junior Doctor at the University of Cambridge said:

“When we looked back at patients’ histories it became clear that they were showing some cognitive impairment several years before their symptoms became obvious enough to prompt a diagnosis The impairments were often subtle, but across a number of aspects of cognition

“This is a step towards us being able to screen people who are at greatest risk for example, people over 50 or those who have high blood pressure or do not do enough exercise and intervene at an earlier stage to help them reduce their risk ”

David Thomas, Head of Policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

It is increasingly clear that the best chance to affect the course of the diseases which cause dementia lies in intervening at their earliest stages Health services don t routinely offer the tests needed to detect changes in brain function that happen before symptoms are noticeable like those alluded to in this study In fact the NHS is currently unable to guarantee early and accurate diagnosis for people living with dementia more than a third of people over 65 living with dementia go undiagnosed

It s now more important than ever that NHS services reflect our grow ing understanding of the importance of detection and early diagnosis This means investing in diagnostic infrastructure piloting the use of new detection technologies like that being developed as part of the Early Detection of Neurodegenerative Diseases (EDoN) initiative and promoting greater connectivity between primary care memory services and hospital trusts We must ensure that people with dementia don’t fall through the cracks at a time when treatment or risk reduction interventions are most likely to be effective

“With a new 10 year plan expected from Government imminently, set against the backdrop of wider health system reform and ongoing pandemic recovery efforts now is the time to future proof the NHS and make radical improvements to how dementia is detected and diagnosed in the UK ”

Bupa Care Ser vices Wins Big at the Leaders in Care Awards 2022

Bupa Care Services has been named Care Provider of the Year at the prestigious Leaders in Care Awards with General Manager Rebecca Pearson also named Executive of the Year

The provider which is part of leading healthcare provider Bupa Global & UK and operates over 120 care homes and 10 Richmond Villages around the country was awarded the top accolade recognising the organisation that has led the pack in providing outstanding care over the past 12 months despite the many challenges they have faced

The judges called out Bupa Care Services’ many achievements this year including the roll out of its ambitious digital transformation pro gramme utilising the latest technological solutions to provide the highest quality, personalised care The provider was also recognised for its col league development and engagement programmes and most impor tantly its commitment to its residents, with judges stating that Bupa Care Services has shown the entire sector how it s done on all fronts with its industry leading use of digital tools and electronic care planning, exceptional employee care, and overall world beating level of care ”

Rebecca Pearson General Manager for Bupa Care Services was also recognised as Executive of the Year for her role in driving change across the business over the past year Judges noted the high esteem that Rebecca s colleagues hold her in stating the team around her say she has transformed the entire business with an ability to bring col leagues and residents closer together and create the best environment for all ”

Rebecca Pearson commented:

“I am absolutely thrilled that Bupa Care Services has been recog nised at these prestigious awards We have a talented and dedicated team that is delivering amazing things for our residents as well as for our people and I am proud to see all our hard work paying off

At Bupa we are committed to being the most customer centric healthcare company, so it’s great to see our progress noted by the judging panel There is always more to do and we have ambitious plans for 2023 to continue evolving the shape of aged care ”

Two Thirds (63%) of Nurses Choosing Between Food and Fuel as Cost of Living Bites and One in Five (14%) Turn to Food Banks

Two thirds (63%) of nurses and healthcare workers state they are having to choose between food and fuel to combat rising energy bills, a new study reveals

A study of over 1 000 nurses health and social care workers conducted by Florence the healthcare plat form using technology to help tackle the shortage of healthcare staff globally, also found that nearly one in five (14%) nurses have started using food banks since the cost of living crisis started A further third (30%) also know colleagues who have

It comes as meteoric rises on energy bills and inflation are having a widespread impact on nurses and carers often on a low income The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) which represents nurses is balloting hundreds of thousands of its members this week (starting from October 6th) on whether they will support strike action over a 5% pay offer from the Government which if granted would be the first national walk out of nurses in history

A staggering 94% of nurses and healthcare staff are calling for the government to match pay in line with inflation, currently increasing at nearly its fastest rate in 40 years, driven largely by the rising cost of food and fossil fuels But a 5% pay rise might be too little too late as over a quarter (28%) of nurses and health care staff are already planning to leave the profession in search of better pay further adding to the chronic staffing crisis the NHS is experiencing

RISING COST OF LIVING AND MENTAL HEALTH

Stress worry and anxiety are all factors attributed to increased financial pressure The study by Florence found 79% of nurses and healthcare professionals say the rising cost of living is already negatively impacting their mental health Within this two fifths (39%) say it s having a significant impact

As a result, over half (51%) of nurses and healthcare staff have had to take time off to recover from stress and burnout and over a third (35%) say they ve already seen a significant increase in mental health related staff absences

IMPACT OF RISING COST OF LIVING ON THE HEALTHCARE SERVICE

While front line nurses and healthcare staff are facing immense pressures due to the rising cost of living, the healthcare service overall is facing critical risk

The study found that four in five (79%) nurses and healthcare staff state the rising cost of living will see the NHS face intolerable pressure Two thirds (60%) state patients will miss appointments because of the cost of transport and over half (57%) predict wait times to increase Within this well over two fifths (45%) pre dict wait times to at least double as a direct result of the rising cost of living

The latest figures show wait times showed not a single NHS Trust in England out of 111 met A&E waiting time targets during the year from April 2021 to March 2022 A total of 6 8 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July up 6 7 million in June and is the highest number since records began

While wait times are set to increase, over half (56%) of nurses and healthcare staff predict the rising cost of living will lead to people needing to use NHS services more frequently adding to the pressure Over half (54%) predict GP appointment wait times will increase significantly and a further 52% are pre

dicting higher ambulance call outs which are also sitting at some of the highest levels on record THE SOLUTION

Inflation matched pay is not the only solution frontline nurses and healthcare staff are calling for Seven in 10 (69%) state the NHS needs increased funding for critical services to ensure the quality of care is not com promised, and over half (53%) agree the government needs to produce long term, and coherent plans, to safeguard the future of the NHS

Furthermore over two in five (46%) want to see an increase in training grants to support more people into the industry overall helping to close the gap between staffing levels and vacancy rates

Fiona Millington Chief Nurse at Florence commented: Nurses and carers are making genuine decisions ‘Do I have something to eat that's hot? Do I risk having to use gas to heat this up?’ The cost of living has risen at an alarming rate but salaries are not increasing to match that cost of living Nurses and carers like every other profession, are finding themselves in a situation where it's more difficult to make ends meet It’s a really difficult situation but sadly it s the reality we re facing A government implemented pay rise can not come quickly enough”

Dr Charles Armitage CEO and founder of Florence com mented “It is completely inadmissible that frontline nurses and healthcare staff are choosing between food and fuel The cost of living crisis is having an unforeseen impact on those on low income and nobody shouldn t have the right to basic necessi ties, whether food, fuel, housing or otherwise

We re heading into a tough winter and it s vital we take greater care of our NHS workforce The cost of living crisis is a pandemic level crisis and not only will our workforce personal ly suffer but the healthcare service overall will face intolerable pressure, at a time when it s already on the brink of collapse The interface between the NHS and social care A&E and dis charge, or the front door and the back door of the healthcare system, is where we’re seeing the biggest pinch points and the system is really starting to break down

“For too long the UK's under funded over stretched system has pushed more NHS and social care pro fessionals to leave than to stay; with ever growing vacancies and Covid 19 adding to the pressure

Staff shortages are the single biggest threat to global healthcare High vacancy rates are fuelling long wait times, burnout and ultimately driving the existing workforce out all in search of less pressure and bet ter pay It s unsustainable and we need an urgent long term solution We need to see increased pay greater efforts to bring more people into healthcare and enhanced training as a start We need to look after our frontline healthcare workers not drive them out

New Care Home in Berkshire to be Named After His Royal Highness, the Late Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh

RMBI Care Co has recently completed and opened its new care home in Berkshire, which replaces the former Lord Harris Court set in the same grounds The new Home, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh Court provides care and sup port for up to 45 people and offers nursing care and dementia support The environment has a contemporary feel and includes the latest assis tive technologies and design, ensuring a person alised approach to support the residents

Residents can now enjoy a variety of commu nal rooms, including café bar, lounges, dining

designed to make maximum use of light and

for residents and their loved ones to enjoy the

of

outdoors

Abigail Cranston Home Manager at Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh Court says The Home has a won derful,

homely feel The residents are enjoying smaller communal spaces, which enable them to

build closer connections The new bistro area has been extremely popular with residents and relatives all spending quality time together, enjoying activities and socialising ” Staff at the CQC Good rated Home have been undertaking additional dementia training to help familiarise themselves with the new Home, so they are able to continue the high standards of care for our residents

John Boyington CBE Chairman of Trustees at RMBI Care Co says This new state of the art home has been our biggest investment in 15 years As it has been specifically designed to meet the needs of older people looking for either nursing care or residen tial dementia support it is a much welcomed addition to our portfolio ”

The naming of the new care home after the late Duke of Edinburgh, himself a Freemason for over 60 years adds to the charity s group of Homes with royal names: Queen Elizabeth Court, in Llandudno; Prince George Duke of Kent Court in Kent; Prince Michael of Kent Court in Watford; Prince Edward Duke of Kent Court in Braintree; and Albert Edward Prince of Wales Court in Porthcawl

Keeping Eyesight Healthy for People Living with Dementia

Maintaining good eyesight can be a really important lifeline for peo ple living with dementia and can help support the people who care for them

Zetun Arif an ophthalmic director for Specsavers Home Visits in the Greater Manchester area, speaks to The Carer about how impor tant eye tests are in helping people live well with the condition, and about the service the teams offer to people living in care homes

Q Why is maintaining good eyesight so impor tant for people living in care homes, whether they are living with dementia or not?

Maintaining good vision really matters for all of us but it’s especial ly important for care home residents because they are more likely to have limited mobility and may be at a higher risk of falls Many of the things they may enjoy doing will involve good vision like watching television or doing puzzles or craft activities

Q So that’s why regular eye tests are so impor tant for care home residents?

Sight loss can lead to people feeling really isolated and if a person is also living with dementia it can make them feel more confused

Regular eye tests allow changes in vision to be tackled quickly and can also detect other eye conditions

(such as glaucoma or cataracts) which may need further treatment at an early stage

Q How can Specsavers Home Visits help?

Our home visits teams are trained to support people living with dementia and the people who support them They ll work with to deliver a personalised service to your residents delivered with kindness patience and a smile

Our optometrists use objective assessment techniques which don t require responses from the person being tested, which means we can offer full support to people living with dementia even if they face chal lenges in communicating with us

We provide training for our staff on dementia and how to successfully communicate with those living with cognitive impairment and we always take our lead from carers who know the individuals best Q. How does your ser vice work?

We ll come to all types of care centre from community houses to residential homes to dementia special ist nursing homes and everywhere in between

In some services we ll visit for a whole day and provide full routine free NHS eye tests to everyone who lives there while in others we’ll visit new residents to give them a check up or see a single resident who is having particular issues with their vision

We supply NHS and private funded spectacles which we deliver and fit in person and which are engraved with the person’s name so you can easily find their glasses when you need to Glasses start from £19 and the same offers apply as would in store To find out more visit www specsavers co uk/home eye tests

Retention of Staff in Social Care

Our workforce is heading towards the exit faster than we re able to bring people in it is the metaphoric revolving door and for the care sector it has become the pandemic after the pandemic We all face the same problem, but we also all make the same mistake we re expecting someone else to provide the solution

Social care has drastically failed to adapt to modern times A failure that everyone from top to bottom must accept responsibility for from working practices to technology and attitudes as a sector we have been afraid to change and we’re now paying a high price for it

As operators we re all part of the same unique culture We’re competitors all on the same side and while it’s a privi lege to be a part of it can also lead us to wait for others to solve the problem that we are individually more than capable of fixing ourselves The retention of teams included

Fortunately there are many practical measures you can take that when combined can transform your culture Piece by piece and with patience you can create an environment that reduces the daily pressures on your team provides greater job security and promotes a healthier work life bal

that took us at Aria Care Home, from double digit turnover to

Or do they keep their head down and do just enough not to step out of line? Spoiler: it’s the latter

Disciplinary policies are toxic to a workforce They instil fear create doubt and cause loss of confidence People s performance wellbeing and attitude suffers at just the thought that a mistake could lead to disci plinary action

So what happened after we removed the policy? Remember when Dorothy left Kansas and stepped into the Emerald City for the first time? Exactly like that, from black and white to a vibrant new world filled with colour Our team were more relaxed more confident and most crucially unafraid We didn t just say that we need to learn from mistakes, we gave them the platform to do so in full confidence that they had our support all the way

Almost instantly the changes were spectacular We saw a stunning drop in every area where errors can happen a reduction in conflict between team members more honesty and greater confidence

In short it worked Our hope was that it would create a culture where our team were given supreme job security, total autonomy, and peace of mind

Mistakes happen and they are also learning opportunities They are the pinnacle of self improvement but to reach those levels we need an environment that nurtures people, not worries them

I know what you re thinking won t people abuse this policy? Of course Expecting everyone to adapt to your culture shift the way you hope is fantasy but I would fall to my knees and beg you to never become discouraged by them

The informal working ethos is how many of the best modern companies run They were borne in a time when the world of leadership became about protecting your team and supporting them through thick and think Throughout the 21st century they ve succeeded where we ve failed to recruit and retain the best people, and to help get the best from them It’s time we caught up

retention overnight

disciplinary procedures for absolutely everything up

warnings

after

investigations nothing Why? They didn’t work

threatened them with disciplinary action?

Throwing most of your disciplinary policies (up to gross misconduct) in the bin is only one step in that direction It s a step that resonates with the younger people who we so desperately need to attract to our industry It s a step that empowers your team today It s a step that many operators will be afraid to take But I plead with you from experience be bold be brave as it works and we are testament to that

103-Year-Old Ruby Morris’ Dream Trip to Weymouth Brings Back Fond Memories

103 year old Ruby Morris resident of Cheriton Care Home, Dorchester, had one simple wish to visit Weymouth beach She wanted only to relive the simple pleasures that were so important to her throughout her life sitting on the beach with an ice cream smelling the sea air, and reminiscing of times gone by Fortunately Care Assistant Sharon Best and Activities Co ordinator Jo Casemore at Cheriton were keen to make Ruby’s wish come true

The day began with the short train journey from Dorchester to Weymouth, which was of particular reso nance to Ruby as for many years she worked for Great Western Railways a job that she still holds great fond ness for

Once the trio had arrived at Weymouth the first stop was to Rossi’s Ices on the esplanade there Ruby enjoyed an ice cream on the house having regaled the owner that she remembered when the business first came to

A home manager who works at a Lanark based care home has celebrated her 15 year work anniversary and says leaving is not an option as working in care is the only thing she knows Emma Davies is the home manager at MHA Lower Johnshill and has been working for the same organisation for the last 15 years She started off as a care assistant and then progressed into a staff nurse and then the deputy manager role at MHA Bankhouse another home based in Lanark Emma moved over to Lower Johnshill four years ago, starting off as the head of care and progressing to the home manager role three years ago

Speaking about her time at MHA Emma said:

“Working in an MHA home was my first full time job after future education

“It s a great organisation to work for, I have been given so much support for my

Weymouth in 1937 and even knew his Grandfather

“It was great to meet Ruby, meeting people is what we are all about said Fulvio Figliolini owner of Rossi s Ice Cream parlour ”

Having enjoyed her time at Rossi s Ruby was joined by her family for a stroll along the promenade, where she took a particular interest in the donkeys mentioning how she used to visit the stables when she was young

The last stop on their journey was the Old Boot pub on High West street reputedly the oldest pub in Weymouth and the very place where Ruby was born

No stranger to pubs in the area Ruby was once the landlady of The Rock!

After such an exhilarating and emotional day Ruby thanked Jo and Sharon for granting her wish:

“I thoroughly enjoyed my visit it was a lovely break away Weymouth is my home I grew up there the trip took to me back to my younger years ”

development so

I was the first nurse at MHA Bankhouse and working in social care is the only thing I know

Genuinely the time has flown by and it s been quite a journey especially as I have moved from different homes

“I really enjoy being the home manager at Lower Johnshill there were some chal lenging times especially during the pandemic, but we stuck together as one

“The residents and staff are great, they are a tough bunch and I really enjoy coming into work every day

“I can

know, and I can’t see myself working anywhere

even think about leaving, it s the only thing

By Ali Al Mufti, Managing Director of Aria Care Home, a multi award winning care home in Newport (www ariacarehome com)

Does Diet Affect Our Dementia Risk?

Research published this month suggests that following a Mediterranean diet does not reduce risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia Results published in the journal Neurology show that diet was not associated with the presence of amyloid, the hallmark Alzheimer s disease protein Participants in this study came from the exist ing Swedish population based Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDCS) cohort Of this group 28 025 had dietary information and were part of this current research

Nobody had a dementia diagnosis at the start of the study Participants had their first examination in the period 1991 1996 and were all followed up in 2014, giving a study length of around 20 years

Dietary habits were assessed based on people keeping a seven day food diary, as well as a detailed food questionnaire and one hour inter view

People were grouped into those following:

Conventional dietary advice high fibre red meat fruit vegetables and fish

• Mediterranean diet high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil, and a low intake of dairy products meats and saturated fatty acids

A subgroup of the study population had lumbar punctures to assess the accumulation of amyloid in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Of the 28,025 people in this study, just under 7% developed dementia at the end of the study

People following conventional dietary advice and the Mediterranean diet did not have a lower risk of developing dementia This remained similar when people who developed dementia within five years and those with diabetes were excluded from analysis

Neither Mediterranean nor conventional diet was associated with levels of amyloid in spinal fluid

Dr Sara Imarisio Head of Research at Alzheimer s Research UK said: A growing body of research is looking at what lifestyle factors make up our risk of dementia and diet has been frequently studied as part of this This study shows that the effect of diet on dementia risk was not significant and did not reduce participant s risk of developing Alzheimer s disease or vascular dementia Previous research including reviews of multiple stud ies have indicated that a Mediterranean style diet may be associated with a lower risk of dementia

“This study recruited people in their midlife, a critical time window for modifiable risk factors to be changed in order to reduce dementia risk in later life In contrast to previous studies also looking at the effect of diet on dementia risk people involved in this research had three different measures of their dietary habits through a self reported diary a detailed questionnaire and an in person interview This can limit errors in reporting dietary habits as it does not rely on people remembering habits from years beforehand The evidence for specific diets affecting dementia risk is not clear cut In the com ing years it is important that more large, long term randomised controlled trials explore the effects of differ ent diets on dementia risk and do so alongside brain scans memory tests and use of different biomarkers to paint the most accurate picture possible

We know that what is good for our heart health is also good for our brain health so we encourage peo ple to stay active socially connected and involved in activities and hobbies that they enjoy It is also impor tant to maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle You can find out more about how to look after your brain health at www thinkbrainhealth org uk

‘By George, They’ve Got it!’: Dorset Care

Home Residents Perform My Fair Lady

Creative residents at a Dorset care home have taken the chance to tread the boards in a mini production of the famous musical My Fair Lady

After weeks of rehearsals six performers dressed up in Edwardian style hats and wowed the audience at Colten Care’s Whitecliffe House in Blandford with fellow residents visiting families and staff all praising the show

The actors sang and spoke their lines from prepared booklets accom panied on piano by professional musician Caroline Pugh

A graduate of the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama Caroline used to work at Whitecliffe House and was only too happy to help out once again

It was Caroline s suggestion to stage My Fair Lady after the residents had fun performing the Dickens musical Oliver! earlier this year and expressed a wish to try another challenge

At the My Fair Lady rehearsals, Caroline helped the performers prepare their voices and, on the day, held a warm up exercise for everyone to hum the tunes and remind themselves of their lines Then it was showtime, with Ronald Burnham and Maureen Smith playing Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle respectively

Also performing roles were Sylvia Drew Shirley Thompson Coralie Jackson and Peter Martin Peter who played Eliza’s father Alfred Doolittle and helped narrate the show said: “We thoroughly

enjoyed the afternoon It was a great singalong

Among the best known songs in the musical is ‘I m Getting Married in the Morning which prompted much foot tapping by the audience

Becky Wyeth Companion said: “It was lovely to see the fun and laughter all round The actors clearly had a great time showing off their theatrical and singing talents and the audience thoroughly enjoyed watching it all happen

We are so grateful to Caroline who came back to support us with this performance We really do value her help and musicality Even though she works independently she still visits us regularly sharing her love of music and her amazing talents with our residents ”

Based on George Bernard Shaw s 1913 play Pygmalion My Fair Lady is a love story and one of the 20th century s most famous musicals

The plot revolves around Cockney flower girl Eliza who takes speech lessons from phonetician Professor Henry Higgins so that she may pass as a lady

Among its many celebrated lines are when Eliza enunciates ‘The rine in spine sties minley in the pline’, meaning The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain to which Henry replies By George she s got it!

The stage version, starring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, was a huge hit on Broadway and in the West End

The Oscar winning film version starring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza was released in 1964

Local Care Home Hosts Community Networking Breakfast

and Zenab Hearn (Parish Councillor)

Ramona Stanciu General Manager at Chorleywood Beaumont said:

The event took place on Friday 14th October professionals from various care and community organisations within the community had a chance to meet and network over breakfast served by the hospitality team at the home The event was a great success with over 15 guests and the attendees included Philip Hearn and Alison Wall (District Councillor for Chorleywood North and Sarratt)

Chorleywood Beaumont is keen to be part of the community and our Networking breakfast allows individuals from the care industry and local com munity to meet and connect with one another It’s a great chance to share expe riences of working within the care sector, make new contacts within the community, and of course, enjoy our wonderful spread provided by our hospi tality team!’

AKW Extends its Range of Bidets to Meet Market Needs

Managing toilet hygiene independently is one of the key concerns of those who need carers and for many, using the toilet safely is one of the most important things they do each day That is why AKW, a leading provider of bathroom accessibility solu tions, has extended its bidet range to ensure even more end users’ clinical and finan cial needs are met

Seat like attachment bidet AKW offers the Side Entry Bidet that has been designed for installation on existing toilet pans and features an external side entry water feed This flexibility means the bidet can be easily removed and re installed on another pan if required in the future However for a longer term seat attachment bidet solution AKW also offers its Bottom Entry Bidet that has been designed specifi cally for use with select pieces of sanitaryware from AKW s Navlin and Navlin Doc M collections and has a bottom entry water feed

Flexible fitted bidet AKW has designed a flexible height Rise & Fall bidet The height of the pan can be set to meet everyone s needs promoting toileting independ ence The easily adjustable toilet pan seat height (410mm 610mm height range from

finished floor level to top of bidet) can accommodate users of different heights needs, and ages, and the fold up arms allow for ease of access (that support up to 18 8st (120kg) each) This bidet also facilitates wheelchair transfers and can help users safely navigate around the bathroom

Ergonomic and contact free flushing The AKW Bidet Collection also includes a wide ergonomic bidet seat for optimum comfort An infrared sensor flush addition is also available for use with AKW’s Navlin and Livenza Plus raised push button flush cisterns to enable contact free flushing where required AKW s Bidet Collection offers users an extensive range of competitively priced high quality bidet options that provide modern discreet toileting solutions

To find out more download AKW s latest bidet range visit www akw ltd co uk/doc ument/akw bidet collection brochure/

For more information contact AKW on 01905 823298 Email: sales@akw ltd co uk or visit www akw ltd co uk See the advert on page 19 for further details

Chorleywood Beaumont Care Home in Chorleywood invited local profession als to their first Networking Breakfast Meeting hosted by Ramona Stanciu General Manager and her team

NHS Confederation Responds to the New Chancellor’s Statement on the Fiscal Plan

Responding to the new Chancellor s statement on the government s fiscal plan Matthew Taylor chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The health serv ice is already facing enormous pressure as we head into what will be one of the most challenging winters for decades

“Health leaders are incredibly concerned about how they will be able to contin ue running many important patient services while at the same time plugging gaps in funding which could stretch to £20 billion or more over the course of the next three years although of course they will continue to do all they can to manage services as efficiently and effectively as possible while at the same time trying to meet huge rising demand from patients

“However, if as the new Chancellor has requested, government departments will be expected to redou ble their efforts to find public expenditure savings and after over a decade of austerity that has left NHS organisations already having to run near skeletal services it is very hard to see where any further cuts can be made

Latest calculations from the Institute for Government show that most services do not have enough fund ing to return to pre pandemic levels and this includes current hospital spend which will not drive down pan

demic accrued backlogs as well as insufficient investment in primary care to meet demand This is coupled with the government’s own recent unfunded NHS staff pay rise which will also mean additional cuts to health service budgets so the Chancellor really will need to level with the public about the impact of further cuts on the NHS

As our new analysis clearly shows every pound invested in the NHS results in £4 back in wider economic activity so as well as delivering for patients, the NHS must be seen as an essential building block for the economic growth the Prime Minister and new Chancellor want to drive over the medium and long term

Yet with 132 000 staff vacancies decrepit NHS estate and waiting lists now top ping 7 million people, if further cuts are on the table, we really need the government to be transparent with the public about the services they can expect from the NHS in the months and years ahead

As the country continues to grapple with a cost of living crisis health leaders are very worried that the government’s withdrawal of the energy price cap in the Spring will leave people on a cliff edge of uncer tainty as they struggle with the constant fear of food and fuel poverty prolonging the public health emer gency already faced by so many ”

RMBI Care Co. Commits to Becoming a ‘Menopause

Friendly Employer’ to Mark World Menopause Day 2022

According to Skills for Care, over a quarter of adult social care staff are aged 55 and over with the average age being 44 Similarly perimenopause and menopause, (which are a natural part of a woman’s life course) usually occur between the ages of 45 and 55 as a woman s oestrogen levels drop However it can start earlier * To mark World Menopause Day on October 18 care provider RMBI Care Co has committed to becoming a menopause friendly employer

“Our journey began last year, when we created a new menopause poli cy Wellbeing Champions in each of our 17 care homes in England and Wales have since come up with creative ways to raise awareness amongst staff sharing resources about the menopause and our Manager s Guide provides clear support and guidance to those who may be affected We are very committed to becoming a menopause friendly employer said Mark LLoyd Managing Director at RMBI Care Co

In recent months RMBI Care Co which supports older people with resi

dential care, nursing care and residential dementia support, has run virtual learning sessions for staff This was its chosen focus to support Learning at Work Week organised by Campaign for Learning

A new online training has also been made available for all staff in the charity’s efforts to become an ‘Accredited Menopause Friendly Employer,’ working with Menopause Friendly Thanks to this training course staff had the opportunity to learn that menopause symptoms can last for over seven years and that the menopause can affect women s mental health

Kitchen Assistant Dipa Gurung 43 at RMBI Care Co Home Connaught Court in York said: The online workshops have been a brilliant way to learn more about the menopause and how it might affect different people The events put on by our Wellbeing Champion have also helped to create an open culture so even if you didn t know anything about the menopause before you feel more confident and comfortable to ask questions ”

Up to 85% of People Living with Dementia May Not Receive Post-Diagnosis Care – Report Reveals

In response to new data showing that appallingly up to 85 percent of the over 55 million people living with dementia may not receive post diagnosis care world leading dementia experts are calling for dementia post diagnosis, care, treatment and support to be recognised as a human right

Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) the international federation of 105 Alzheimer and dementia associations around the world has released the World Alzheimer s Report 2022: Life after diagnosis: Navigating treat ment care and support‘ which was co authored by McGill University

The report focuses on the urgent need for significant improvements to essential post diagnosis treatment, care and support services for the over 55 million people living with dementia across the globe and robust plans to support the forecast 139 million people by 2050

Post diagnosis dementia care treatment and support refers to multiple interventions that can improve the quality of life for those with dementia including both pharmacological and non pharmacological treatments caregiving access to healthcare support for daily life activities home adaptations social inclusion and respite

“We don t question whether people with cancer need treatment, so why is it that when people receive a dementia diagnosis they re often not offered treatment or care? Repeatedly they re just told to get their end of life affairs in order,” says Paola Barbarino, ADI CEO “Coupled with improving diagnosis rates, post diagnosis dementia care must be recognised as a human right

“While dementia doesn’t yet have a disease modifying ‘cure there is clear evidence that demonstrates that appropriate post diagnosis treatment care and support significantly improves the quality of lives of those living with this disease allowing many to maintain independence for longer

Roger Marple, a Canadian living with dementia and author of an expert essay within the World Alzheimer Report emphasizes that a dementia diagnosis isn t the end of the road for people living with the condition: After my diagnosis, I heard things like ‘Why should we do anything about dementia care? They [people with dementia] are just going to die anyway These sorts of comments are incredibly demotivating

“We all live with a terminal condition it’s called life In my world, it is all about the quality of life regard less of any challenges we live with Before there is a cure there is care; never forget that

The pressure on global healthcare systems during the pandemic has further exacerbated the ability for healthcare professionals to provide adequate post diagnosis treatment care and support for people living with dementia

Part of the issue is that 62 percent of healthcare professionals wrongly believe dementia is a normal part of ageing with this belief fuelling the lack of support offered to people living with dementia says Barbarino

Another part is that healthcare systems around the world are not pre pared for the growing public health crisis that dementia presents and governments must act

Of the healthcare professionals surveyed in the World Alzheimer Report 2022 37 percent said that they feel stressed or under pressure often or all of the time with a quarter of these professionals reporting this impacted their ability to do their work 59 percent said they do not feel they have adequate time to provide care for a person living with dementia

Barbarino says that she’s sympathetic to the pressure that healthcare professionals are under and gov ernments must invest to support them as the world cannot afford to let post diagnosis dementia treatment fall to the wayside

Barbarino says: Globally clinicians are both under educated on dementia and under resourced to pro vide adequate post diagnosis care for people living with dementia It’s up to governments to shore up their healthcare systems so that it s possible for healthcare professionals to provide quality care that people liv ing with dementia desperately need

Barbarino continues: “But as it stands the care model where a primary care doctor hands over long term post diagnostic support to other specialists is untenable due largely to the shortage of such specialists and the ever increasing numbers of people living with dementia Every three seconds, someone develops dementia

“Life doesn’t stop at a diagnosis for people living with dementia It’s an ever evolving condition that can last throughout many years says Barbarino People living with dementia their carers and their care team need to regularly update and adjust their skills and knowledge to ensure high quality ongoing care ”

Nine Care Homes Unite to Raise Funds for Charity and Celebrate 40 Years of Care

Care homes across the region have been celebrating 40 years of excellence in the care sector by walking through Windsor

Nine Care UK homes in the South walked 4 5 miles around Windsor to mark Care UK’s 40th birthday The homes that took part included Bickerton House in Bracknell Dashwood Manor in Basingstoke Mountbatten Grange in Windsor as well as six other homes

In honour of its milestone anniversary Care UK is aiming to raise £40 000 collec tively to give back to local communities charities and organisations across the country

On the day team members and many residents met at Mountbatten Grange in Windsor to start the challenge They strode around the grounds of Windsor Castle before ending the walk at Mountbatten Grange where the head chef had prepared a feast for everyone involved

The teams had chosen to donate to the Alzheimer s Society and over 100 resi dents relatives and team members took part

Erika Smith Home Manager at Bickerton House said

We were really pleased to join Care UK homes across the country in raising money for charity as a celebration of the 40th anniversary

We had a great time at Mountbatten Grange and enjoyed walking alongside col leagues and residents from different homes they all had such fun stories to share I would like to say a huge thank you to the team at Mountbatten Grange for host ing the event, we all had a fantastic time!”

Debbie Winwood Home Manager at Mountbatten Grange added:

“Here at Mountbatten Grange, we’re incredibly enthusiastic about creating strong links with our local community and supporting where we can We re also passionate about enabling residents to have even more opportunities to make new connections outside of the home through events such as this

We really enjoyed welcoming colleagues and residents from across the region to our fundraising walk around the beautiful town of Windsor

It s a huge privilege to be part of something so special and we can t wait to see how much money we’ve managed to raise for the surrounding communities!”

As part of the wider fundraising activities CEO of Care UK Andrew Knight along with Jacqui White Marketing Director and Tony Weedon Strategic Programme Director also undertook a 240 mile bike ride Taking them a total of five days the journey started at Care UK s oldest care home in Clacton on Sea and finished at its newest in Shrewsbury

Virtual Reality Technology Helps Residents Take a Trip To Some Of The World’s Most Beautiful Places

Residents in the UK are living their travel dreams Residents in Advinia Health Care homes Newcarron Court Longwood Braemount Hillview Netherton Green and Parklands have been travelling around the world from the comfort of their armchairs thanks to Oculus a virtual reality technology

The VR headset offers Residents the opportunity to visit renowned tourist sites whilst sitting comfortably in their Homes The headsets track head movements allowing the wearer to explore a 360 degree representation of an environment just by looking around The view experienced by the headset wearer is also displayed on a tablet so Carers and family can share and chat about the content which might include places familiar to the resident or parts of the world they’ve never encoun tered before

Advinia Health Care says the introduction of virtual reality technology is in response to the impact the pandemic has had on residents who have expressed their desire to travel around the world In response Advinia introduced Oculus to enhance the life of the residents, especially those living with dementia

Dr Sanjeev Kanoria Founder and Chairman of Advinia Healthcare noted that It is wonderful to hear how these experiences have allowed the Residents to reminisce with their families and each other and enabled them to become more engaged and

involved particularly during these challenging last couple of years

Reminiscence therapy is prov ing to be particularly effective for people living with dementia and this is a fantastic example of how we can utilise modern technology to help them to unlock treasured memories and engage with others , ” he further explains

Advinia is one of the UK's largest care providers and has for some time now been engag ing in groundbreaking techno logical advancements to provide the best care for residents With a vision to create a better everyday life for its residents, Advinia continues to explore the ever present opportunities that technology provides to make life for the elderly more enjoyable

From sky diving in Dubai to a tour of the Grand Canyon in Arizona Care Home

Calls for Support to Prevent Bereavement from Tipping Older People into Poverty

The UK Commission on Bereavement has set out a list of recommendations which would benefit people aged over 65, the group most likely to experience bereavement, in one of the largest ever consultations on bereavement support in the UK The commission was established by charities including Independent Age Marie Curie and Cruse Bereavement Support

National older people s charity Independent Age provided both written and oral evidence to the Commission on the bereavement experiences older people face and have welcomed the findings in the report entitled Bereavement is Everyone s Business The organisation is calling on the government to act on the report s recommendations without delay

With the cost of living impacting heavily on many people amid increasing energy and food prices and ris ing mortgage rate rises the Commission s report makes important recommendations to prevent bereave ment becoming a trigger into financial hardship

Older people are more likely than other age groups to experience the death of their husband wife or life partner, which can hugely affect their household income When a partner dies, pension income can sudden ly reduce despite people still having similar living costs and maybe facing high funeral bills Sometimes this change in their financial situation can be so dramatic that it thrusts them into poverty

The Commissioners echo Independent Age’s recommendation that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) should work to increase the uptake of Pension Credit This is a benefit which tops up the State Pension for those on a low income, but has the lowest take up of all income related benefits Bereaved older adults may become entitled to Pension Credit following the death of a partner due to a drop in house hold income Research commissioned by Independent Age in 2020 estimated that if every eligible pensioner received the Pension Credit they were entitled to it would lift roughly 400 000 of those out of poverty at the time the research was conducted

Polling on behalf of Independent Age showed that of the 8% of adults of all ages who sought extra emo tional support following a bereavement just over half (57%) actually received this within a reasonable time frame Over one in ten (12%) were not able to access any help at all

With people aged over 65 the most likely to experience a bereavement ensuring that emotional support following a bereavement is helpful and appropriate is a major older person s issue

Independent Age s research shows that nearly 4 in 5 people over the age of 65 are not given information about the emotional support available following a bereavement, and accessibility and availability of this sup port is a major barrier that the commissioners identified through their evidence collection

Independent Age supports the commission’s call for the UK Government to invest 79p per person annual ly to ensure appropriate emotional bereavement support is accessible This will be vital in ensuring older people get the correct support

Julia Neuberger Commissioner of the UK Commission on Bereavement and Chair of Independent Age said:

“It’s essential that the voices of older people are heard in all aspects of life but especially when it comes to bereavement We know as we age we are more likely to suffer a death The UKCB heard evidence from thousands about their experience of bereavement and has been able to make some clear recommendations on how to improve the experience of bereavement for those in later life and all other age groups too Now we re calling on the Government to implement the recommendations ”

Morgan Vine Head of Policy and Influencing at Independent Age said:

“As we grow older grief is more likely to hit us from multiple angles It should not be assumed that experi encing a death in later life is less painful or easier to cope with and older people should not be left to strug gle alone at this difficult time Instead we must increase both the emotional and financial support that is available to people of all ages, including those aged 65 and over so they know that help is there if they need it

“Independent Age welcomes the Commission s recommendations and calls on the government to imple ment them in full so that people are supported to move forward with their grief NORMALISING CONVERSATIONS AROUND DEATH FOR THE OVER 65S

The charity also welcomes calls on the Government to commit to developing initiatives to increase under standing and normalise conversations around death, at a cost of just 6p per person 7 Independent Age’s research has shown that although 9% of adults aged under 65 have sought extra support after a bereave ment, just 4% of older adults have 8 By opening up the conversation around bereavement, it is hoped that older people will feel more able to seek support after a bereavement if they think it could be helpful

Care Home Celebrates 55th Anniversar

A care home in Powys is celebrating 55 years of delivering care for its residents

Cartref in Hay On Wye which was originally opened by Powys County Council over half a century ago marked the milestone on October 4 with a buffet lunch complete with delicious homemade cakes

Guests in attendance included Parochial Church Council member Peter Lathbury Shaw healthcare s chief operating officer Mike Smith and Shaw’s regional director Cosmin Lemnaru

In recognition of the care home’s achievements Cartref held a pres entation where Service manager Ross Anderson was presented with a plaque, and staff members were praised for their dedicated service The team who together have a total of 163 years of service were pre sented with certificates and gifts, including flowers and chocolates

Staff member Val Williams was singled for being the care home s longest serving staff member having

Simply

Reigate Beaumont Care Home in Reigate has beaten all the competition to be crowned National Garden of the Year in the Barchester Care Awards 2022

Reigate Beaumont’s win was announced at a special national award cere mony which took place on October 12 to celebrate the outstanding achieve ments of Barchester s many exemplary staff members who work tirelessly to deliver the best care to their residents and patients every day

Residents and staff are overjoyed that their garden which is central to life at the home has been announced as the National Garden of the Year awarded to the most impressive Barchester outside spaces Judging was based on their use of colour variety safety and accessibility maintenance

clocked up 24 years service She s worked her way up to team leader and support worker She was praised by colleagues and residents for her ‘never stop’ work ethic someone who is a role model for everyone at Cartref

Ms Williams’ service has seen her recognised with two Shaw Star Awards over the years Outside of work she takes great pride in looking after her grandchildren as well as pulling lambs on her family farm in Rhosgoch

Service manager Ross said:

“Staff residents and their families enjoyed a wonderful afternoon cel ebrating 55 years of providing care here at Cartref Marking this signifi cant milestone is important I would particularly like to pay tribute to the staff who work with such enthusiasm love and compassion to ensure that we provide a high standard of care for our residents I’m immensely proud of them all

Coveted National Title

and engagement Judges were impressed by the standard of the home’s garden and picked it out as the top garden of this category in the whole of Barchester General Manager, Pramojil Kurian said

“This is an amazing achievement and the whole home is so proud to be given this award Our gardens are a core part of our everyday life here at Reigate Beaumont Whether it is our walking club, our gardening club or the residents that enjoy tending to the flowers and watering of the garden Even sitting and looking out onto the gardens we often spot families of deer, pheasants and foxes with their cubs roaming freely, it really is an enchanting space and to be given this award is rewarding for all of us”

Care Home Congratulates ‘Caring’ Employee of The Month

of our team and I hope this Employee of the Month award goes some way towards showing how much Benazir s hard work is valued We are really proud to have her part of the team, she’s always calm, and her smile lights up every room

Mental Health Crisis Spiralling Out of Control as Demand Outweighs Capacity, Warns BMA

Mental health patients across the country are being failed by the Government as the BMA warns that the latest NHS mental health statis tics1 for England show a system that is struggling to keep up with rising demand

Worrying analysis by the doctor’s union found that the number of chil dren and young people in contact with mental health services since 2016 has expanded at almost four times the pace of the psychiatry work force2 The number in contact with child and adolescent mental health services (CAHMS) has increased fourfold since April 2016 with figures now close to 400 000 people per month showing just how stark the situ ation has become

We are also seeing a steady rise in demand on adult services since the start of the pandemic with over 1m people in contact with these services each month, which is adding to the overall pressure on the system3 The serious shortages in psychiatry with 1 in 7 planned Full Time Equivalent (FTE) roles currently vacant4 means that many children, young people, and adults are simply not getting the timely care they need

The doctor s union is deeply worried that the situation is likely to worsen as the rising cost of living drives up the number of people needing treatment for their mental health BMA analysis found that the areas of highest economic deprivation have over double the number of people in contact with mental health servic es compared to the most affluent areas5

Doctor’s leaders warn that this could spell disaster for mental health services if the Government contin ues to fail to tackle worsening poverty levels by refusing to increase benefits in line with rising prices; bene fits that are already worryingly low to begin with

To ensure that the NHS can meet rising mental health demand and have a sufficient workforce the BMA

are asking the Government to double their funding pledge promised in April 2019 of £2 3bn per year by 2023/24 to £5 2bn factoring in inflation based on current forecasts

Commenting on the latest figures BMA mental health policy lead Dr Andrew Molodynski said: “These shameful statistics confirm that the men tal health crisis in this country is spiralling out of control and is failing some of the most vulnerable in society, as workforce capacity cannot keep pace with demand

“It is incredibly concerning that we are seeing such a sharp increase in demand for child and adolescent mental health services almost 4 times more than the current rate of expansion of the psychiatry workforce This system is failing our children and young people as the inability to access treatment and to intervene at a crucial early stage may risk their mental health deteriorating and consequently increase the need for longer term dependence on an already broken system

“The picture is similarly bleak for adult services, as there has been a steady increase in demand for serv ices meaning that more patients are not getting the timely access to the care they need

“With a clear link between those living in areas of high economic deprivation and demand for mental health services the current financial climate will only exacerbate the pressures on mental health if the Government do not intervene urgently with support for those worst off The Government should be ashamed of the current state of our mental health service It is crucial that they urgently deliver on the nec essary investment needed to ensure people can access care in a timely manner get the treatment they need Underpinning all of this is the need for effective workforce planning with accurate estimates of the workforce that is needed to tackle the expected rise in demand going forward

Soldier Honoured by His Care Home

An Army veteran who lived at Royal Star & Garter has been honoured by the charity seven years after his death

The care home in Surbiton has renamed its ground floor after former soldier Captain Gary Anglin Gary was a resident at the Upper Brighton Road care home before his death in October 2015

Royal Star & Garter provides loving compassionate care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia and also has Homes in Solihull and High Wycombe Gary was born in Jamaica and moved to England as a child with his mother The decision by the charity to honour his memory and celebrate his life was announced during Black History Month which runs throughout October

Gary who lived in Hanworth, Hounslow, with his wife Marjorie, enjoyed a long career in the Army He joined the 1st Battalion The Queen s Regiment in 1972 aged 18 and served for 42 years He completed eight tours of Northern Ireland, and also served in Germany, Gibraltar and Cyprus He had attained the rank of Captain by the time he retired in 2014 Shortly after Gary was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour before coming to Royal Star & Garter where he lived until his death aged 61

His daughter Marsha said

“It is an honour to know that Dad’s legacy will live on through the renaming of the floor and it s a beauti ful tribute Dad felt welcomed from the moment he entered the Home and I know he appreciated the love and support he received from every member of staff As well as Dad we all felt like part of the Royal Star & Garter family and we are eternally grateful for all that they did for my Dad and for us ”

The Home s second floor has been renamed after Bevis Shergold, a resident at the charity’s former Richmond Home who served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) from 1940 46 and later repre sented Great Britain in the 1948 Olympics

The charity s Chief Executive Andy Cole said:

“The Home in Richmond will always be a special part of the history of Royal Star & Garter These new floor names maintain this connection while also honouring the residents who have lived at our Surbiton Home ”

Helena Maher the Home Manager at Surbiton said I m delighted that we are able to celebrate Gary and Bevis at Surbiton Gary was a much loved resident here and many staff still fondly remember him Bevis was a remarkable woman who served her country during the war and in sport It is an honour to have their names linked to our Home in this way ”

For The Cuppas That Show You Care

With lots of refreshing fruit and herbal blends as well as Original and black tea Tetley has a solution for everyone when it comes to having a cuppa

Here at Tetley we understand the chal lenge of keeping your residents hydrated and the important role a quality cuppa can play

A significant 20% of care home resi dents are dehydrated1 which can lead to hospital admission This is easily preventa ble by keeping hydrated

EVERY CUPPA COUNTS

It can be hard to make sure your resi dents are drinking up to 8 glasses of water a day Tea counts towards the recommended daily water intake,2 making this the perfect comforting beverage to serve as a way of keeping on top of hydration

Whilst black tea remains a firm favourite among tea drinkers,3 having a range of tea blends including fruit and herbal options is important and goes a long way in keeping your residents hydrated This way you can maximise the opportunities to maintain hydration levels throughout the day by catering to different dayparts As the nation’s favourite 4 by serving Tetley to your residents you will be bringing to them a familiar taste helping them relax and settle For the love of tea for the love of Tetley FOR THE LOVE OF TEA

Tetley is No 1 in the foodservice sector 5 We’ve been serving quality cuppas to the nation for the past 185 years

Operating globally we source buy and blend the finest tea leaves so you can promise residents perfection with every sip

Whilst we are tea masters, we are also environmentally conscious and committed to operating our business in a way that sup ports the people and environment it touch es With every Tetley cuppa that you and your residents drink you’re helping us in reaching our sustainability and environmen tal goals

MORE THAN JUST TEA

Designed with care professionals and caterers in mind, the Tetley Hydration Handbook and Hydration Help Sheet offer insight and advice to help keep residents hydrated in all care environments!

We have a range of free POS and

the much loved taste of Tetley while having physical drink

It’s time for Action!

The war in the Ukraine has, amongst other things, highlighted our overdependence on fossil fuels With uncer tainty around fuel supply and mounting energy costs we find ourselves in a global energy crisis

Yet, in the midst of all this uncer tainty, it s clear there exists a momentous oppor tunity An oppor tunity to embrace and accelerate the deployment of clean technologies to help achieve energy security and ultimately arrive at net zero

The Challenge Facing the Care Sector

When it comes to climate change and the continued burning of fossil fuels business as usual is no longer an option Nursing homes and care homes provide a critical service ensuring patients and residents are cared for in a comfor table and warm environment The majority of facilities provide heating and hot water from fossil fuel boiler systems the fact is this must change As with ever y sector of society the care sector must become more sustainable But, when it comes to decarbonizing buildings and in par ticular heat there are significant challenges facing the care sector How do you decarbonise buildings rapidly cost ef fectively and without disrupting the critical service of caring for patients?

Enter the ActionZero EscoPod

The EscoPod Decarbonising Heat Rapidly & Without Disruption

The EscoPod is a patented, high temperature heat pump technology designed to replace traditional heating systems with a high ef ficiency and fossil fuel free alternative The EscoPod AZH ActionZero s dedicated heat pump system for the healthcare industr y, has been designed specifically to deliver heating (and cooling) to non domestic buildings in the healthcare sector including hospitals nursing and care homes

Not only does this technology replace the need for fossil fuels but it also produces multifunctional outputs that can be used for heating cooling and domestic hot water The EscoPod AZH also of fers significant energy ef ficiencies with savings of up to 70% and cost savings ranging up to 65%

Amongst the many benefits of this technology is the fact that it can be installed with minimal disruption i e , there is no need for costly building fabric or mechanical system upgrades which are typically required with conventional heat pumps This of fers many organisations a lifeline a realistic pathway to decarbonise their operations without enormous cost and business interruption

ActionZero describes themselves as a one stop shop They will manage a clients decarbonisation journey from end to end providing an af tercare package that includes Operations & Maintenance as well as ongoing per formance validation via data analytics

The EscoPod in action

Earlier this year ActionZero announced a par tnership with the Bons Secours Health System, the largest private hospital network in Ireland The ActionZero EscoPod AZH is currently being installed at the Bons Secours Hospital Tralee Co Kerr y with plans to expand the roll out of the technology across six other sites in the healthcare group

We are thrilled to partner with Bon Secours; an organisation that are showing commitment to climate change and taking definitive action to reduce their carbon emissions

The EscoPod AZH solution enables healthcare organisations to address the very significant challenge that is decarbonising heat and it does so while putting money in our customers pockets a win/win where commercial opportunity meets social good ’ said ActionZero CEO Denis Collins former global executive with IBM and previous chairman of IDA Ireland Regional Development

The Future is green

According to ActionZero COO Cormac Murphy ‘The EscoPod is coming to market at a time when companies are struggling to meet the increasing demands to decarbonise existing facilities We are excited to be part of the solution, supporting these businesses in their transition to zero emissions in a cost effective manner ’

To suppor t the ongoing development and expansion of its EscoPod product range, ActionZero opened an Irish manufacturing and research & development centre in May 2022 From here the company will design and manufacture their heat pumps before expor ting them to clients

internationally This site will create at least 50 high value engineering and manufacturing jobs locally With plans to invest €3m in the company over the coming three years, ActionZero projects sales growth of €50m over the next two years

Get in touch

To find

today on +44 2045 090626 or visit www

nursing home

com/carer

Act onZero Senior Leadership Team at Townhal Summ t in the Sky Suite Penrose

Of fices Cork

Photographer: David Keane

Denis Coll

Hassle -and Stress- Free Bath Adaptations - Without Delay

Bath time it should be relaxing but if a client needs care support it is fraught with risk unless a major adaptation is undertaken

AAT GB has developed a unique solution, that can eliminate the need for that major adaptation of replacing the bath and all the cost delay and disruption that entails It can be in place within 10 working days (subject to T&Cs)

Aqua Liberty provides a safe supportive pressure free option It forms perfectly and exactly round the bather to hold and support them safely There is no need for the carer to try and support them to suspend them safely during the execution of intimate hygiene care

The core Aqua Liberty system uses suction technology to firmly attach to ANY bath Waterproof, infinitely mouldable vacuum posture cushions are attached to provide shaped support abduction and stabilisation exactly where needed head torso hips seat In this way the carer s hands are freed to safely concentrate on intimate care whilst minimising risk from stretching and weight bearing over the bath

Importantly the Aqua Liberty system is easily removed from the bath to allow its use by everyone else in the household The cushions themselves can be removed from the base

Jolly Trolley Brings Therapeutic Activity and Entertainment to Patients That Are Isolating

The Jolly Trolley® is an essential for any care establishment as it pro motes social interaction between the service users and their carers This innovative system is fully mobile and battery operated allow ing residents who may be unable to leave their rooms to also be includ ed w th ease The Jolly Trolley® comes complete with its own videos quizzes karaoke and other content but personal music photos and films can then be added from a USB stick to really bring out the mag c!

Don t just take our word for it here are just some testimonials from our very happy Health and Social Care clients: Chester Park Megan Allan

to provide correct postural support stabilisation and abduction wherever else required for daily life The Aqua Liberty system stows compactly away freeing up often restricted space in the bathroom for other users

Says Peter Wingrave AAT Director:

Aqua Liberty is a game changer for supported bathing At a fraction of the cost and with none of the delay and disruption of replacing a standard bath for a specialist design Aqua Liberty provides a safe, supported, stable answer for client and carer alike ”

Adds Jane Turton Mencap home manager: “Aqua Liberty has been the ideal answer for us as a care team The resident who needs it is now relaxed in the bath It is quick and easy to fit and remove It stows away compactly too That is really helpful in a bathroom that is used by other people and already includes a raft of assistive equipment We still have room to move ”

Find out more about Aqua Liberty and book your free no obligation assessment here: https://www aatgb com/aqua liberty/

Safeguard

Activities The fact that we can upload what s relevant to the spe c fic Individual is so meaningful for that person and I can assure you we have shed some tears being able to be part of that res dents memory journey It has been an amazing add tion to our care home from staff and res dents thank you

Pennine NHS Trust Beech Ward we have been able to pro vide therapeut c activity & enterta n ment w th ease to patients that are isolating

To see what the Jolly Trolley® can do for you call us for a free demonstration on 0800 093 8499 See the advert on the front cover

BIOFROST® Cold Therapy Gels for Drug-Free Pain Relief

ingredients (i e ethanol menthol eucalyptus pepper mint MSM) for instant pain relief and to activate body s own healing Benefits are better joint movements last ing pain relief comfortable sleep fewer cramps calmed nerve pain reduced joint and muscular dis comfort less muscle fatigue puffiness and swelling

Care

Yeoman Shield Fire Door Ser vices Taking the Guess Work out of Fire Doors

Fire Doors are an imperative part of fire safety and are consider ations of the design and maintenance of any building but especially residential Article 17 RRFSO states fire safety provisions (includes fire doors) must be main tained in a suitable con dition and working order

BIOFROST® Relief and the BIOFROST® Active are natural topical gels that effectively relieve pain reduce inflammation and diminish swelling without drugs and drug related side effects Safe for people of all ages including the elderly and disabled people BIOFROST® Cold Therapy Gels work as standalone therapeutic modalities or alongside other interventions (i e drugs, physiotherapy, massage, etc ), providing affordable and long term cost effective

to pain and

BIOFROST®

BIOFROST® Active is a fast acting dual action cold gel with heat sensation for relief of muscular and joint aches (i e upper and lower back pain) Enriched with 10 herbal extracts BIOFROST® Active stimulates local blood flow releases muscle tension and joint stiffness and combats chronic pain Benefits include improved joint movements greater mobility pain relief in treated areas (i e back neck shoulders knees) discomfort free sleep less cramps and stiffness

CE marked Class 1 Medical Devices, the BIOFROST® gels are made in Finland by Viking Lab Oy Distributed in the UK by Win Health Medical Ltd Win Health Medical Ltd / T: 01835 864866 / E: biofrost@win health com / W: www win health com See the advert on page 5 for details

Ambassador Textiles

We pride ourselves on the quality of our Taiwanese Anti piI fleece and the range of over 50 colours we offer We have been in the fabric trade for over 50 years and manufac turing our fleece

years

High volumes of

for

quality cosy

blankets are sold to the hospi tality nursery and pet sector This is due to the cost effectiveness of fleece along with the durability and washability The anti pil brushed sur face of the fabric lessens the bob ble effect found on many fleece fabrics of inferior quality

Co ordination to a theme is nor mally achievable due to

wide range of

and contrasting or matching edging

branding

Alongside

a variety of sizes we currently have several clearance fleece options available in our two most popular sizes In keeping with our mission of the last 50 years along with all our other fabrics Ambassador Fleece Blankets offer great value for money backed up with the quality assurance and good service we have always offered Please contact a member of our helpful experienced sales team on 0161 624 4167 or info@ambassador textiles co uk for information and pricing See the advert on page 5 for details

If you are the Responsible imperative you appoint a competent person to assist in meeting your duties under the fire safety order to ensure fire safety measures including fire doors are kept in working order

Yeoman Shield s Fire Door Services can help to take the guess work out of fire door maintenance by providing fire door inspections condition reports remedial work and fire door installation all carried out by FDIS and/or FIRAS accredited team members

Having a good maintenance routine will dispel some needs of fire door replacement therefore being more cost effective

ation of Yeoman Shield Fire ction products can also be nancially beneficial by halt ing impact damage from the start eliminating many repairs in the future and again will extend door lifecycles

Installing Yeoman Shield door protection products such as door protection panels door edge protectors and PVCu glazing bead units will not affect the integrity of the fire door as all products have been tested in situ to the current standard required

Vulnerable frames and architraves can also be protected from impact with Yeoman Shield to pre vent dangerous splintering and splitting as well as abolishing the time consuming repetitive need for repainting

For a complete repair and protect service contact the team today frdp@yeomanshield com or visit www yeomanshield com or see the advert page 10

Free Online PAT Testing Course

Everyone can benefit from free train ing! 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 Inspect on 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 main taining 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 inspec tion & maintenance of electrical equipment in your Risk Assessment and the risk should determine the fre quency Factors affecting the frequency include What the electrical equipment is How often ts’ 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 11

Renray Healthcare

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 sched ule 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

the

on page 3 for details

Raising the Standard of Stair Climbing Solutions

The Stair Climbing Company is one of the leading providers of powered Stair Climber solu tions which have been specifi cally designed to assist those struggling with mobility and independence issues facing people with disabilities

The Stair Climbing Company offers an excellent range of compact easy to use powered Stair Climbers that are ideal for use in both home and commer cial settings Offering innovative designs all of the company’s Stair Climbers can be separated into two pieces for safe storage and are easily transported and charged In addition all of its Stair Climber’s come with a two year manu facturer’s warranty

The Stair Climbing Company maintains one main

mission; to improve quality of life through its range of high quality and custom devices with built in seats The safety and comfort of its customers is of the utmost importance to the company and it ensures that each wheelchair car rier model is designed to cater to individual customers specific needs and works with all stair types Furthermore the company provides Stair Climbers for all ages making them suitable for everyone and offers a free assessment for customers

If you would like to find out any more information please see the details below: T 01787 379160 www thestairclimbingcompany com See the advert on page 9

Furniture That Improves Health For Residents… And Staff

Mobility furni ture has come on leaps and strides over the last few years Gone are the dreary semi functional chairs and beds of the past Today’s generation of rise and recline chairs and adjustable beds look smart, last for years and are better designed and more com fortable than ever before Even people without mobili ty problems are buying them especially when they are made to measure giving that perfect fit

HOW DOES MOBILITY FURNITURE BENEFIT CARE HOME RESIDENTS?

Research has found that elevating the legs one of the main features of a rise and recline chair or adjustable bed reduces swelling of stiff and painful joints and enhances healing of injuries and wounds In fact experts have found that failure to elevate a limb can actually delay healing

Another advantage of mobility furniture is that it helps care home residents sleep deeply and for longer stints which we all know is crucial to quality of life both physical and emotional Why? Because it allows people access to a range of sitting and lying positions that traditional chairs and beds simply do not have WHAT ABOUT CARE HOME STAFF?

Mobility furniture improves health of care home employees because it results in less lifting/weight bearing Press a button on the rise and recline chair and it supports the user to their feet Some adjustable beds have the same feature

Most residents need to avoid pressure sores and again mobility furniture helps by pressing a button on the chair or bed to gently ease people into different positions The alternative is a member of staff shifting the resident to a new position at risk to their own health

Some adjustable beds and rise and recline chairs

even come with wheels a thoughtful touch for when residents struggle to walk between rooms And many come with wipe clean upholstery in case of unfortu nate spills

All of these features reduce the workload for busy staff and improve the comfort of residents WORKING WITH EXPERTS

Dr Rob Hicks popular celebrity media doctor acts as medical expert for Mobility Furniture Company

Mobility furniture can make life that little bit easier for people particularly those who struggle to do things that we often take for granted like sitting down and standing up Dr Hicks says It is great to be working with a forward thinking company that celebrates improving quality of life for older individuals AN UPBEAT APPROACH

Mobility Furniture Company is one of the biggest mobility furniture companies in the UK Its wide geo graphical spread of representatives takes furniture to care homes for managers staff and residents to assess

Care home managers owners and staff know what their residents need says James Mitton Managing Director of Mobility Furniture Company

When we visit care homes we always gain valuable insights about real life situations for which our company can make a differ ence Working with these key members of staff we find solutions for residents and care home employ ees that make life more comfortable for everybody involved ”

Call free today on 0800 810 8726 for a free brochure, or visit us at www mobilityfurniturecompany co uk/sale

Ser ve Afternoon Tea in Style with Euroser vice

Consort Claudgen launches Consort Connect app

Consort Claudgen have launched Consort Connect app which allows users to have complete control over their heat ing 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 7 day timer with twenty four heating peri ods 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 self learning control ability utilising occupan cy 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

50 Years of Design Excellence. 50 Years of Skopos

these new designs will be brought to life as prints perfect for Care Interiors available on a wide choice of Skopos base cloths

2022 marks the celebration of 50 years for Skopos fabrics! As a tribute to this milestone, throughout this year, we will be looking back at some of our favourite designs over this half century The 50th Anniversary Collection will see some of these authentic landmark designs reborn using contempo rary design production techniques The evolved designs will be developed in line with current trends for use within contract interiors today Each month

As with all Skopos prints customers will be able to order the Anniversary designs across base cloths for upholstery curtains and bedding Qualities include waterproof upholsteries velvets drapery linen effect qualities and blackout/dimout fabrics Many of our fabrics are antimicrobial com ing under the umbrella of Skopos ProtectPlus Skopos offer a full range of fabrics including upholsteries plus made to measure curtains bed ding and cushions for Care Interiors To request a quote for new curtains bed throws and cushions for Care please contact our sales team 01924 436666

For free samples of our Anniversary Designs please log onto our website www skoposfabrics com Skopos Fabrics Ltd are dedicated to design, serv ice and best performance Our full service or fabric only option provides choice for our customers, with expertise in design, make up (curtains, cushions and bedding), fitting and installation

Sustainable & Cost-Effective Hot Water For Care Homes

Care facilities typically exhibit significant but varied hot water and heating usage patterns which con tributes to the current 40% tally of UK greenhouse gas emissions generated by the built environment

To help achieve climate neutral building stock by 2050 the industry is being challenged to reduce opera tional energy use over all other measures By increas ing the use of renewable energy supply and prioritising on site renewable energy sources the hope it to reduce both carbon and bills

Sustainability comes with a cost Whether in the form of new build projects or and far more likely the refurbishment of existing yet ageing facilities under standing the necessary capital investment operational savings and payback periods is going to be key

Addressing the efficiency of domestic hot water (DHW) systems whether through the implementation of heat pumps solar thermal direct electric water heating or even simple modernisation of existing gas appliances helps care facilities meet sustainability goals in a practical and cost effective manner It also delivers improved year round conditions for staff and clients in care providing access to spaces better suit ed to delivering medical care and assisted living

For buildings already on gas and that rely on large amounts of DHW a large proportion of current UK care and nursing home properties solar preheat is the preferable option For new build properties the expec

Alliance Online

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tation is for specification to default to a mixture of heat pumps and direct electric afterheat New system approaches including prefabricated packaged plant rooms also provide for better use of the spaces that already exist without the need to undertake expensive and disruptive building projects This is especially valid as demands for beds continue to increase, placing new demands on care facilities

Adveco can help achieve emission reduction targets With more than 50 years of specialised expertise in designing, supplying, and servicing hot water systems to the nursing and care industry, Adveco is the single resource you need for independent expert technical guidance on choosing and developing bespoke sus tainable applications today to get you on the right path towards net zero operation

https://adveco co/sectors/healthcare/

PAPER HYGIENE

ing

of 20,000

for

especially in the

for

As

and enhance the

that will help

experience that many will be going through CHURCHILL SIMPLE MEASURES MUG

Preventing dehydration and accurately measuring the amount required An example of an essential that a care home should be considering is the Churchill Simple Measures Mug that is designed to help care workers with

CATERING FOR CARE

Dysphagia is a Difficult Diagnosis to Swallow

The majority of us enjoy snacks, meals and drinks without much thought or effort, for some people living with dysphagia this can be a difficult and frightening experience with potentially significant conse quences on health and quality of life

Imagine that every time you are invited out for a meal you have to think about whether you will be able to chew and safely swallow the food on the menu Imagine that you are told it is not safe for you to eat your favourite food anymore as it is considered high risk for choking

Imagine that every time you are faced with eating food you feel tense and fearful you are terrified you might choke You barely have an appetite anymore and over time you lose weight when you don t mean to Imagine that every time you take a drink you cough and splutter so you avoid drinking to the extent that you become dehydrat ed and experience frequent urine infections This can be the reality for people living with dysphagia This is the reality for 560 million people worldwide At Cygnet Health Care Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) assess diagnose and formulate management plans to support individuals with different aspects of eating drinking feeding and/or swallowing difficulties The ultimate aim is to ensure safer swallowing whilst balancing quality of life with individ uals preferences and beliefs Our SLTs will seek support from other health care professionals where necessary They will also make recommendations based upon the difficulties an individual is experiencing Sometimes this will include positioning advice adaptive equipment specific oral motor / sensory exercises or swallow tech niques and food and fluid texture modification However for others simply managing the speed at which they eat or prompting them to take smaller mouthfuls and chewing for longer can be enough

There are also lots of things you can do to create an environment that is safer for eating and drinking Simple strategies like sitting upright, creating a calm environment, switching off the radio or TV and limiting conversation can make the difference for many individuals who require support

It is important that we raise awareness of this life altering condition and are alert to its signs and symptoms to ensure those diagnosed with dysphagia are able to continue living a full and fulfilling life FIVE FACT BOXES

1 What is Dysphagia?

Dysphagia is the medical name for difficulties in swallowing Dyshagia puts a person at risk negative health consequences such as aspiration asphyxiation and/or choking malnutrition and dehydration which can all be life threatening If these risks are not managed appropriately people are at high risk of poor health hospital admissions and reduced quality of life

Dysphagia is secondary to a primary condition such as neurological disorders e g stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Wilson’s Disease, head injury; head and neck cancer e g laryngeal cancer; disorders associated with the elderly disorders associated with trauma e g smoke inhalation; tracheostomy; ventilator dependent individuals; and learning disability to name a few Dysphagia can also be drug induced e g side effects of medication, and arise as a result from the treatment of diseases e g radiotherapy

Swallowing may become difficult because the muscles and nerves used for chewing and swallowing become weak or uncoordinated Food or drink can go down the wrong way into the lungs instead of the stomach This could lead to serious conditions such as recurrent chest infections and aspiration pneumonia

2 Signs, Symptoms and Characteristics

Dysphagia is associated with an increased morbidity, increased mortality and a reduced quality of life People may experience the following signs, symptoms and characteristics which carry serious consequences:

• Coughing, throat clearing and/or choking when eating or drinking

• Repeated chest infections or those that requ re multiple treatments to clear

• Difficulty managing specific foods textures or drinks e g excessive chew ing spitting food out losing food from the mouth food and drink remain ing in the mouth after attempted swallows

Refusal of food and drink

Anxiety around mealtimes food drink or when eating and drinking

Malnutrition e g losing weight weak skin hair loss

Dehydration E g Constipation strong urine UTI s

Reporting difficulties with swallowing med cation

3 Statistics

Dysphagia can occur in all age groups Swallowing difficulties can occur as a result of a wide range of conditions

However in the adult population dysphagia affects

95% of people with Motor Neurone Disease

65% of people who have had a stroke

50% of people with Parkinson s Disease

68% of people with dementia living in care homes

15% of people with a learning disability

Up to 19% of people with mental health illness where there is a link between dysphagia and side effects of med ication

4. Top 10 Safe Swallowing Tips:

Risk Foods

for at least 30mins after

There are certain food textures which can be harder to manage if you have dysphagia As part of the assess ment process Speech and Language Therapists will provide specific guidance on how to make eating and drink ing enjoyable but safe experiences They will advise of any foods that may carry greater risks these may include: Crunchy Foods: Crunchy Toast Flaky pastry Dry biscuits Crisps

Crumbly Items Bread crusts Pie crusts Crumble Dry or flaky biscuits

Hard Foods Boiled or chewy sweets, toffees nuts, seeds, large pieces of tough/chewy meat Husks and Bread: Sweetcorn Bread crusts, Granary bread, Baguettes Stringy, Fibrous Texture: Raw vegetables and salad items, on ons raw hard

t, melted cheese, Pickled vegeta bles, Bacon fat sausages

• Vegetable and Fruit Skins: Orange segments, grapes, tomatoes, apple peppers, potatoes, beans, potato skins

Mixed Consistency Foods: Cereals that do not

By Carla Bartlett, Director of Speech and Language Therapy (Social Care) at Cygnet Health Care and Dominique St Clair

Miller Director of Speech and Language Therapy (Health Care) at Cygnet Health Care (www cygnethealth co uk)

CATERING FOR CARE

Can Your Homes Afford Not To Work with Allmanhall To Mitigate Rising Food Prices?

As winter approaches care homes are faced not only with the spiralling cost of food but also extraordinary energy price increases Heating and eating will be very real challenges faced by many allmanhall are able to ease some of the pressure faced by care homes Through negotiations, tendering and supplier management on behalf of care caterers, allmanhall are delivering value and support allmanhall s benchmarks on food costs give average savings of 12% What s more additional categories such as janitorial and medical supplies recently showed savings of over 15%

The support goes further than that allmanhall provide advice on how to maximise catering budgets It s so important for care caterers to have information regard ing which products are stable and which are volatile when it comes to price movement allmanhall do exactly this For example having a greater proportion of stable products making up your residents menus will make it easier to manage the impact of rising prices

The mobilisation of the new catering suppliers and the transfer of existing ones to allmanhall was smoothly managed and supported expertly allmanhall s approach provides my team with reassurance and peace of mind ”

St Martins Care

There’s currently a harsh spotlight on homes without

strong procurement practices Despite chefs working tirelessly to cost recipes source the best value ingredi ents manage portion control and waste some will con tinue to struggle to produce food at a low cost without the experience of a procurement team to manage and negotiate price increases for them allmanhall also reduce the pressure on finance resources by consolidating billing and providing admin efficiencies and further savings

Why not visit the allmanhall team on stand 8 at the NACC TDF to find out more?

www allmanhall co uk

Delicious, Nutritious, And Safe Texture Modified Meals Delivered from It’s Made For You

Here at It’s Made For You Softer Foods, we believe that everyone should look forward to tasty, safe, and nutritious texture modified meals The It’s Made For You range is designed for the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework standards and includes valuable nutrition

Our range of meals have also been developed to ensure the nutritional content will meet the nutritional needs of your patients whilst they follow a texture modified diet Research has shown that up to 50% of people with dysphagia are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition There could be numerous reasons for this including a reduced appetite or the inability to consume large quantities of food in one sitting Our range of classic and mini meals can help to ensure your patients are getting the most nutritional value from the food they consume The use of pre prepared It’s Made For You meals can also be a practical time saver and bring peace of mind to the person with dysphagia The range includes over 80 tasty dishes including

chicken beef lamb fish and vegetarian recipes We also offer a tasty selection of lighter bites desserts and breakfast options as well as mini meals for those with smaller appetites At It s Made For You we offer a delivery service that cares making it easy and convenient for our customers to eat delicious meals which can be delivered directly and safely to their homes This helps them if they cannot leave the house or go to the shops Plus people love to use our service as they can rely on a regular delivery of good quality and safe meals directly to their door by a friendly local Oakhouse Foods delivery driver Find out more at www Itsmadeforyou co uk

Anglia Crown – Offering You The Complete Package

The summer of 2022 will be long remembered as a hot one For many espe cially in the care sector perhaps it was a little too hot! As we are now moving towards autumn our thoughts are turning once again to those warming meals and the feeling of comfort that only good, wholesome food can bring

Our current range includes Crown Choice and Crown Advantage meals avail able frozen with Crown Choice also available as chilled products We are always looking to keep our dishes current and reflecting current trends which is why we are now offering more vegetarian and vegan dishes than ever before 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

We recognise that everyone is busy so we have crafted 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 we 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 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 comments; “As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we are proud to be a trusted partner with the care sector providing quality nutritious food 365 days a year We will con tinue to review our menus adapting to your needs whilst maintaining our vision of driving excellence in residential and care home catering

The current range is now available Visit www angliacrown co uk for further details or contact us on sales@angliacrown co uk

How

Is

Cash’s Labels- “The Name Behind the Name”

At Cash s, we aim to capture, reinforce and communicate our clients brand equity through quality and innovation from design to distribution

Our product range fully caters for the needs of both small and large retailers and brand owners alike comprising of woven and printed labels woven badges care labels branded and promo tional swing tags garment accessories packaging and bar coding Our ground breaking labelling and security technologies are also able to provide an unrivalled level of protection to our customers brand by assist

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ing to combat counterfeiting and grey market activity

Our industry leading eCommerce system is designed to reduce cost, improve efficien cy and streamline supply chain management and will fully pro tect 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 this page

Innovation and Support as Standard

replaced 3 x 37kg dyers and reduced the energy consumption from 210kwh to 90kwh!

This was a extreme case but when the laundry door is shut are you really aware what your dryers are costing you to operate?

Our LDR dryers can offer a return on investment that would make your head spin faster than on of our washers!

We can complete a free of charge energy survey

Can you afford not to investi gate what your laundry is costing?

See the advert below for fur ther information

CLEANING & HYGIENE

Partner Up for Healthcare Hygiene with GOJO at IPS 2022

GOJO experts in skin health and sur face hygiene will be exhibiting at Stand

37

Join GOJO THE INVENTORS OF PURELL™ and the hand sanitiser cate gory itself at the 14th annual Infection Prevention Society (IPS) conference stand 37 This year the event takes place at the Bournemouth International Centre from 17th 19th October 2022

At the show the team of GOJO Healthcare Support Managers will be offering support and advice on their total solution approach to infection prevention in healthcare facilities They will highlight the company’s ability to help hygiene standards across all areas and situations within hospitals and healthcare facilities

GOJO will showcase its role as a specialist partner in healthcare hygiene by focussing on three areas with specific need:

• SURGICAL WARDS

Meeting key hygiene norms is of the utmost importance in these envi ronments but the harsh products used to do so can really take their toll

on hands In contrast using PURELL Advanced Hygienic Hand Rub offers a gentler way to meet EN 12791 standard

• ACUTE AND GENERAL WARDS

GOJO provides a straight ‘out of the box’ solution for hand hygiene, incorpo rating dispensers, products accessories, and signage as well as training and on boarding support It also manages instal lations thereby reducing the staffing impact of changing suppliers

• COMMUNITY & SOCIAL SERVICES:

These environments often have radi cally different needs from what are tradi tionally catered for in healthcare packages GOJO takes these specificities

into consideration and offers specially adapted products for example locked dispenser units and foam sanitiser so they can only be opened by trained personnel in demanding environments, for example Its ‘train the trainer’ programme allows all staff to be trained on product use, whatever shift they work Personal formats can also be supplied so healthcare pro fessionals always have products on hand when they are needed even if

Countering Unseen Fire and Water Risks

Behind the scenes in a care setting the safety and wellbeing of service users partly depends on expert clean ing of kitchen and laundry ductwork as well as clean, safe water, ad Gary Nicholls, MD or duct cleaning and legionella risk experts Swiftclean, explains

No matter how healthy your kitchen kitchen extract ductwork must be regularly cleaned in order to remove the grease deposits that arise from cooking People often think that this grease layer must be really thick in order to pose a fire risk However the specification TR19® Grease which governs kitchen extract hygiene issued by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) requires for grease layer to be controlled with in an average of 200 microns This is about half the thickness of an average business card Anything more than this thin layer represents a significant fire risk The only solution to this problem is a reg ular complete removal of the grease layer by specialist TR19® Grease cleaning

A second frequently overlooked fire safety cleaning task is for removal of dust fibre and lint from laundry extract ductwork Tumble dryer fires are surprisingly frequent especially in their extract ductwork The drying process resulting a significant buildup of ductwork deposits which are highly flammable and should be regu larly removed to eliminate the fire risk Cleaning in accordance with TR19® also issued by BESA it s the most

effective way to remove these

their work is off site

Chris Wakefield Managing Director UK & Ireland GOJO Industries Europe Ltd comments: We know the key to increasing hand hygiene compliance is to ensure that the right products are available in the right places at the right time We are constantly innovating to keep people and places healthy This means formulating products that are not only effec tive at killing germs but that won’t irritate hands that must be repeatedly cleaned throughout a shift ‘Ensuring that the products are available when and where they are needed be that personal bottles of hygienic hand rub or dispensers positioned in optimal locations And last but not least developing solutions with the environment in mind For example from 2023 we plan to move to RPT refills; all collapsible refills will be made from recycled materials as well as being recyclable

‘Widely used in the NHS, PURELL® is a trusted brand in healthcare facilities around the world Our solutions encompass fast active, effective formulas that care for skin, state of the art dispensers, and specialist sup port such as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) accredited training mak ing us the ideal healthcare partner Come and meet the team at IPS 2022 to find out how we can support your facility ’

For a tailored effective total solution for your setting or for more infor mation on the benefits of partnering with GOJO please call +44 (0)1908 588444 email CustomerExperienceUK@GOJO com or visit www GOJO com

If you have a mechanical ventilation system you will almost certainly have fire dampeners installed where the ductwork passes from a side room to a corridor to reinstate the compartmentalisation provided by an internal fire resistant wall Fire dampness comprise a set of steel louvres which normally remain open to allow the flow of air through the ventilation system but which automatically close in the event of a fire to delay it spread These must be 'dropped tested' at least every twelve months, in accordance with BS: 9999, to ensure that they will close if needed Any that fail must be repaired and re tested

Ductwork cleaning and fire dampness testing a specialist task and should be conducted by technicians with appropriate competence and training

TR19® Grease contains advice that property manager should choose as a member of BESA's Vent Hygiene Elite (VHE) scheme to provide these specialist services VHE members like Swiftclean can also provide post clean certificate certification which insurers are increasingly expecting to see, especially in the event of a fire, to demonstrate the property owners or managers compliance with the regulations

Care must also be taken in ensuring that the water system is free from Legionella bacteria

The elderly and those with underlying medical conditions are particularly vulnerable to Legionnaire s Disease the potentially fatal disease caused by Legionella You are legally required to always have a current Legionella risk assessment, which must be updated if there are any changes at all to the water system, owner ship of the property or designated Responsible Person

The water system must be managed in accordance with L8 the approved code of practice issued by the HSE If you need any assistance which with legionella control you should choose a certified member of the legionella control Association to help you

swiftclean co

for further information and

Introduction of Peracide™ from Sky Chemicals to Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust

Carol Scholey (RGN, BSc (hons)) Liam Grimshaw (BSc (hons) MSc by Research)

INTRODUCTION

In the transfer of an NHS Trust from one disinfectant to another there are many factors to con sider from ease of use to effica cy against healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) For many years, Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust (DBTH) used a chlorine dioxide (ClO2) based product as their universal one application quick kill rate disinfection solu tion When the supplier announced it was to cease pro duction they had to find a replacement solution Whilst scoping the market it was found that most trusts were using chlorine based disinfectants or a different brand of ClO2 based disin fectants Most other solutions were complicated in their mechanism or required a cleaning and disinfecting clean (two stage), which would be time consuming Information was sort from the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) to see what products were commonly used throughout the country and this is where DBTH were informed about Peracide™ an in situ peracetic acid (ISPAA) based disinfectant After further discus sion with the company, it was agreed that a trial should take place to confirm the claims of the product The product was introduced to the microbiologist and Director Infection Prevention & Control (DIPC) our Facilities management team and Health and Safety advisor The process of using the product needed to meet the needs of facilities and Health and Safety and the approval of the DIPC that the product had a successful kill rate to reduce HCAIs DBTH did plate assays to ensure its efficacy and when satisfied trialled Peracide on two wards to test its efficacy and ease in use

In recent years, the need for rapidly efficacious high level disinfec tants has increased as HCAIs have become a significant issue HCAIs negatively impact the patient recovery, turnover and average cost by increasing the length of patient stays increasing costs associated with care increasing pathogenic effects and increasing the risk of spread to another patient

MATERIALS AND METHODS

As an alternative to a ClO2 based disinfectant Peracide™ was selected Peracide™ is a broad spectrum biocide, reacting to produce peracetic acid in situ which is a high level disinfectant that boasts strong, oxidizing properties Peracide™ is extremely effective against a

wide range of healthcare associated pathogens including spore form ing Clostridium difficile MRSA Norovirus Legionella E Coli Pseudomonas etc and will work to destroy established biofilms Peracide™ is both safe to use and environmentally friendly and is suit able for high level sanitising and disinfecting on porous and non porous surfaces Unlike other disinfectants Peracide™ is minimally affected by organic matter Upon breakdown Peracide™ is completely biodegradable producing carbon dioxide, water, and oxygen

Two side rooms on the same ward were selected The occupants were of similar admissions reasons and neither of which had any alert organisms so did not occupy the room for isolation purposes

RESULTS

Cleaning had not been performed on either side room with Peracide™ prior to this test The results show that the ClO2 based disin fectant showed no effect at the intervals measured

From this data, routine cleaning CFU counts with Peracide™ can be predicted Since there were slightly fewer CFUs than the pre clean it can be predicted that Peracide™ will lead to a cumulative effect over time as shown in Figure 2: Predicted cumulative effect of daily cleaning with Peracide

This emphasises the absolute importance of regular routine cleaning and shows that Peracide™ is effective both in short and long term use DISCUSSION

Overall it was found that the ClO2 based disinfectant was almost entirely ineffective and was not suitable for use There are many possi ble reasons for this It could be a case of error in preparation as the for mulation can be difficult to use correctly, or that the solution was no longer efficacious as there is no indicative mechanism for the user It may also be an issue with the ClO2 based disinfectant in solution ClO2 exists as a gas which readily diffuses out of liquid solution with a diffu sion coefficient of 0 145cm2s 1 at room temperature (Lee Burgess Rubino and Auras, 2015)

On the other hand Peracide™ was considerably more effective and had lasting effect in a high traffic environment Peracide™ coming in a simple tablet form is easy to use is indicative of efficacy and is sta bilised in solution This accumulates to an easy to use visibly effica cious disinfectant with cumulative effect that supports long term infection control

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The results show that there is no cumulative effect of cleaning from the ClO2 based disinfectant as the counts at the end of the day were no different from before or after the clean The ClO2 based disinfec tant showed approximately no efficacy overall In comparison Peracide™ showed good efficacy to begin with and an overall reduc tion prior to the next clean

Thank you to the participants at DBTH for engaging in this trial and to the laboratory team who performed the necessary assays REFERENCES

Lee Y Burgess G Rubino M and Auras R 2015 Reaction and diffusion of chlorine dioxide gas under dark and light condit ons at different temperatures Journal of Food Engineering 144 pp 20 28

For further information

Angloplas Dispensers Help Reduce the Risk of Cross Infection

Salmonella

For

Hygiene or by using the Quick Response code

A New Frontier for Control of Winter Bugs

It s important to protect your residents from the rising rate of infections during the winter season and Peracide is the ideal solu tion

Peracide is a colour activated in situ per acetic acid disinfectant tested to over 70 EN BS EN and ASTM standards It s even tested to kill COVID 19 at 1000ppm in only 30 sec onds in soiled conditions

It was developed with the help of Prof Peter Wilson and Dr Shanom Ali of UCLH microbiological laboratory and has been tested to kill all known pathogens including:

Pseudomonas Norovirus E coli

Legionella Streptococcus Pneumoniae

C Difficile

Peracide is a powerful dual action oxidising agent that tar gets proteins, peptides and amino acids of all pathogens, whilst surfactants clean and remove soil, making it perfect for cleaning and disinfecting in 1 easy process This versatility means it can replace other products and be safely used any

where including washrooms kitchens and on any surface including stainless steel and fabrics Peracide is also recommended for use on equipment such as commodes bed frames and mobility aides It produces no toxic by products so it s safe for both your users and the environment

Peracide s innovative colour change sys tem makes it easy for users to see when it is active The solution turns purple to show peracetic acid is being generated pink when the solution is ready to use and clear when ready to be disposed of This ensures no solution is wasted or used while inactive

Here are two of our satisfied customers:

“The staff are very happy with it!” Jayne, Ravenstone Care Home

“The colour system works really well ” Nikki, Aucklands Rest Home

Available via NHS Supply Chain Product Code: Peracide 3g: MFB1002 or Peracide 6g: MFB1005 and via Bunzl

TRIALS TRAINING

The XP range of upright vacuum cleaners from SEBO are ideal for these health conscious times They feature independently proven filtration hygienic dirt disposal using sealable bags and are exceptionally quiet and light to use

Clearly, a vacuum cleaner’s number one task is to clean The XP range harnesses the power of an on board computer to measure performance on the floor and continuously adjust the floor head to the optimum cleaning height completely automatically The power ful brush action pulls the vacuum cleaner forward so that the pushing force required to manoeuvre it is close to zero helping to make it light and easy to use for extended periods but also giving deep cleaning performance The integrated wand and hose mean that cleaning above the floor and reaching into awk ward places is easy The computer can also advise when the bag needs changing or when there is a blockage and the multiple access points and cassette style brush roller make the XP easy to maintain

Of course, once dirt is picked up, it is essential that it is retained in the vacuum cleaner and not released back into the air The Health and Safety Executive states that we never assume that any dust is safe and that all uncontrolled dusts are potentially hazardous Virtually all the dust and dirt which is picked up by an XP vacuum cleaner is safely trapped in the high filtra tion bag which can be sealed and hygienically dis posed of The filtration of the XP has been independently tested by the DMT Test Institute in Germany to filter 99 97% of particles of 0 3 micron Above this particle size the filtration level is very close to 100%

Many professionally cleaned facilities operate 24/7 It is therefore not always possible to vacuum when no one is around In these cases low noise levels are imperative Although there are regulations limiting the sound power level that a vacuum cleaner can reach subjectively the sound generated can still be unpleas ant even where the vacuum cleaner meets the regula tions SEBO sound engineers have successfully muted the harsh frequencies to which the human ear is sensi tive This has the result that with any form of back ground noise, the sound from the XP virtually disappears, making it suitable in many cases for day time cleaning Indeed, in any situation where low noise levels are important the XP range is ideal

Last but not least at SEBO we believe that vacuum cleaners should be built to last and should be easily repairable Our vacuum cleaners are built to be durable and reliable; to have a long service life using few replacement parts Component parts are identified with the material they are made from so that they can be recycled more easily when their service life is over

For more details contact commercial@sebo co uk

CONTINENCE CARE

Top Tips for Managing Incontinence

FLUID INTAKE

Drinking sufficient fluids each day is essential for maintaining a healthy bladder If you don t drink enough your bladder will become overly sensitive You should try to consume at least 1 5 2 litres (or 6 8 glasses) of fluids each day

DRINKS TO AVOID

It is advisable to avoid certain types of drinks such as tea coffee

which can irritate the

though you need to

HEALTHY EATING

An

your

Your diet should be balanced,

and vegetables each day Healthy

problems worse

SMOKING

when it is

is

full

important

There are a number of health risks associated with smoking A smokers cough can place extra pressure on the muscles of the pelvic floor, increasing your chances of experiencing stress incontinence

DEHYDRATION

If you don’t drink enough your bladder will become more sensitive to smaller amounts of urine which means you will go to the toilet more frequently INFORM YOUR GP

It is a good idea to notify your GP if you are experiencing bladder weakness for the first time or if you already have blad der weakness and it has become worse RECOMMENDATION: Keep a Bladder Diar y

Maintain a record of every time you experience bladder weakness

Note the activity you were performing at the time the types of beverages and the quantity you consumed beforehand as well as the extent of the leakage

Limiting fluid intake may actually increase the frequency of incontinence Drinking a total of 6 to 8 glasses of water throughout the day is recommended Unless advised to do so by your health professional, never restrict fluids to control incontinence

The iD range of products is available to buy from www id direct com

Help To Manage Your Incontinence Issues Independently

Urinary incontinence affects millions of people in the UK Although a wide spread problem, in continence 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 suffer ers 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 so lutions 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 1 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

2. 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

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 dis creet and secure twist tap that will not open accidentally while moving or out and about

3. IQ CATHETER

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

4. 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,

manfred sauer co uk for more

Revealed: How to Create Dementia-Friendly Documents, Posters and Signage DEMENTIA CARE

Dementia causes the loss of cognitive functions such as memory and reasoning It affects more than 55 million people worldwide with almost 10 million new cases each year Living with dementia can be extremely difficult given that its effects can vary by nature and severity from person to person

Alzheimer s disease, the most common form of dementia, is thought to contribute to 60 70% of cases worldwide Though researchers are working tirelessly for a cure it continues to evade them However there are plenty of ways that we can make life easier and more comfortable for people liv ing with dementia

Print specialists Solopress have taken a look at how you can improve your inclusivity by ensuring your documents posters and signage are optimised for people living with Alzheimer s

KEY FINDINGS:

• Reseach shows that the use of colours can help enhance the memory of people living with Alzheimer’s

Therefore bold contrasting colours can help to properly convey a mes sage but intricate patterns and colours can be confusing

Associating different shapes with different deas concepts or decisions within your design can make your message easier for people living with dementia to understand

• Sans serif fonts like Arial in size 14 and above are easiest to read block capitals are not recommended as these can be difficult to differentiate between

Pictures can be helpful to ensure your message cuts through Photographs are preferred to drawings or artists versions

Avoid making your signage using reflective materials reflections can be confusing to people with dementia

• By using durable materials you can ensure the long term efficacy of your sign

COLOURS

Known to be one of the most powerful tools of communication colour

has a huge effect on the human brain and has the potential to trigger emotions and memories In fact academic research has shown that the right colours can help enhance the memory of those living with Alzheimer’s one of the most common forms of dementia

Dementia can affect how a person views colours particularly how they differentiate between certain colours As a result, colours with a high level of contrast are easiest for people living with dementia to digest; for exam ple implementing bright or bold colours throughout the home can help separate objects

With this thought in mind use bold bright contrasting text when designing dementia friendly documents Ease of access comes first so avoid loud patterns and stripes; these designs can be confusing and dis orienting Think simple vivid colour combinations

SHAPES

Dementia affects people in different ways and can even cause halluci nations If your signage or text must differentiate between two distinct ideas choices or options shapes can be a good way to highlight the dif ference between the two concepts

Changing the overall shape of your signage is a subtle but effective way to create dementia friendly print Shapes associated with positive or negative feelings were found to reduce confusion amongst people with dementia, preventing them from becoming confused or lost in hallways containing those shapes

TEXT

Given that dementia can affect one’s vision and ability to understand text any message used in your document must be as easy to read as pos sible Font sizes are crucial to ensure your work is easily readable with at least size 14 recommended If your content contains a lot of information, break it up into reasonably sized chunks so that it is simpler to digest

Dementia experts in the NHS warn against using block capitals as these can be more difficult to read particularly as dementia can cause visual impairments Both upper and lower case letters should be used for read ability as some people living with dementia will be able to recognise the

shape of a word before actually understanding its meaning

Think about how your document will be viewed Alzheimer s Society recommends using sans serif fonts for websites or digital content as they are deemed more readable on screen Staying consistent with your fonts is also helpful multiple fonts can make the interface and content confus ing for someone living with dementia

PICTURES

Pictures can play a vital role in helping dementia patients to communi cate more effectively by encouraging further memory retention Looking at photo albums and family pictures has been proven to play a vital role in engagement for people with dementia reducing feelings of isolation and helping strengthen personal relationships

As a result implementing pictures throughout your work or signage can be a great way to stimulate readers brain functions ensuring that your message cuts through Pictures can be particularly helpful for people with late stage dementia given that word based communication may not be possible Dementia can strip people of the ability to properly read and speak so the use of pictures and images where possible can really help consolidate your messages

Glen Eckett Head of Marketing at Solopress (www solopress com) comments: “Dementia is an awfully cruel syndrome one which has the potential to strip people of their dig nity and personality However inclu sive design practices can go some way towards helping people living with dementia maintain some of their dignity With the above tips, any company can ensure that its resources are accessible and under standable for people living with dementia

Memor y Lane Games - Reminiscence Games To Trigger Positive Memories For Those Living With Dementia

Hi where are you from?

Asking where someone is from is such a common opening question for a stranger and universal small talk

Where we live and where we come from is fundamental to most people s sense of self identity and history and perhaps that’s why it’s a powerful topic in reminiscence therapy

Reminiscence therapy involves simple tech niques to help those with memory loss or dementia to recall their memories This can improve self esteem and provide a sense of fulfillment improve mood and reduce agitation all of which are so valuable in the care of those living with a condition which doesn’t have positive outcomes It’s where the founders of Memory Lane Games started when they decided to make games for their elderly Mums

to enjoy using their favourite old photographs

After quickly realising they were onto something the Memory Lane Games app now delivers professionally curated reminiscence and speech and language activity games across a range of topics such as music film food hobbies and pets All of our games are designed to be frustration free and encourage communication and socialisation, not to test

SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL

Beneath its simplicity the Memory Lane Games app is a powerful tool

Carers families and friends are able to enjoy interactions generated by playing the games with those in their care and can even create person alised quizzes using old family photos and create questions such as “Mum where did you go on your first holiday?" or “Where did you get married?”

In addition to our popular free app (available in the usual app stores)

we serve international care home groups with a SaaS platform enabling alerts based on their residents game play: highlighting changes in 7 clin ical data sets which are all game play related and have been established in our RCT Clinical Trial (underway) This data can be used to alert early interventions needed to address potential health issues like mini strokes or urinary tract infections for example

The benefits to users and care homes are immediately evident

Improved resident and staff wellbeing improved quality of family visits and a differentiated care home business

If you would like to create a Memory Lane Game for your residents or to find out more about us please get in touch or download the app for FREE from the usual app stores

Helpforcarehomes@memorylanegames com

Encouraging the Independence of Dementia Patients Through Colour and Design

colours make doors easier to see against the neutral tones on the walls In contrast staff areas and supply cupboards should be painted in the same colour as the walls so that they blend in and become less obvious helping to avoid any unauthorised access

Calming colours

For many, dementia can affect a patients’ ‘biological clock’ which means they often get confused when determining the time of day This means they can struggle to understand when it is appropriate to go to bed Incorporating calmer colours in the bedroom area, using blackout blinds, and adding softer golden lighting helps to instil a sense of calm and relaxation and encourages a more stable sleep routine that they can initiate themselves

Hazard perception

Implementing strategic design techniques can heighten the awareness of potential hazards and reduce occupant risk For example, if items such as radiators are designed using stronger colours that contrast against the walls, it will make them more noticeable and reduce the chance of them being walked into or leant against and in turn, minimise burn risk Features such as light switches and signage can also be more easily identified if a coloured border is painted around them

Promoting independence in individuals is essential to instilling a sense of self worth, and the colour and design of a room can play a significant role Here, Dawn Scott at Dulux Trade delves into how care home managers can best plan living spaces to make sure they are as effective and enjoyable as possible for those occupying them

According to the Alzheimer ’s Society, 70% of care home residents are thought to have dementia or severe memory problems It is therefore crucial that care home managers understand how colour and design can support those with the disease and place residents’ needs at the centre of interior designs

occupants’ wellbeing, care and crucially independence Here s how:

Consider colour and contrast to aid navigation

Up to 75% of people over the age of 75 have vision problems As we get older, our eyes become more opaque and this makes it more difficult to differentiate between hues It is therefore essential that contrasting colours are utilised in living spaces as they act as visual cues and ensure there are clear visual differences between surfaces

The Dementia Friendly Colour Palette advises that soft tones are used for main walls, with only small hints of colour to create a sense of calm (think 60YY 83/062, 70YR 75/075, 30YY 68/024 and 70RR 64/034) For feature walls like the front of the living room and kitchen serving areas make sure more saturated colours such as yellows (43YY 74/339), muted purples (70RR 43/104), muted oranges (38YR 40/290) and teals (50BG 19/144)are used to contrast with the lighter main walls as this makes them stand out and draws the eye for maximum visibility

When it comes to doors that lead to regularly used rooms like bathrooms and living spaces, bolder shades should be considered such as navies (52BB 08/128), sage greens (90GY 29/121) and burgundies (54RR 09/276) These

To aid wayfinding further, it’s important to avoid high sheen flooring as this can appear wet or slippery to dementia patients, meaning they may not feel comfortable walking across it Similarly, dark flooring can often be perceived as a hole, and bold patterns or stripes can give the illusion that the floor is not flat or unstable, creating a sense of anxiety amongst those using these spaces The best option is to keep floors plain and ensure that they contrast with the walls and skirting to keep all surfaces easily identifiable

Upholding their autonomy is key, but with so many complex needs, knowing how to sustain dementia patients’ independence can be challenging To help, Dulux Trade together with the British Research Establishment created a Dementia Friendly Colour Palette which aims to bring colour to every room both figuratively and literally

The palette was born out of years of experience in design and a wealth of dementia research and knowledge with partners from Loughborough University and the Halsall Lloyd Partnership also involved in its conception The evidence based design principles it is founded upon assure designers that it is optimised to create an environment that champions

Keeping memories alive

Arguably the most important way of allowing a dementia patient to retain their independence is through involving them in the process It is vital that their living spaces are a reflection of them by surrounding them with décor that inspires a sense of homeliness and nostalgia

We recommend using familiar or favoured colours For example, to recreate the front door of a childhood home by painting their bedroom door the same colour It is also important to include some personal items on shelving near the entrance, such as an old house number, family photographs or ornaments from their home so the resident can quickly identify it as theirs

For more ways to design living spaces for those with dementia, and to find out more about Dulux Trade’s offering for aged care and Dementia, visit: www.duluxtradepaintexpert.co.uk/en/content/occd

Photo

NURSE CALL AND FALLS MONITORING

Blaucomm LtdTelecommunications & Networks

Blaucomm s Nurse Call Mes i S i (NMS) i the market leading solution to remove the dependency on noisy nurse call panels and pagers through its intel ligent software which deliv ers the alerts straight to the care staff who need them

Care homes are rapidly introducing smartphones for digital care planning and eMar now, the same devices can be used to receive the nurse call alerts they need for the residents under their care

Furthermore Blaucomm NMS is deeply linked into Person Centred Software MCM, so call bell data is linked straight to care plans This unlocks a huge ben efit to care homes to enhance the staff performance with how they accept and respond to residents which ultimately promotes better response times and visibili ty for management to audit their performance

The best part is that Blaucomm NMS links into your existing nurse call system we work with all major brands such as Aidcall ARM Courtney Thorne C TEC

ENS Intercall Medicare SAS and TeleAlarm

Care operators are con stantly recognising Blaucomm NMS for its relia bility and dependability to their care operations which is why we’ve been chosen time and time again over other solutions

Head of IT Trudi Harrow at WCS Care had this to say about Blaucomm NMS:

“We find Blaucomm is a genuinely fantastic compa ny with a reliable product

We have a range of nurse call systems at different sites and the NMS system integrates to them and allows us to compare response times between sites In addition the integration to Person Centred Software is revolutionary We would highly recommend this to anybody who wants to replace expensive pagers and silence those annoyingly loud nurse call screens!

To find out more about Blaucomm NMS visit www blaucomm co uk/healthcare

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 pro fessional 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 combin ing bed and chair monitoring, to allow the person to move from their bed to their chair There are sys tems 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 2 or at www easylinkuk co uk/product/ product fall detection

Silent Running

Quiet and calm care homes ensure that resi dents 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 surround ings particularly those suffering from dementia these can be fluctua tions in ambient temperature, light, and of course noise Repetitive and high levels of noise can originate from a number of internal and exter nal sources for example telephones ringing loud conversations in cor ridors 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 unan swered Nurse Call (Call Bell) alarms can be one of the most common causes of stress in dementia sufferers The University recommends “fit ting 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 per

Tranquility in Care Homes

son’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 suffer ers 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 envi ronment 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 sys tem With the Go app nurse call alarms are delivered imme diately 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 resi dents in the home

Calmer residents ultimately means that staff are less

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Upgrade your falls programme with the latest tech nology 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 simul taneously and support for many new wireless devices

Benefits include: Safer for patients; less work for staff Bed and chair pads ava lable

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Southern Care Maintenance Ltd – New Partnerships

How The Digital Revolution In Care Is Delivering The Best Outcomes For Residents

Technology is at the heart of the government s new health data strate gy which includes an aim to increase digitisation in social care by 2024 But why wait? At Bupa our digital transformation is already underway

Digitisation is essential for the future Technology enables carers to spend more time on the most important part of the job; face to face qual ity care for residents Making processes more efficient with technology offers the opportunity to provide truly personalised care

One example of this is in dementia care where there are many opportu nities to incorporate technology For example Richmond Villages

Willaston is a specialist village for people in the early stages of dementia where they re able to maintain a level of independence supported by homemakers At night residents are acoustically monitored and staff are alerted if there are unexpected noises or movement which might indicate someone is unwell or in difficulty

Technology has the power to change how we work in care settings more widely Care staff have always filled out paper notes throughout their shifts including details about medication wellbeing and feedback from the res idents As everyone will know it’s time consuming and inefficient and reduces the time that can be spent talking to residents and building positive long term relationships

But across Bupa Care Services we’ve introduced handheld devices which allow carers to record every interac tion with residents in real time freeing up capacity for real high quality care

It also means that staff can record more detailed up to the minute accurate notes with more information about each resident s mood what they chatted about or what activities they had been enjoying

G-Touch Wireless Care Home Solution

Genee is a UK leading manufacturer of innovative technological solutions Genee plays an integral role across all major industries including health care to support patients residents and staff Having supported Care Homes through the pandemic The G Touch Wireless Care Home Solution is one of Genee s most impactful solutions yet The solution includes; the G Touch Interactive Screen Electric Mobile Trolley and a Wireless Battery Pack Its portability specially designed and simple to use interface as well as its multitude of applications are specifically built for residents and staff in mind

The G Touch Interactive Screen is an engaging resource for residents and staff Available in 55 ’ 65’’ and 75’ the touchscreen itself has durable and toughened safety glass that can be easily cleaned The large screen provides for spectacular viewings of videos TV shows and movies In addition the size of the screen encour ages residents to participate in interactive activities With built in 2x15w front facing speakers and an HD video conferencing camera provides the perfect com munication tool to video call families, friends, and other care homes With the built in PC and Android 8 0 operating system, the user interface software is easy to use As soon as the touchscreen is turned on, the sys tem loads into a tablet style of multiple icons containing the software and Apps used daily without the need for a PC style login The included software also helps residents with health issues including Dementia and Alzheimer’s

A solution that benefits all! The Electric Mobile Trolley is better suited than a traditional wall mount or trol

By Rebecca Pearson, general manager for Bupa Care Services (www bupa co uk/care services)

Another step change is that this information can be accessed by residents’ families This helps build up a full picture of what life is like in the home and how their loved ones are doing day to day

There s no doubt that we re all getting more tech savvy, and why wouldn t we utilise it our care settings too? It s what families expect to see and increasingly it will be what our residents expect too

That s why it s so important that we lay the groundwork now But most importantly technology is helping our people get back to what they love Our people tell us they want more time to care That s why they came into this profession So it s up to us to make this happen

Compliance infection control and quality standards will always be top of the agenda Electronic medical records systems are designed to reduce the time it takes to administer medications safely and improve clinical outcomes with a joined up service that all health professionals can access This also makes it easier to refer back to previous notes to look for patterns with residents full medical history available at the touch of a button

All of our monitoring processes are also now stored in our digital quality and compliance solution which has been rolled out in each of our homes and villages It helps our home managers carry out quality monitoring and make swift changes to day to day processes if needed And regulatory partners can also be updated with the click of a button

But it s not just about quality or compliance There are a wealth of games apps and tools designed to support older people while making it fun and interactive For example for those with dementia a memory game app can help enhance the time they spend with loved ones

Ultimately it s the human connection that is at the heart of our digitisation journey As residents adjust to a new life and environment or deal with dementia it’s the people caring for them that bring fun and laughter back into their lives Technology allows us to foster this human connection and ultimately get more out of our time together

ley The mobile trolley can be electronically adjusted by height and offers 90 degree angle adjustment from horizontal to vertical ensuring easy accessibility at different chairs and wheelchair height The four lightweight and strong steel integrated castors include locking brakes for safety

The Wireless Battery Pack removes trip hazards and provides a helpful portable solution Simply add the lightweight battery pack to the trolley and easily move the touchscreen from room to room

The G Touch Wireless Care Home Solution comes with 5 years’ on site warranty as standard with no additional costs Our dedi cated team will bring the equipment to the care home assemble and install the solution and test everything on site We will also support you with free online training to ensure your Care Home gets maximum use of this incredible solution Get in touch via: +44 (0)1902 390 862 sales@genee group com www genee group com

TECHNOLOGY AND

Monika Primed to Make Care Management Simple

In a care or medical setting staff have to juggle caring for residents and patients with proper hygiene checks medication management, and ensuring up to date records With over 30 years’ experience, Monika is the expert in connecting teams and equipment Their flagship service, MonikaPrime, is a complete safety hygiene, and compliance management system which eliminates the need for manual paperwork Monika’s innovative temperature monitoring equipment simulates the temperature of the perishable goods and vaccines as opposed to simply recording the tempera ture of the air in the cooling unit providing greater accuracy for peace

By Keith Hopewell, Director of Operations UK & Europe, Monika (www monika com/solutions/monikaprime/)

medication can be relocated before it loses integrity or be identified for destruction if it has become harmful This can also help identify faulty equipment, preventing the need for expensive repairs Alerts can be sent to any desktop, mobile, or Monika smart handheld PA device, all of which can access Monika’s cloud connected system offsite

This is ideal for managers overseeing multiple care homes as it enables comparison between the location helping identify potential staff training opportunities for maxi mum safety

As well as ongoing temperature recording Monika s system can be programmed to send audio and visual hygiene task reminders to staff These tasks are fully auditable with the system recording who has done what and when reducing the risk of human error and miscommunication Staff can therefore spend less time in administration and more time caring for patients

Visit www monika com/solutions/monikaprime for further details or see the advert on the facing page

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 cloud based accounting system allows you to better understand your organ isation 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 suc ceed in the ever evolving healthcare industry

BUILT FOR HEALTHCARE

As healthcare grows in complexity so does your organisation You’re man aging 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 departmen

tal 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 man aging 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/

The CAREAudits System

CAREAudits apps and systems evolved via an associated company Kern Systems were Ken Newlove director and founding member had been developing and deploy ing paperless systems for EPoS and Finance in the private and public sectors since 1999

Back in 2014 the team had more than 50 years experience in IT and software devel opment as well as having been heavily involved in the third sector with a trustee of three charities a director of a business directly involved in the care market and a con sultant in a £10 million turnover charity and interim CEO and Chair at an adult hospice Working in the Care Sector the team recognised in 2014 the sector was becoming overwhelmed with adminis

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The system allows care providers to audit or check just about everything and manage areas requiring actions (or non compli ances) in it s Web Portal Encrypted date and time stamped evi dence including photos is seamlessly auto attached and recorded in the system

Natalie Lawrence at Yorkare Homes says “It’s a paperless sys tem that runs alongside our existing client records system helping to make our whole operation paperless ” CAREAudits ensures management and staff are aware at all times of what needs check ing that it s been checked actions required by whom by when including full resolution management Each CAREAudit also scores the answers so management can monitor improvement Steven Tegart from Talbot Group likes reporting and says I wish all my other systems were as easy to extract data for management reports as the CAREAudits Excel links

The system has over 120 example audits to select from CAREAudits apps are extremely easy to use and

providers can easily add or edit their own audits in minutes ensuring simple management of ever changing requirements App auditors can use CAREAudits with virtually no training it s that simple The Care Auditor s Hands Free Operation guides the user through each audit each question and answer with it s own help text standard answers and standard actions required ensuring that the least skilled operative becomes the

provider’s expert Users can download the app for a free trial and be up and running with the full system in min utes

CAREAudits apps are a part of the Care Plus Innovation Group, Priory Park, Hull, HU4 7DY

Info: visit www careaudits co uk email apps@careaudits co uk or call Ken Newlove operations director on 01482 238887

of Your Staffing Needs with Care Hires

their work rota and be updated in real time about changes to their hours

Easier timesheet management using the Care Hires app staff can clock in and out and send their timesheets for approval without the delays and bureaucracy of paper based solu tions

Better cash flow for agencies because of the easier and faster timesheet management hours worked can be processed and billed to the client more quickly helping your cash flow

We make finding staff and running your business more straightforward but what else?

Although we focus on delivering quality rather than solely looking for direct savings because we help streamline the rates your agencies charge and save your office team so much time, we can still deliver huge returns:

An average of over £8,000 saved per site on adm nistration

Over £1 2 million saved so far on agency spend

For just one customer we identified over £500 000 of annual agency

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AND SOFTWARE

10 Reasons To Go Digital With Electronic Care Planning and Medication (eMAR) Systems

TIME

More time to care

Carers never have enough time to care but going digital can provide more

There are so many time consuming tasks such as writing care notes completing paper assessments filling in charts preparing handovers and countless other administrative tasks

Going digital can automate many of these tasks and enable recording care interactions in real time ensuring nothing is left undocumented and saving time that can be better spent providing care CONTROL

Better Control

Controlling paper based systems can be an onerous job It generates reams of paper that can easily be lost, copied and, potentially, fall into the wrong hands

Digital care systems are safe and accessible, maintaining the security and confidentiality of your data This is difficult to achieve with paper because sensitive information must be locked away when not in use per GDPR

Furthermore digital allows you to determine who can access and what via permission controls Staff only see what they need to see based on their role

AutumnCare has a number of tools that assist in maintaining security and confidentiality including this lock screen func tionality for use in medication administration rounds!

Additional cost benefits include savings on printing, paper, stationary and confidential waste bin collection These costs all add up very quickly and are enhanced by the savings in the administrative overhead

Furthermore, going digital reduces paper use and the carbon footprint of regular deliveries Therefore, going digital can help you become more environmentally friendly RISK

Reduced risk

Manual systems carry many risks It is challenging to manage analyse and keep data and there is a lack of security Going digital with your care planning and eMAR can significantly reduce your risk

Using inbuilt alerts ensures that nothing is missed whether that s a care plan change or a fall report Using an eMAR will help reduce medication errors and ensure that the 6 Rs are always met

Going digital also allows the collection of data at the point of care which can be analysed to identify trends and risks and demonstrate corrective action

AutumnCare Mobile allows staff to perform clinical assessments and capture notes at the point of care for increased accuracy and care recipient involvement RETENTION

Improve staf f retention

Staff recruitment and retention remain long standing challenges for the care sector and many factors contribute to the successful retention of staff

Morale is a crucial factor in retaining staff Using electronic care sys tems to change the focus from the administration to the delivery of care helps stage engage more with service users

PROTECTION

Protect your business

Social care is a highly regulated industry and going digital can help you safeguard your business With multiple regulatory bodies such as the CQC CIW Care Inspectorate RQIW Local Authorities and Safeguarding Teams not to mention families and the justice system Any of whom can make enquiries or perform inspections at any time and without notice

Going digital makes it easy and efficient to evidence the quality of care you provide In addition as a digital system has a complete audit trail you can be assured the information you are providing is accurate and com plete

COSTS

Costs and environment

The most considerable cost saving that going digital can provide is time While the amount of time saved will vary between service types and roles, this alone makes going digital worthwhile

Additionally providing smart tools like care planning and eMAR soft ware to reduce the administrative burden will decrease staff stress

QUALITY

Improved quality of care

With pre built assessments covering all aspects of health you can get to know your service users intimately

But it’s not just health other characteristics such as emotion, likes/dis likes and how they correspond to a wide range of activities can be record ed

Because any changes can be affected at the point of care updates become a true reflection of the care (rather than a delayed update at the end of a long shift)

This information is then easily accessible by other system users sup porting a personalised care experience EVIDENCE

Demonstrate quality of care deliver y

While the delivery of person centred care is paramount, care providers must also provide evidence of the care they deliver, and regulatory bodies actively encourage the use of technology

For example, the CQC states that the care provider should look to embrace technology that helps monitor care delivery During an inspec tion under the Effective key line of enquiry (KLOE) question E1 3 asks

How is technology and equipment used to enhance effective care and treatment delivery and support people s independence?

Digital care plans are the best way to achieve this!

VISIBILITY

Improved visibility

Electronic care systems ensure that managers have real time access to notes and information to instantly understand the care provided and help identify changes that need to be made to improve the quality of care

On an electronic care system it is much easier to see what is going on if you are contacted out of hours or on the go A digital system allows you to log in remotely to see what has been happening across the entire care serv ice at a glance

AutumnCare contains a customis able Dashboard to provide Managers with a snapshot of what is occurring across the care service at any point in time

USERS

Happier ser vice users

Last and by no means least going digital can make your service users happier

Digital systems enable you to spend more time caring and less time on administration

There are benefits to happy service users including positive reviews from family and friends, which may help grow your service

WONDERING HOW TO GO DIGITAL?

If you re unsure of how to get started in your digital transformation AutumnCare can help!

AutumnCare provides specialist digital care planning and eMAR soft ware enabling providers to migrate to a digital system and providing the foundations for outstanding care We can walk you through what is required step by step as well as provide training and support every step of the way

To realise all of the benefits above plus many more get in touch with us today

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New Digital Right to Work Checks for British and Irish Workers PROFESSIONAL , TRAINING & RECRUITMENT

Employers will from 1 October 2022 need to adopt new digital right to work checks for British and Irish nationals or revert to cumbersome manual in person checks

It will says Gavin Webster at Vialto Partners (www vialto com) no longer be possible for employers to rely on virtual right to work checks introduced by the Home Office under its Covid 19 concessions for these individuals

The likelihood of inadvertently employing an undocumented worker is very low but the impact could be high If procedures are not properly fol lowed employers have no statutory excuse against employing an illegal worker and could face substantial fines and other sanctions

The Home Office’s right to work guidance was altered in April 2022 to allow digital identification verification for pre employment checks Back then, it felt slightly academic as the government had not certified any providers to conduct those checks Whilst digital certification isn’t mandato ry and indeed it is still possible to conduct physical in person checks the move is designed to give the Home Office and employers the reassurance that checks are well managed

Right to work checks reduce the risk of employing a person who does not have the right to work in the UK for instance where an earlier work visa has expired They are conducted in good time before or on the first day of employment and repeated when work permission is due to expire for example after three years of a Skilled Worker visa When conducted properly and in line with the Home Office s prescribed checks they also give employers a statutory excuse against a civil penalty of up to £20 000 per illegal worker in the event they are found to be employing someone illegal Without them an employer can be fined even if they had no chance of spotting that for instance a UK passport was a fake

While the risk of employing an illegal worker may be no higher for the care sector than others, the risk of detection probably is even where an employer had no chance of spotting a fake document The care sector has always been of interest to the Home Office, more so than other health providers and some other sectors

Historically, these checks have typically been undertaken manually and in person imagine being sat with HR

on day one of employment handing over a passport so they can check your face against the photo and then take a dated and certified copy

The global pandemic and resulting changing working patterns have seen right to work checks change Manual checks are no longer available for peo ple with biometric residence permits biometric residence cards or an e visa for example those with pre settled status or a frontier worker permit That means the vast majority of people who are neither British or Irish pass port holders need to be checked against the Home Office online service normally using a share code provided by the prospective employee

For UK and Irish nationals employers are currently still relying on the temporary ‘COVID 19 adjusted right to work checks which allow checks to be conducted via video call as opposed to in person, with original docu ments

That will change from 1st October 2022 however when it will no longer be possible to rely on this concession and the Home Office wishes employ ers to conduct these checks via an authorised Identification Service Provider with accredited Identification Documentation Verification Technology AI TECHNOLOGY

Since April several government certified technology providers have emerged including our own right to work app Many of these platforms use AI technology to scan and read documents together with selfie digital photo graphs of new employees and will automatically record the name and date of birth of the individual pictures and the date of the check Checks can easily be conducted from anywhere in the country Whilst the Government would encourage employers to use an authorised Identification Service Provider with accredited Identification Documentation Verification Technology it is not essential Manual in person checks can continue but for large employers working across multiple locations that will prove cumbersome and time consuming

The use of this technology does require the human touch Employers must satisfy themselves that a compli ant check was conducted, that the person in the selfie is not an imposter, and if names differ, they must establish why for example a recent marriage Checks must be retained for the length of employment plus two years

The Importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the Care Sector

Upskilling and staying on top of best practice and techniques is essential in the Care sector as it directly impacts on safety and standards When you invest in CPD, you re ensuring care workers have the skills, knowl edge, and confidence to carry out their role safely and provide the best possible care Having gained qualifica tions and landed a job in the care industry should be the start of the learning journey rather than the end of it

There is a strong link between CPD and staff retention and motivation CPD is mentioned in the NHS Long Term Plan as a strategy to motivate staff to stay in role and equip them with the skills to advance their professional practice Skills for Care found that 94% of employers with a low staff turnover cited investing in learning and development as one of the main activities contributing to workforce retention

Online learning is now the expectation for learning and development at work

and an affordable and accessible alternative to in person training When you’re looking for online resources, it s advisable to seek out a reputable provider with endorsements from leading organisations in the sector Laser Learning is a Skills for Care endorsed provider of online CPD short courses and The Care Certificate course Our course materials are written by industry experts (including care home managers) and cover the knowledge needed for every standard in the Care Certificate and a wide range of CPD topics such as Infection control and preven tion Dementia and communication and Supporting adults with learning disabili ties

Whether you are an owner manager or independent learner please don t hesi tate to get in touch for a free demo of the Care Certificate course and our CPD short courses The Laser Learning team can be contacted on info@lasersys co uk or +44 (0)1753 584 112

PROFESSIONAL , TRAINING & RECRUITMENT

Key Employment Considerations For Care Home Providers

By Lee Ashwood, Employment Director at Freeths LLP (www freeths co uk)

With over a decade s experience of providing employment law advice to care home providers Lee Ashwood of Freeths sets out his five common employment law pitfalls

1 NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE

Care homes are often inadvertently paying their staff less than the National Minimum Wage and so leaving themselves at risk of claims for compensation by their staff and of being fined

Whilst the principle of the National Minimum Wage is a simple one that someone who works for one hour is not paid less than a set amount for that hour s work the calculation for determining whether or not someone is paid the National Minimum Wage is complex The issue is compounded as care homes commonly provide their junior staff with an hourly rate of pay equal to or only a little above the National Minimum Wage

The calculation requires an understanding of precisely what constitutes time spent working This can be far more than simply the time someone is rostered on shift and may include for example time spent handing over before or after a shift working while on a sleep in or while receiving training An understanding of what payments a member of staff is required to make that will reduce their pay when cal culating whether or not they are paid the National Minimum Wage is also required Here payments by staff for their uniforms or training fees for example need to be considered

2 WHISTLE BLOWERS

All care home providers work hard to encourage their staff to make it known when they have identified health and safety issues, have suspicions of neglect or abuse or have any other concerns about the provision of care at their care home

Having made their concerns known and so blown the whistle’, it is widely known that the law states that the staff member may not be subjected to any detrimental treatment as a result of them blowing the whistle’ However, commonly care home providers leave themselves at risk of such a claim as they fail to ensure that the whistle blower s colleagues who may well have taken umbrage do not stop treating their colleague fairly and

People – Our Greatest Asset!

By Amanda Bewert OT (Australia) | Managing Director, Meaningful Care Matters

I hear all too often about the shortage of skilled staff working within the health and social care sector All too often experienced and well thought of team mem bers burnout and leave the service or care sector com pletely This is felt more keenly as it is more than just needing to replace a staff member but it is the loss of that person’s skills abilities knowledge of the organisa tion systems and processes and knowledge about the individual needs of the people who are being support ed and cared for

When organizations and businesses consider their assists usually they list their tangible or fixed assets such as buildings and equipment but it is the human assets (people) that are the most important part of any

with respect 3 FOREIGN LANGUAGES

As care home workforces become more and more diverse, the likelihood of a language other than English being spoken in a care home increases Care home providers want the best for their residents in terms of com fort and safety of course

Sometimes this leads to an enforced requirement by a provider that English is spoken at all times by their care home staff or at least in certain circumstances However the law against discrimination is wide ranging and bans on speaking a language other than English in the workplace can often fall foul of it

4 POOR PERFORMERS

With care homes struggling to recruit and retain staff and care home managers already busy it is often easier to overlook a poorly performing member of staff than it is to deal with them Setting aside the potential risk to the health and safety of residents failing to deal with a poor performer can greatly affect the morale of their col leagues with them possibly leaving as well leading to allegations of there being a difference in treatment and so discrimination

However as employment law does not prevent poor performance being dealt with swiftly and efficiently care home providers have no reason not to act, having first taken advice

5 PART TIME EMPLOYEES

Time and again it is overlooked by care home providers that the law states that part time employees must not be treated less favourably than their full time colleagues because they are part time

This issue comes to light when, for example, care home providers reward their full time employees with addi tional time off, the right to refuse overtime or even the opportunity to choose their shifts In doing so, care home providers put themselves at risk of a successful claim for compensation from a disgruntled part time member of staff

GET IN TOUCH FOR ADVICE

As a specialist lawyer for the Care sector, Lee supports individuals as well as businesses of all sizes including many small medium or well known organisations He is an experienced litigator and provides pragmatic advice based on the objectives of his clients

organisation particularly when considering the health and social care sector WHY ARE PEOPLE THE GREATEST ASSET OF ANY SERVICE OR ORGANISATION?

They are the face of the service Ultimately people within your team are responsible the for the provision of care and services to the people you support They are integral to meeting not only regulatory compliance requirements but are also the face of your service and organisation

Engagement = Productivity The more engaged team members are the more productive they are too People who are satisfied challenged and motivated are far more likely to be engaged and committed helping the service and organisation to achieve their purpose and objectives

Skills and knowledge While all team members must possess specific competencies and skills related to their role some skills and knowledge are irreplaceable or take many years to develop This includes knowl edge of specific people being cared for and understanding of organisations’ cultures, systems, and work pro cedures

The message of being valued and respected doesn t come from memos sent to staff They watch to see if the leadership walks the talk Lip service can only go so far; management can t just say they value their work ers They must show it in real terms

If we understand that people are our greatest asset then we must ensure that we invest in their health and well being too In turn people who feel valued and appreciated will go the extra mile for the people we care and support, and the organisation

See the advert on this page for further information

&

,

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 work book 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 accredita tion and focuses in detail on 7 domains of wellbeing 10 principles and is particularly designed to address instances of loneliness helplessness and boredom

Geoffrey Cox

The Eden Alternative Call today on 01626 868192 or visit

www eden alternative co uk

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 health care industry such as health care assistants, sen ior 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 experi enced candidates from overseas Tel: 01704 808227 www jjcarerecruitment co uk admin@jjrecruitment co uk

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

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

Are You A Care Home Owner with Staff Vacancies?

As recently highlighted in the media there are current ly over 100 000 vacant roles in the care sector Some 78% of providers who responded to the exclusive survey car r ed out by the ITV News in conjunction with the UK Homecare Associat on sa d recruit ng carers is the hard est it has ever been Many describe being at a breaking point Out of the respondents, 95% said they are unable to take on all the new clients in need of their help 2 years ago a relative of my friend with care homes in L ncolnshire came to see me He knew I was an immigra tion lawyer He was distraught and on the verge of pack ng it all in The issues?

We can t find the workers nobody wants to work full time as they will lose their tax credits’ ’the Brit sh work force are ust not interested nobody wants to relocate to the sticks to work for us

His plea “Harjap help me ” my solution? ‘have you thought about recruiting foreign workers? Or students already in the UK who are already working part time in the sector? he did it and today h s staffing problems have been solved

So how do we go about doing it?

The UK Imm gration system can be complex but with the right guidance can be navigated to benefit the care sector

In order to recruit foreign skilled workers, whether they are already within the UK or directly abroad your compa ny needs to be regulated by the UKVI (UK Visas & Immigration) This nvolves being licenced by the UKVI so that your business can successfully recruit foreign work ers without fear of being fined or breaching any immigra tion rules set by the UK governments stringent pol cies

Many potential employees are already w thin the UK on various types of visas however and may already be

working part time (20 hours a week) for you in order to work for you they would need to be successfully spon sored by your company through your sponsor licence Th s would involve mak ng a complex application to the UKVI and in essence asking them for permiss on for you to employ the worker full time Once permission s grant ed, you then have the benefit of a full time employee tied down exclusively to your company for at least a 5 year per od This is often referred to as a Work Permit If you wish to employee multiple foreign workers then we would need to conv nce the Home Office to grant you an appropriate allocation under the terms of your licence

Under th s licence you can also recruit carers and nurses from abroad

The solution to current staffing cr s s is clearly to recruit foreign workers and it is not as daunt ng as people often make out There are many special st firms of lawyers who can do the whole process for you and you can also save on hefty recruitment fees of employment agencies

If you urgently need staff then you should definitely consider applying for a UKVI sponsor licence n order to employ qualified foreign workers and help your business grow No business should be turning away / down work due to a staffing problem which has a solut on Harjap S ngh Bhangal is a Director at Immigration Specialist firm GLS Solicitors (Global Legal Solutions) and is often seen on Sky News BBC News and is referred to as the “Immigration Guru”

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