The Carer Digital - Issue #200

Social Care Vote Will Have A “Pivotal” Influence on General Election...

With Power to Swing Constituencies

EDITOR'S VIEWPOINT

Welcome to the latest edition of The Carer Digital!

THE POWER OF THE SOCIAL CARE VOTE

As we approach the UK general election tomorrow, our lead story highlights a crucial and often overlooked aspect of the political landscape: the social care vote Research by two leading social care charities underscores the significance of this demographic, revealing that a robust social care vote could sway the balance of power in up to 185 marginal constituencies This is a stark reminder of the sector's profound influence and a clear message to any incoming government: social care cannot and must not be taken for granted

Historically, certainly during the period I have been editing this publication which dates back to 2008, the social care sector has been severely neglected, receiving piecemeal funding and insufficient attention despite its critical role in our society With the election now just 24 hours away it is disheartening to note that none of the politicians vying for office have presented us with a bold, imaginative, and credible plan for improving the care of older, vulnerable, and disabled individuals in our communities other than perhaps the Green Party who in their manifesto said they would dedicate £50 billion to the NHS and adult social care

Investing in social care is not just a moral imperative but a pragmatic one Studies reveal that long-term investment and comprehensive reform in this sector will yield significant savings for the NHS and bolster the economy With 80% of us likely to require social care at some point in our lives expanding and supporting this sector is essential for societal and economic health

One story that vividly illustrates the dire state of social care is the account on page 22, which details the redundancies announced by a hospice in the Midlands Faced with rising costs, the hospice is grappling with a £2 4 million budget deficit for the coming year This troubling scenario is not isolated Hospice UK, during a visit to our stand at the recent Alzheimer's & Dementia show in London's Excel, shared insights into the staggering £77 million shortfall facing hospices across the country

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Earlier this year the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Hospice and End of Life Care released a report indicating that despite legislation passed in 2022 the commissioning of hospice services in England remains inadequate This cross-party group of MPs highlighted that the essential services provided by hospices for dying individuals and their families as well as the broader support they offer to the health system are in jeopardy This alarming situation demands urgent attention from the incoming government

As we prepare to cast our votes let us remember the importance of a strong social care sector The future of our care services hinges on the decisions made at the ballot box, and it is imperative that we hold our politicians accountable for delivering the reform and investment that this vital sector desperately needs

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Editor Peter Adams

Social Care Vote Will Have A “Pivotal” Influence on General Election

(CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER)

In exclusive YouGov polling more than half of adults - 53% of those polled - stated that they would have a more favourable view of political parties that address the issues of low pay in care, with only 2% saying that they would have a less favourable view of parties that improve pay in the sector This reflects 97% of adults expressing that the shortage of care workers is an essential issue with 95% saying that social care workers deliver an important role for society

CHANGE BALANCE

Unfair To Care 2024 finds that the 2 6 million strong social care vote represents an average of 5 000 people per constituency whose voting intentions will be influenced by working in or drawing on social care in England This audience is sizeable enough to change the balance of power in almost 100 marginal constituencies

The report presents in stark focus why resolving the challenges faced in social care will be a priority for so many It highlights that care workers earn on average £7 617 less than their direct peers within the NHS With 152 000 vacancies and a 28 3% workforce turnover rate in 2023, these issues create a cascade of negative impacts across society – reducing the quality of life of people supported, impacting capacity and stability in the NHS and social care systems and constraining economic productivity

SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE

Teresa Exelby Chief People and Corporate Services Officer at Community Integrated Care said: It is clear that social care will have a significant influence on the course of the General Election We see every day how passionate people who work on and draw on social care are about the challenges that they and their communities endure Beyond this, the polling data and increasing visibility of social care in electoral debates show that the care sector’s cause is cutting through We hope that whichever party leads our next Government they can provide the progressive investment support and reform that is needed to deliver a care sector that empowers people who draw on care to live their best life possible and makes social care a sustainable rewarding career

Importantly, Unfair To Care shows that investing in social care is an effective policy that delivers multiple returns It demonstrates that improving pay is significantly offset by the savings it will deliver in several areas – including reducing the costs of care sector recruitment by £1 4 billion and saving £1 7 billion by supporting more timely discharges from NHS hospitals amongst several areas of economic impact

SWING SEATS

Analysis from UK charity Carers Trust shows there are enough unpaid carers in 185 constituencies to potentially swing each of those seats at this week s General Election

There are 185 seats in England and Wales where the number of carers is higher than the current MP’s majority They include many seats held by key figures in all parties Amon them are the Conservatives’ former leader Iain Duncan Smith and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Deputy Leader Angela Rayner, and Lib Dems Daisy Cooper and Tim Farron

A total of 96 constituencies currently held by the Conservatives could be swung by carer votes This includes Chingford and Woodford Green where Iain Duncan Smith has a 1,604 majority in a seat with 8 225 carers Alex Chalk’s 1,421 majority in Cheltenham could also face a threat from 6 871 carers

In all 83 Labour-held constituencies could see their majority overturned by carer votes Angela Rayner has a 4 689 vote majority in Ashton-under-Lyne a constituency of 8 517 carers Meanwhile Rachel Reeves is contesting the new seat of Leeds West and Pudsey which has 7 783 carers and an estimated 2019 majority of 2 963

LARGELY IGNORED

Carers Trust has warned that although there are an estimated seven million unpaid carers in the UK they have been largely ignored by most political parties during the election campaign Many carers are looking after ill or disabled family and friends because of the crisis facing social care Yet the social care system has also been largely absent from election debates so far If parties are serious about tackling the social care crisis they will need support from unpaid carers In return those carers need more support themselves

Dominic Carter Carers Trust s Director of Policy and Public Affairs said: Many carers have been plunged into poverty because of their caring role and are picking up the pieces left by a social care system that s been starved of investment These figures show that although carers have been largely ignored this election they have the power to swing huge numbers of seats across the country on July 4

“At Carers Trust we are calling on all parties to make sure carers are no longer pushed to breaking point and are properly supported, including overhauling Carer’s Allowance – the lowest benefit of its kind It’s not too late for parliamentary candidates to start listening to those calls If they don’t, they could be punished at the ballot box ” NO GOVERNMENT PLAN

The largest majority under threat from carer power is Blackpool North and Fleetwood, where the Conservatives’ 10,119 majority for Paul Maynard could be wiped out by 10,233 carers Seats with majorities of

over 8 500 like Brecon Radnor and Cwm Tawe Harrow East Enfield North and Pontypridd are also at risk if carers vote against the incumbent

Elsewhere carer votes could also make the difference in marginals like Burnley, Leigh & Atherton and Wimbledon

More than 1 5 million people in England and Wales provide at least 50 hours of care a week with huge implications for their finances health and future prospects A survey by Carers Trust last year found just 55% of carers say they get the support they need, while 41% said the time they spent caring has increased Despite this there has not been a UK Government plan for carers since 2020 and the last crossgovernment Carers Strategy expired six years ago

‘WOEFULLY SHORT’

A leading care sector campaigner has also expressed fears that the sector faces another decade of delay and decay

Gillian Ashcroft, who is the Founder and CEO of Exceptional Care and a passionate campaigner for reform of the country s crisis-ridden social care system says the current election campaigns offer no new solutions – and those that do lack detail and ambition

Now she is calling on people to take their local MP candidates to task on social care pledges during doorstep conversations and is seeking a promise from a new Government that it will take a cross-party approach to delivering meaningful and urgent change

Gillian said: Talk to anyone within the UK s social care sector and they ll describe a broken system Despite pockets of positivity the national picture is one of crisis Politicians from all parties have failed to address the urgent solutions needed to fix decades of neglect

As the General Election approaches manifestos from major parties fall woefully short on social care policies that could deliver the change people deserve While my focus is on at-risk children and young people the challenge affects all age groups Health and social care are critical issues for everyone ”

“Labour and the Conservatives have proposed ideas we’ve heard before while the Liberal Democrats free personal care plan falls short and would not impact the wider social care system

“The Labour Party’s National Care Service lacks funding details Meanwhile the Green Party and Reform UK propose interesting ideas but they are both unlikely to be leading the country after July 4

“Whoever gets the keys to Number 10, it is vital that social care is a top agenda item for urgent action – because the people of this country who need help the most deserve much better than another decade of delay and decay ”

Licence Revocations And Challenges: Key Takeaways For Sponsors

By

RECENT HIGH COURT CASES

Care sector employers with sponsor licences continue to experience increased scrutiny from the Home Office leading to large numbers of licence suspensions pending investigation and revocations of these licences

With a licence suspension a business cannot sponsor any new employees whilst it is pending although its sponsored workers can continue to work for them A licence revocation however can be disastrous for the business as it loses the licence altogether and all foreign workers must stop working for them Visas of any sponsored workers will be curtailed, and they need to either secure sponsored employment elsewhere or return home

There is no right to appeal against a sponsor licence revocation and a sponsor cannot apply for another licence for at least 12 months A licence revocation can only be challenged through Judicial Review which is legal action through the High Court

Encouragingly for sponsors there have been some recent successful challenges to sponsor licence revocations although these have been on specific technicalities as opposed to being able to overturn the substantive allegations

The latest case is R (New Hope Care Ltd) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWHC 1270 (Admin) The challenge was successful at the High Court on the ground of procedural unfairness alone

The Home Office had suspended the care home operator’s sponsor licence without giving any reasons for suspension and later revoked the licence without giving any opportunity for a response to the allegations of non-compliance So the Home Office failed to follow the procedure they had set out in their suspension letter and that which was set out in the sponsor guidance

Two other recent cases came before the High Court with different outcomes:

• In Supporting Care Ltd, R (On the Application Of v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWHC 68 (Admin) the licence revocation decision was also overturned as the High Court decided that the Home Office failed to conduct an adequately reasoned global assessment of all relevant considerations in deciding whether to revoke or downgrade the sponsor licence A Home Office appeal of this judgment is expected to decide whether the wider impact of a revocation needs to be taken into account when making a decision to revoke a licence at least where the revocation decision is discretionary as opposed to mandatory

In Prestwick Care Ltd & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] EWHC 3193 (Admin) however the High Court upheld the licence revocation decision The sponsor had argued the Home Office should take into consideration the wider impact on its employees the local community such as commercial businesses and the effect on local care and health services, but it was decided that this was not relevant where the revocation was considered mandatory

KEY POINTS FOR SPONSORS

Considering the recent cases of sponsor licence revocations here are some key points for employer sponsors

Firstly a number of factual circumstances caused the Home Office concern and led them to revoke the licences:

An excessive number of certificates had been assigned within a short timeframe (in New Hope 156 were issued in eight months)

Sponsored workers were paid less than the salary detailed on their certificates paid less than the minimum wage, not receiving sick pay, and/or were paid in cash

• Sponsored workers were not performing the duties outlined on their certificates

Sponsors were passing on the costs of sponsorship (certificate and skills charge fees) to the sponsored worker

The sponsor s record keeping was inadequate

Visa expiry dates were not being recorded

There was either a lack of or no evidence of right to work checks being carried out correctly

Numerous factors can lead to a revocation and the above is not an exhaustive list Some may be considered very serious and have significant consequences for both the sponsor and possibly even workers

Secondly the Home Office has to follow a set procedure once they decide to investigate a sponsor and consider revoking a licence including

To suspend the licence and provide reasons for any suspension in writing

To provide the sponsor 20 working days to respond to the concerns raised and provide any necessary evidence

To review and consider any reasons and evidence provided and communicate a final decision with reasons as to why they have still decided to revoke the licence

Thirdly a decision to revoke a sponsor licence cannot be appealed so the only method of challenge is a judicial review application which must be brought within three months and needs to be well prepared

Where a Home Office decision to revoke is received you should seek legal advice immediately to consider whether a judicial review application is an option and how you can limit the impact on your employees and business

Employers regularly instruct us to carry out a mock compliance audit or to advise them from the point that they expect a compliance visit We can then correspond with the Home Office from the outset on their behalf, help them prepare for the visit, and deal with any subsequent Home Office action

While the election is imminent and the intentions of a future government is unpredictable it is certain that investigations suspensions and revocations are likely to continue Labour if elected has not indicated any intention to change the status quo Instead they intend to introduce a workforce plan and fair pay agreement for employers to adhere to and may increase penalties for rogue employers The onerous nature of the sponsorship regime is therefore likely to continue for sponsors and the care sector especially, identified as particularly vulnerable is expected to remain a sector of interest for the Home Office

Ann Experiences a “Close Encounter of the Furred Kind”

Green Lodge Celebrates Pride Month in Style

Residents at Green Lodge Care Home in Billingham Stockton-on-Tees, had a great time as they got out their sequins and feather boas to celebrate Pride Month

The rainbow party at Green Lodge even had two drag queens the delightful Anarchy Queen and Veronica Venom who came to visit the home for an afternoon of songs and laughter

Green Lodge is one of 23 care homes in the Midlands and north which are part of the Orchard Care Homes group

The group specialises in dementia care and makes great efforts to provide truly individualised care tailored to the person and enabling people to live their lives to the full

Nicola Bowes Activities Co-ordinator at Green Lodge explained that residents are always up for a laugh and a dance – and in asking residents’ opinions first, she found a massive thumbs-up to the idea of a Pride party!

She said: “Lots of our people are young at heart and love nothing more than having fun and dressing up when singers come in I thought it would be really good to try and find some drag queens to visit us for

something a bit different while incorporating Pride Month ”

The event was a huge success; Anarchy Queen is famous locally as she has regular slots in venues around Teesside

The event started with a sing-along and dancing to popular disco and dance classics Then there was a chance to have pictures taken with the duo then making visits to those unable to join the party in the main room

Resident Margaret, 93, commented on the duo’s beautiful hair and joked about asking the Green Lodge hairdresser to do hers like that next time!

Ann 85 said she loved Anarchy Queen's dress and the way it reflected onto her room wall like a disco ball when the light shone on it Val, 79; Margaret, 83; Eileen 82 and Elizabeth, 69, were all up straightaway to dance at the front when ABBA songs came onto the playlist!

Nicola concluded: “I’m really happy with how well it went and seeing the smiles on everyone's faces made all the hard work worth it

Senior Business Immigration Solicitor at Harper James, Fozia Iqbal

Social Care Trust ‘In Tatters’ –

Unconvinced Political Parties Will Deliver Care

Celebrating National Picnic Day with Hatherleigh Nursing Home

Hatherleigh Nursing Home’s picnic event was not only to celebrate a national day but to highlight the importance of community and connection and to enjoy the simple joys of life

Navigating Overseas Recruitment and Changes to UK Immigration Rules

It

From Jonathan Beech, Founder and Managing Director of business

care workers bringing dependants to the UK has already resulted in a

worker numbers

The previous government’s immigration rule changes saw overseas recruitment costs continuing to rise Now any new policy changes will take time to implement so currently all international recruits must be paid at least the required minimum

‘Dancing Queens’ Will ‘Jump And Jive’ With ‘Two Little Ducks’ On ‘Sunset Strip’ As It’s Eyes Down

For National Bingo Day At The Old Vicarage

dementia care home run by charity Friends of the Elderly, it’s eyes down for a ‘Full House’ for the residents as they celebrate this year’s National Bingo Day

Since 2021 27th June has been formally recognised as National Bingo Day in the UK said Carol Bourne the Registered Manager at The Old Vicarage “Our residents thoroughly enjoy their regular Bingo! afternoons so we thought we d Bang The Drum and make Time for Fun to celebrate the day s fourth anniversary ” National Bingo Day is a day devoted to celebrating the fun game of Bingo, and the residents at The Old Vicarage definitely love their weekly Bingo! afternoons “We have been playing Bingo! with the residents and respite guests for years ” continued Carol “I d have to say it is one of most popular – if not the most popular –activities we put on ”

Playing Bingo! is a great pastime for older people especially those living with dementia Playing and engaging with the game can sharpen stimulate mental agility brain functions and improve hand to eye coordination

Our Bingo! sessions are always noisy and can get rather competitive ” added Carol “They are great fun

When Diana Deskiewicz our Activities Coordinator calls out the numbers, she makes sure she speaks clearly,

slowly and loudly so all the residents and respite guests hear the numbers clearly and have time to get their Dabbers dabbing

I host a range of different Bingo! games in each session said Diana We play One Line Two Lines and of course the Full House My favourite Bingo Calls are ‘Valentine’s Day’ which is number 14 which usually gets a Woo Woo cheer from the residents and ‘Brighton Line’ for number 59 to which everyone makes train whistle noises That always gets everyone laughing ”

It s wonderful to see our residents and respite guests so engaged and motivated when they are enjoying their Bingo! games - especially their Bingo! sessions on National Bingo Day

“The residents and respite clients are in good company with their love of Bingo! Carol continued I read that Robbie Williams is a huge fan of the game and even featured a Bingo Hall in the video for his song Feel Carol added

However Robbie Williams isn’t the most famous person to enjoy a game of Bingo!

“HRH The Prince of Wales has shared his love of the game He used to sneak out of Sandhurst to play in the local bingo hall HRH The Princess of Wales joined him for a game at a nursing home once that took place over Zoom during the Covid Pandemic I wonder if they called ‘Palace’ instead of ‘House’ as I also read that The late Queen Elizabeth who was Friends of the Elderly s Royal Patron apparently called Palace’ rather than ‘House’, so our residents are definitely in good company,”” concluded Carol

Court House Care Home Celebrates

New Registered Nurses

US Regulator Approves Second Alzheimer’s Drug, Donanemab

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Alzheimer s drug donanemab (known commercially as Kisunla) for people in the US with confirmed amyloid positivity and a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early-stage Alzheimer s disease

The ruling comes after the FDA’s advisory panel votedunanimously in June thatthe drug shows “clinical benefit for the treatment of the disease

Donanemab is not the first drug approved to treat and slow the progression of early Alzheimer s Eisai s lecanemab sold as Leqembi, is already being used Eli Lilly says donanemab will be available within weeks following the approval

With Great Britain s regulator also scrutinising data on the drug, the US ruling is a reminder that there is still some way to go before donanemab might reach patients in Great Britain” said Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Executive Director Samantha BenhamHermetz

Nonetheless, this decision marks “another important milestone in the global effort to tackle dementia she continued A decision in Great Britain is expected later this year

Donanemab is an antibody-based treatment designed to remove amyloid one of the hallmark proteins that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer s The drug is given as an infusion into a person s arm every four weeks

The FDA’s decision was based on Eli Lilly’s TRAILBLAZER ALZ-2 phase 3 clinical trials results which were made public in July 2023

The FDA review concluded that the drug s 35% slowing of cognitive decline verified a clinical benefit to patients with some

participants in the trial able to continue to perform dayto-day activities including shopping housekeeping managing finances and taking medication Welcoming the announcement Dr Joanne Pike, CEO of the US-based Alzheimer s Association said “today’s approval allows people more options and greater opportunity to have more time ”

Unlike lecanemab donanemab use can be stopped after amyloid plaque is removed to minimal levels, which Lilly said can result in lower treatment costs and fewer infusions

However, donanemab can cause serious side effects for some

As a consequence the FDA s prescribing information includes a warning for clinicians to monitor for side-effects known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) which can be seen on MRI scans These abnormalities were seen in around a quarter of participants in Eli Lilly s trial of donanemab

Progress for people with Alzheimer s disease is long overdue and although drugs like donanemab are a promising start, “we need to go further said Benham-Hermetz

As the news comes just 48 hours ahead of the election polls opening in the UK Benham-Hermetz urged the next government to push forward the work of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission This Benham-Hermetz said will not only help ensure the health system is ready to lead the adoption of innovative new Alzheimer s drugs, but also “accelerate research that will bring us closer to a cure for all forms of dementia

Hinckley Care Home Residents

Publish Recipe Book

Residents at HC-One s Hinckley Park Care Home in Hinckley Leicestershire have realised their ambition of a lifetime and published their own cookbook

The cookbook called Park s Pantries’ features recipes provided by fourteen residents living at Hinckley Park Care Home, which provides nursing and residential care It is described as ‘a collection of recipes to warm your soul and includes a range of delicious dishes such as ‘Betty C’s Fish Pie’ Christine’s Toad in the Hole’ and ‘Shelley’s Sweet N Sour Pork’ Staff at the care home have also contributed some of their favourite meal options

pleasure and pride in what they had achieved Hinckley Park Care Home resident, Betty Truelove, who provided a recipe for Spanish chicken for the cookbook, commented:

“I never thought that I would see my name in print ” Meanwhile Betty Calnan resident at Hinckley Park Care Home whose fish pie recipe is featured in the cookbook, stated:

Seeing my name in print makes me feel like I belong in this world and that I’m leaving something behind ”

Resident at Hinckley Park Care Home Barbara Allen whose dessert recipes are included in the cookbook said:

The book was the brainchild of Hinckley Park’s Wellbeing Coordinator Rachael Gilliver who runs her own publishing company alongside her role of helping look after residents living at the care home

Speaking at the launch of ‘Park’s Pantries , Rachael Gilliver, Wellbeing Coordinator at Hinckley Park Care Home said: Apparently everyone has at least one book in them and when one of our residents mentioned they would love to have a book published but had no idea how to go about it I and other team members started thinking about helping them making their wish come true

“Other residents talked about how much they would like to pass on their recipes and how being published in a book would be leaving a legacy to their children and grandchildren

“Thanks to technology publishing has become a lot easier in recent years Before I started working at Hinckley Park I had worked for a number of traditional publishers, and in 2018, I set up Roswell Publishing to help people who wanted to self-publish I was very well placed to help our residents’ wishes come true

As well as being available to buy from Amazon a copy of Parks Pantries’ will be sent to the British Library for archiving and preservation This will ensure that future generations will have access to the information and knowledge contained in the cookbook which may otherwise have been lost

Some of the residents whose recipes are featured in ‘Park’s Pantries were also at the book s launch and couldn t hide their

“This book is leaving a legacy behind for future generations of cooks None of us know who’s going to be making our dishes in ten twenty, or even a hundred years from now!

Resident Shelley Sharland whose recipe for sweet and sour pork appears first in the cookbook collection, stated: “It’s out of this world to think that my name is in a book! I never thought that it would happen ”

David Minogue Home Manager at Hinckley Park Care Home commented “We are incredibly proud of our residents for publishing this recipe book, it really is quite a remarkable achievement A big well done to Rachael for helping our residents make their dreams come true

“The recipes are delicious and very easy to follow and we’ve even passed some copies of the book on to our fantastic kitchen team who will be cooking some of the recipes for our residents to sample Everyone is really looking forward to it!

“Put Dementia on the Agenda” Political Parties Urged

Dementia UK has delivered an open letter signed by more than 13,000 people to all major UK political party leaders demanding they put dementia on their agenda

The charity is urging all parties and the next government to address the huge gaps in health and social care, which currently leave many people affected by dementia isolated and unsupported following a diagnosis

Dementia UK recently published a manifesto – ‘Put dementia on the agenda which sets out four key focuses for the next government

1

CHC assessment

2 Deliver expert and personalised support for people after a dementia diagnosis

Dementia UK conducted research which found that only a third (33%) of people who know or knew someone with a diagnosis of dementia received support from their GP, while only 25% received support from a consultant or hospital doctor and only 24% received support from social services

3 Improve diagnosis rates and age-appropriate support for people with young-onset dementia

It currently takes an average of 4 4 years for people under the age of 65 to get a dementia diagnosis

4 Increase access to specialist dementia nursing in hospitals

Only 2% of people believe that all hospital staff understand the needs of people with dementia, resulting in inadequate hospital care for those living with the condition

THE MANIFESTO INCLUDES CLEAR RECOMMENDATIONS TO ACHIEVE THE CHARITY’S ASKS, INCLUDING:

• Person-centred information and specialist support for as long as they need it for everyone affected by dementia

* A fully-funded dementia care pathway that connects and coordinates specialist care and support across all services

Access to specialist services from pre-diagnosis through to end-of-life care and bereavement

Dementia UK’s Head of Policy, Campaigns and Public Affairs Andrew Pike comments:

“Dementia is a huge and growing health crisis and during the first year of the new Government, the number of people living with dementia in the UK is expected to exceed one million Despite numerous plans and strategies being announced over the years, we have seen little action on dementia, and families affected by dementia missing out on the specialist support that they need With health and social care services more stretched than ever, it is essential that the next Government listens to the thousands of people who have signed this letter and act on improving dementia care immediately ”

Oulton Park Care Home Brings The Local Community Together

Staff residents relatives and the local community came together at Oulton Park to enjoy an open day that was held at the home on Saturday

Oulton Park hosted a variety of activities throughout the day, including Military Vehicles, tombola stall live entertainment and games which were enjoyed by everyone who came to the event

Staff at Oulton Park made everyone feel welcome and were delighted to see different generations having fun together Visitors enjoyed plenty of refreshments, such as coffee and cakes prepared by the catering team who

were hard at work making sure that a great time was had by all – it really was a team effort!

Resident said I thoroughly enjoyed it I was surrounded by lots of great people, and the refreshments kept flowing The weather held out until we finished Staff did a great job, not just on the day but organising the event and getting everyone together

Sarah Wright General Manager at the home said: Staff at Oulton Park Care Home are dedicated to making sure that the home is a hub of the local community and this event along with all their hard work, has definitely paid off It was a resounding success!

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Visiting Rights – An Update on the Law

By Deryn Fisher – Solicitor at Parfitt Cresswell (www.parfittcresswell.com)

The importance of contact with families to the well-being of care home residents was highlighted by the restrictions imposed during the Covid pandemic Many providers relaxed these rules as government guidance changed but others have been slower to react Now new regulations provide for a fundamental standard concerning visiting and accompanying people in care homes, hospitals and hospices The Health and Social Care Act

2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 apply to all providers of activities regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) This gives you an overview of the law Under Regulation 9A:

Unless exceptional circumstances exist, service users must be able to receive visits in a care home hospital or hospice where their care or treatment involves an overnight stay or the provision of accommodation in those premises

Service users who are accommodated in a care home must not be discouraged from taking visits out of the care home

Where a service user attends a hospital or hospice for the provision of care or treatment but does not stay overnight, they must be enabled to be accompanied at the hospital or hospice

A registered person (i e a service provider or registered manager) must take certain actions to comply with the provision These include putting in place precautions to enable a service user to receive visits or be accompanied safely and taking their preferences into account

• A service user is not required to receive a visit take a visit out of a care home or be accompanied without their consent (or where they do not have capacity to give that consent) where it would not be in their best interest

Service providers should take all action which is necessary and proportionate to meet these provisions taking into account any care or treatment plan that is in place They should involve the resident and their family or friends in doing this Where the service user lacks capacity this would mean discussing it with their deputy or anyone appointed under a health and welfare Power of Attorney The rules do not apply if they

would be against the resident’s best interests or if it is contrary to any order made by a court or tribunal

As this provision is a fundamental standard of care it will be included in the inspection regime of the CQC who have powers of enforcement under civil law if they find a right has been breached

The regulations apply regardless of whether a resident is paying for their own care or if it is funded by their local authority However if the care home is funded or partially funded by the NHS or the local authority then stopping visits to a resident may amount to an actionable breach of their rights under the Human Rights Act 1998 These would include the right to respect for private and family life the right to life and the right to liberty and security These are not absolute rights and in some circumstances care homes may be justified in refusing and restricting visitors

So when can a visitor be banned? Relying on others to care for a loved one can be difficult and emotive and the pressures of caring for people with complex needs can also be stressful for staff It is therefore understandable that sometimes things go wrong and relationships deteriorate Individual providers should have a policy on visiting available to service users and their families so it is sensible to review this to see what is expected on both sides There should also be clauses written into the contract between the home and resident which include the rules that visitors need to abide by These rules should seek to balance the needs of the care user with other residents and staff working at the home If they are broken the care home may need to put restrictions in place for future visits but a ban should be a last resort

People who are restricted from visiting a service user in a care home are likely to first discuss the issue with the care home manager followed by a formal complaint if necessary If this does not resolve matters they then may:

Take their concerns to the adult social services team (if the home is funded by the Local Authority)

Make a complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (if privately funded)

Where a person holds a legal role such as a Power of Attorney for a service user who lacks capacity the provider cannot legally restrict the visitor from being able to carry out this role

Get in touch if you re experiencing issues and we will help to resolve Parfitt Cresswell offer a free initial consultation to readers of The Carer

Liberty House Residents Relive Histor

Castle, Enjoy Strawberr

y Picking and Pizza Feast

full of activities

Residents of Liberty House part of the Runwood Homes group had an unforgettable outing led by Wellbeing Lead

Jody and Administrator Jen on the 5th of June The trip included a visit to Conisbrough Castle a strawberry picking excursion and a delicious meal at Pizza Hut Residents Mollie Kath and Joyce were thrilled to participate in this day filled with fun and delicious food

The adventure began with a visit to Conisbrough Castle a place of significant personal history for resident Mollie who grew up in Conisbrough The group explored the castle grounds and delved into its rich history at the on-site museum Mollie shared her memories and stories with the staff and her fellow residents bringing the castle’s past to life through her vivid recollections

Following the castle visit, the group enjoyed strawberry picking, which added a sweet and enjoyable touch to the day

The outing concluded with a meal at Pizza Hut, where everyone gathered to relax and enjoy some tasty food after a day

Jody and Jen both found the day especially meaningful as they watched the residents engage and relish the experience Jen the Homes Administrator at Liberty House shared her thoughts on the outing:

It was a lovely day out with the residents Seeing them having a great time was heartwarming and Mollie taught me lots of history about the castle I had such a great day ”

Resident Mollie expressed her gratitude and joy: “Thank you for a great day out I am so grateful I got to visit Conisbrough again and see how much it had changed

The day was not only a trip down memory lane for Mollie but also an educational and enjoyable experience for Kath and Joyce who learned about the castle’s history through Mollie’s stories The outing underscored the importance of community shared experiences and the joy of reminiscing making it a memorable day for all involved

Full Support Ser vice for Fall

More than 700 care home residents fall every day 1) Yet only 4% of falls result in injury 2) Leading elderly mobility innovator AAT has introduced an innovative way to aid fall recovery, single-handedly and effortlessly- and with long-term peace of mind

AAT’s Raizer II mobile lifting chair is a component-based portable and lightweight yet strong system that flat-packs into a convenient carry bag for storage and transportation to where needed It means anyone however slight or petite, can lift even an obese person from the floor They can do so on their own single-handedly safely and without effort

Importantly, not only does AAT supply the equipment, and train care staff in its use the company also offers comprehensive ON-SITE service & maintenance As AAT visits your premises to service the Raizer you are never without proven safe fall recovery measures

Raizer is assembled around the fallen person with minimal disturbance and minimal effort from the operator At the push of a button the battery-motorised seat gently and consistently powers the chair and occupant from flat on the floor to a safe seated position An end stop ensures the person is not over-elevated and gives the operator the correct position for dis-assembly after use

The six core elements- four identical legs and two identical back sections- quickly and easily click-fit together with no risk of incorrect assembly The occupant is fully supported throughout the process and kept stable and safe with use of the integral adjustable seat belt

Raizer can safely lift any person up to 150kg/23 5st with each charge

“Even conservative estimates put the number of falls in care homes at over 700/day nationwide(1)! observes Peter Wingrave AAT Director This is no reflection of the standard of care given It does leave the resident and care staff exposed to risk in safely getting the resident back up again particularly with the growth in obesity among residents 3

“Only 4% of falls result in injury requiring a visit to hospital Use of equipment such as Raizer II can play a key role in any good moving and handling policy It takes the effort and risk out of the procedure for all involved

Raizer is already proven in the market What differentiates it- and usnow is the fact we provide comprehensive service & maintenance, on site So there is none of the worry nor exposure of having to send it away and in the

and vacuum posture cushions Raizer is

and down the country to

A Decade Of Failure To Uphold NHS Patients’ Rights To T imely Care

New research by the Nuffield Trust shows that nine of the eleven waiting time targets set out in the health service’s contract with patients are currently not being met

Analysis by the Nuffield Trust reveals that nine of the eleven waiting time targets set out in the health service’s contract with patients [1] are currently not being met The think tank says the recovery plans set out by campaigning parties in this election are extremely ambitious but currently not based on calculations of whether the NHS can actually deliver enough care to meet them within its budget

According to a new briefing the last time a majority (6 out of the then 10) targets were met was in 2015 and the NHS has never met all eleven at the same time even counting previous similar targets The analysis also highlights a systematic inequality where people in poorer areas get worse access to planned care than richer counterparts – for example the most deprived tenth receive 20% fewer hip replacements than the English average

The authors say that the relentless focus on unachievable targets without the money capacity and efficiency to meet them has been a distraction from delivering on policies which could offer meaningful improvements in how quickly people get treated in England, such as building up out of hospital services and sustainable funding for buildings and equipment

Key findings from the analysis of waiting times part of an election project funded by the Nuffield Foundation, include

• Targets on diagnostic care and A&E waiting times have not been met since 2013 and 2015 respectively Cancer referral to treatment targets were last met in 2015 and haven t been met since

The target that 92% of treatments should be started within 18 weeks has been missed in every month since February 2016

The only targets from the constitution that the NHS meets are mental health talking therapy targets, which have been backed up by large staff and funding increases and early intervention in psychosis where the target has been repeatedly delayed or moved downwards

What health and care need from the next government: Improving access to treatment sets out a series of policy ‘tests’ that must be met to reduce NHS waiting times It warns the next government against adding new targets when existing ones are being missed as this risks eroding public trust further and will not create the change patients desperately need

In these policy tests, the Nuffield Trust calls on the next government to: only commit to new targets when there is either enough funding or a credible plan for the NHS to be more efficient; prioritise community and mental health services; spend as much on health care buildings and equipment as comparable countries and stop raiding capital budgets; cut down on small, specific, short-term financial pots for improvement; and avoid setting detailed top down targets which don t account for variation in current services Nuffield Trust Head of Public Affairs Mark Dayan said: The British public are seriously dissatisfied with NHS waits, and political parties are clamouring to convince them they have the solutions But we have seen year after year that ambitious targets and commitments fall flat unless there is enough money staff and capacity across the entire health and care system to actually make them happen

“We need to learn from the long history of waiting times getting better and worse in the NHS that what works is realistic plans you stick to over time

His Majesty King Charles III Retains Role As Abbeyfield Patron

The Care Retention Crisis: Is Understanding Thinking Styles the Key to Staff Retention?

Written by Richard Field, Organisational development and leadership consultant, and KAI

In 2022/23 social care staff

turnover was 28 3% - nearly double the UK median of 16% - with significant variation by role ranging from senior care workers (15 3%) and social workers (16 1%) to Registered Nurses (32 6%) and Care Workers, (35 6%)1 In real numbers according to the Government’s ‘Adult social care workforce in England report published in January this equates to 390,000 leavers per year, leaving over 150 000 job roles vacant For anyone that has worked in the care sector for any length of time, these figures will be hard to read, but how has the sector become so strained?

CHALLENGES FACING SOCIAL CARE

Unfortunately there isn t just one cause this retention crisis is being driven by numerous environmental factors such as an ageing population increasing demand financial pressure and operating in a postBrexit post-pandemic world Together these challenges are the cause of poor retention and result in an increasingly difficult environment for care organisations and staff The social care and health system is creaking, and radical change is needed

Within the sector comparatively low pay terms and conditions limited opportunities for career progression job insecurity, a blurring of work and home lives and dissatisfaction with care provided all impact staff Little wonder there is a retention crisis which is likely to remain despite manifesto pledges and the current trend for employees to seek job stability and security

RETENTION

The Local Government Association2 identified 25 retention tips for providers of adult social care While low pay is a recognised key retention factor national pay agreements and contract prices make it hard for home care agencies residential homes and other providers to resolve A majority of the tips concerned culture e g promoting a positive working environment and inclusivity, and embedding wellbeing

In The Positive Culture Toolkit for Adult Social Care 3 a positive workplace culture is advocated one that is inclusive compassionate and collaborative’ ‘where everyone feels valued accepted and supported where valuing the wellbeing of those who work within it as well as those drawing on care and support’ is considered important, and where everyone works together solving problems and taking shared responsibility for the success of the organisation as a whole and for the delivery of quality care and support

A positive inclusive workplace ‘enables employers to both attract and retain a diverse workforce of great staff and to invest in those who will deliver the best care and support to others ’3 DEVELOPING A POSITIVE WORKPLACE CULTURE

Many ingredients are necessary for a positive culture, including staff who show compassionate care for themselves and others possess the skills needed to work inclusively and collaboratively, and can do so with minimum difficulty Essential to this is widespread understanding of self and others coupled with the ability to flex behaviour and the capacity to cope Theories such as Belbin’s Team Roles Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBT) and Kirton s Adaption-Innovation theory (KAI) are invaluable frameworks for developing and applying the learning needed to operate a positive culture HOW THEORIES CAN HELP

Each theory focuses on some, but not all, aspects of how people differ Individuals are helped to appreciate and value difference improve coping capacity and learn how to work more effectively with those they experience as different

KAI is defined as being the preferred way in which people respond to and seek to bring about change’ Two thinking styles form the basis of the theory 4:

Adaptors who tend to know existing systems, rules and frameworks which they use as a basis for tackling problems normally resulting in incremental development

• Innovators who typically have less interest in and commitment to the status quo and are likely to challenge existing thinking and generate novel ideas that often result in step improvements in performance

KAI with its focus on thinking styles is particularly relevant at present Increased pressure to collaborate, years of adaption in social care and shifts in the external environment demand a rethink about the pur-

pose of care who should provide it and how what should be funded and by who etc The whole system requires significant change followed by continuous improvement to be fully effective and efficient Innovator and adaptor thinking are therefore both needed for whole system success

Thinking styles exist on a continuum at one end of which are strong adaptors and at the other strong innovators between which are intermediate and moderate adaptors and innovators It is important to note that neither adaptor nor innovator thinking, whether moderate, intermediate or strong is best but in some circumstances at least for a while one might be more helpful than the other

Typically people with different styles or strengths of style find collaboration difficult due to typical differences in how they think what they say and how they behave Flexing behaviour, based on knowledge of thinking styles particularly in times of change can make a significant contribution to maintaining an inclusive compassionate and collaborative workplace

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Understanding self and others developing coping capacity and finding ways of working with diverse colleagues is essential to creating a positive workplace and improving staff retention KAI and other theories are invaluable frameworks for learning how to be a productive part of a positive culture Success is more likely if leaders

Commit to creating and maintaining an inclusive compassionate and collaborative workplace

• Make necessary organisational change

Identify and tailor required learning for different staff roles, e g team members team leaders facilitators

Select an appropriate theory to underpin the learning

Develop cost-effective ways of developing the necessary skills

• Embed this learning in the culture

References

Honouring May's 102nd Birthday at Mulberr y Court

Mulberry Court part of the Runwood Homes group had the immense pleasure of celebrating the 102nd Birthday of their beloved resident, May on the 9th of June The event was an incredible occasion marked by the presence of her family friends and the staff who have the privilege of caring for her

The lounge was transformed into a vibrant celebration space decorated with colourful banners and balloons A special highlight was the 102 displayed in bright lights, which added a festive and personal touch to the event The attached pictures capture the warmth and happiness that filled the room

All staff members contributed to the event with a special mention to the Wellbeing Team and May's family who worked tirelessly to ensure the celebration was memorable Their collective efforts brought together a party that truly reflected May's remarkable spirit and strength May expressed on the day, “I love my friends

and family are here now lets eat cake!

Celebrating May's 102nd birthday is not just about acknowledging her age; it’s about honouring her incredible journey and the strength she embodies Reaching 102 years is a milestone that deserves to be celebrated with love and joy May is an inspiration to us all demonstrating resilience and grace through the years

Kirsty Edgar the Wellbeing Lead commented on the significance of this event: "It is an amazing feat reaching the grand old (‘young’) age of 102 and should be celebrated May is an amazingly strong woman so deserving to be spoilt We are all truly blessed to share in her joy and to have her as part of our community "

May s birthday was a testament to the love and care that surrounds her at Mulberry Court, and we look forward to many more celebrations with her

Blueleaf and TENA Partner to Promote Best Practice and Sustainability In Continence Care And Host Bloom and Grow Workshops

Blueleaf Care is promoting best practice in continence care to champion World Continence Week (17-21 June) to help care homes deliver better outcomes for residents and help reduce their environmental impact through the choice of products they purchase

Blueleaf will also partner with global leading continence brand TENA to run Learning Circles for carers across 16 care homes this week Each of the sessions will include discussion on best practice for care home staff with TENA experts explaining the health and sustainability benefits of using the right products for its intended purpose With two out of three people in care homes requiring continence care best practice can deliver the dual benefit of increasing a resident’s quality of life while reducing a care home’s environmental impact

In addition to the education sessions, Blueleaf and TENA are also marking World Continence Week by hosting a series of Bloom & Grow activity workshops for residents, providing sunflower seeds for them to sow in pots for their rooms or around the home These sessions are designed to support the care home’s commitment to provide social activities which are beneficial to residents cognitive function; so too is connecting with nature by handling soil watering and tending flowers Ellen Brown, Sales and Marketing Director of Blueleaf Care, says encouraging best practice is

“With

After Decades Of Dithering On Social Care

Reform, The Next Government Needs To Deliver

Urgent Action – Not More Empty Promises

Talk to anyone working within or relying upon the social care system in the UK and they will tell you just how broken it is, and probably how broken they are too as a result

Yes there are pockets of positivity and good work but the national picture is one of crisis and a sense of active denial by politicians of all persuasions to consider the ambitious solutions we need to put things right – after decades of failings by successive governments

With just days to go before the General Election, none of the manifestos from the main political parties vying for our votes at the ballot are offering any real hope for the future of social care It is a sad situation for all of us who work within the sector trying to make a difference to the lives of the people we see every day who deserve better

While my work is mainly focused on the provision of care for at-risk and vulnerable children and young people the extent of the challenge we face as a country is impacting all age groups in our society

So if there is one subject at this election that cuts through the entire population it is health and social care; young or old there may come a time for all of us when we need to reach out and ask for some help

Given this is the case why do all the recently unveiled manifestos from the main political parties in the UK fail toreally address social care head on?

The existing system has well-known problems, unchanged since they were examined by the Royal Commission on Long Term Care in 1999 Since then the solutions needed to address the changes this country requires in its social care policy and implementation have not been forthcoming – and this electioncampaign has yielded nothing new in this debate either

Both Labour and the Conservatives are offering the same old solutions of the past The Liberal Democrats have put social care at the centre of their campaign but their proposal for free personal care would not address the wider failings of the social care system

The Labour Party model of a National Care Service could have some potential, but the details are unclear

The manifesto gives no indication of how the model would be funded or what it would mean for people using services

Meanwhile the Green Party and Reform UK have suggested some interesting ideas and significant investment targets in the wider NHS with actions targeting social care provision For example Reform UK has pledged to set up a Royal Commission to look at adult social care within the first 100 days of Government

But since neither of these parties stands a chance of winning in the upcoming election these ideas are not likely to see the light of day and make it from pledge to policy

In my opinion the only way through the endless cycle of crisis identification and inaction that has dogged social care for decades requires political consensus and national engagement – which means we need a proper nationwide discussion, rather than brushing the topic aside such as has been the case duringthis election campaign

From my own professional viewpoint looking at the challenges in social care for children and young people there are several key areas where intervention and action is required:

• Access and availability: we must ensure timely access to appropriate services for children and families in need

Quality of care: we need to maintain high-quality care that meets the unique needs of children considering their developmental stages and emotional well-being

• Transition to adulthood: we need to look at how we supportthe transition from child to adult services which can be complex and challenging

Safeguarding: it is vital that we protect children from harm abuse and neglect while balancing their rights and autonomy

• Talent pool: there is a shortage of skilled professionals in child social care which needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency

Funding and resources: we will of course need to secureadequate funding and resources to provide effective services and many of the political party manifestos fall short on explaining exactly how money will be raised to pay for these

One of the main ways to achieve change for the better is I believe through more collaboration In tandem with all the above, social care reform should be seeking to coordinate efforts across agencies, schools, and healthcare providers to ensure holistic support There is considerable will and passion within the sector to put things right

Whoever gets the keys to Number 10 from 5 July onwards it is vital that social care is a top agenda item for urgent action – because the people of this country who need help the most deserve much better than another decade of decay and delay

Carers Encouraged to Share Covid-19 Experiences

The

Covid-19 Inquiry

public independent inquiry that is examining the UK s response to, and the impact of, the pandemic Its Every Story Matters platform is available to everyone to share their experiences anonymously to shape the investigation and help make a difference The inquiry’s public hearings for its investigation into the care sector will begin in summer 2025 Those with involvement in the care sector can share their story any time, but doing so before 19th July will ensure they formally feed in to the investigation

Melanie Weatherley MBE Chair of the LinCA and Co-Chair of the Care Association Alliance, said: “Recipients of care,

Housing 21 Continues To Grow Its Portfolio With Latest Extra Care Acquisition

By Gillian Ashcroft, Campaigner for Social Care Reform, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Caring for Data

Carl Selby is a partner and Head of Tech at RWK Goodman (www rwkgoodman com)

He is a member of the firm’s Health and Social Care Team

With Digitising Social Care well underway care providers are adopting new technology to digitise their care records at a rate of knots Artificial intelligence solutions are popping up left right and centre seeking to revolutionise how care providers deliver care services

Most new technology is hosted by the supplier so care providers have less direct control over their data than ever before At the same time cyber criminals are developing new ways to extort ransoms and generally cause disruption

Data breaches are now headline news You might have noticed that last year Meta were fined £1 200 000 000 by the Irish Data Commissioner and MGM in Las Vegas suffered a data breach that is thought to have cost them more than $100,000 000

Cyber criminals do not discriminate; they target anyone who might be able to afford to pay them Care providers have a greater risk profile because they inevitably process special category data (health data) which means they are expected to exercise a greater level of care Criminals hope that means care providers are more likely to pay ransoms to fix the problem the criminals have caused

With great processing power comes great data protection responsibilities Neither the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) nor CQC expect data controllers to be perfect, but they do expect data controllers to be able to show they have made a serios effort to comply with their obligations WHAT SHOULD CARE PROVIDERS DO?

In short care providers need to take steps to demonstrate they are complying with their obligations In particular,, care providers should:

- Keep records - Keep a record of processing (often called a data map) recording the personal data you collect, how it is processed and the lawful basis on which you process it

- Be transparent - Tell data subjects how you process their personal data (usually in a privacy notice) and keep it up to date

- Implement policies - Implement follow and regularly update your policies (you would be amazed how many times we see a draft a policy that has never been completed Let alone implemented!)

- Ask questions of suppliers- Complete due diligence on suppliers who process data for you Data controllers must understand how their suppliers are processing personal data for them if the supplier has appointed sub-processors and the measures the supplier takes to protect your personal data You cannot simply “trust”

the supplier or rely on its size and reputation If the platform uses AI you will need to understand how the supplier s AI model is using any data it uses to be able to tell services users how their data is being processed

- Review contracts - Make sure your contract with your supplier has appropriate data processing clauses (such clauses are mandatory) and a meaningful remedy if the supplier does not comply Suppliers usually seek to limit their liability to the amount the customer pays for the service which is likely to mean you will be out of pocket if you suffer a data breach caused by the supplier

- Safeguard data - Implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard data Simple steps such as:

o using strong passphrases and multi factor authentication for logins

o deploying appropriate firewalls and cybersecurity software

o keeping (and testing you can restore) proper backups;

o encrypting data at rest and in transit;

o implementing policies on securely storing physical documents

o using access controls to limit who can access data (especially limiting suppliers access); and

o patching systems with security updates promptly can go a long way

- Train staff- Train your staff regularly on their data protection obligations and what to do if a breach (however minor) happens Training should cover how to identify common cyber threats, such as phishing attacks, what to do if a member of staff is subject to a cyber threat The most common threats often target staff such as social engineering attacks or malware/ransomware that is introduced by email Regular training will give them the best chance to take action before a threat causes a breach

- Plan for a breach - It is a case of when not if you will have a data breach Care providers should have a plan to respond to a data breach (which is tested periodically) If a breach is notifiable you have 72 hours to report it to the ICO (including weekends and bank holidays); working out what to do when you have a breach will waste valuable time and cause unnecessary stress

- Get insurance - Cyber insurance can provide resources to deal with a data breach and cover the potential financial costs and fines

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY?

If a care provider fails to comply with their data protection obligations the consequences can be serious including:

- Operational losses – In the worst-case scenario a data breach could mean you are unable to run your business until the issue is resolved potentially giving rise to losses and cash flow issues

- Reputational damage – Will services users trust you with their care if you have a poor record on data security?

- Claims -

- Fines - The ICO can impose fines of up to £17 5m or 4% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher, if a data controller is in default of its data protection obligations Although it would take a significant breach to generate a fine at that level even smaller fines could have a significant effect on cash flow There is no substitute for taking specialist advice and implementing measures to reduce the risk Proper preparation really does prevent poor performance (and penalties!)

Beloved Team Member Retires After 24

Years at The White House Care Home

The White House care home, part of the Centrum Care Group, recently celebrated the retirement of Yvonne Jenne a dedicated team member who has served the home with distinction for 24 years At the age of 66 Yvonne has decided to hang up her uniform and embark on a new chapter of relaxation and discovery

Yvonne Jenne has been an integral part of The White House care home, working as both a health care assistant and a housekeeper Her warm presence and unwavering commitment have made her a beloved figure among both residents and the team members

Reflecting on her long tenure Yvonne shared “I have loved working at The White House because it has always felt comfortable and welcoming I enjoy spending time with the residents chatting with them and helping them in any way I can ”

Yvonne s departure will leave a significant void not only because of her hard work and dedication but also due to the personal connections she formed over the years I will miss working with all my colleagues and the lovely residents It s the people that made every day special ” she said Now that she is retiring Yvonne looks forward to a few weeks of relaxation and then plans to take life as it comes In her free time she will indulge in her

of bird stamp collecting, collecting teaspoons from different places, and creating beautiful tapestry cushions

Residents and team members at The White House shared heartfelt words about Yvonne: THE RESIDENTS:

Always happy always looked after us well always got us what we needed

"Always smiling, helpful with everything " THE TEAM:

Genuine lovely person

Always stayed over her hours until the job was done

"Never took a day s sick leave " Beautiful helpful lady

"Super star We will miss her " Happy for Yvonne but sad for us Legend

Tracie Bowen, Registered Manager of The White House care home, expressed her deep appreciation for Yvonne s years of service: Yvonne has been a cornerstone of our home Her dedication kindness and cheerful spirit have touched the lives of so many She is a true legend and while we are happy for her as she embarks on this new journey we will certainly miss her dearly Yvonne s legacy of care and compassion will always be a part of The White House ”

White Family Celebrates St Benedict’s Milestone Anniversar y

St Benedict’s, a family-run nursing home in Glastonbury, blasted off its 40th anniversary celebrations with rhythms provided by local band The Celtic Spaceship

The event brought together staff past and present friends and relatives and care home residents for a feast and a foot tapping night to remember

St Benedict s part of the White Care Group was established in 1984 by Somerset businessman Les White and his son David after they purchased the property from the Church of England

“We are honoured and overjoyed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of St Benedict s said operations manager Philip White grandson of Les and his wife Margaret

“This milestone is a testament to the dedication and compassion of our staff the unwavering support of our community and the warm loving environment we’ve cultivated over the years

Seeing the smiles on our residents faces and sharing this special day with so many who have been part of our journey is truly heartwarming

“We look forward to continuing our mission of providing exceptional care for many more years to come ”

Glastonbury band The Celtic Spaceship who create contemporary soundscapes blended with traditional Celtic and mediaeval tunes provided a musical backdrop to the party

The highlight of the evening was a surprise presentation to Dave and Sue White who were honoured with some nostalgic reminders of the home’s humble beginnings

The pair were presented with the original keys to the Old Rectory building, the first purchase ledger and some blown up shots of the home in its early days

“Attendees reminisced about the home’s history and the positive impact it has had on many lives said Philip who oversees operations at St Benedict s and two additional homes in Somerset

“The evening evoked so many happy memories and the chance to showcase the evolution of the home to the thriving business it is today Forty years after founding St Benedict s, White Care Group now employs 150 people across their care homes many of whom have worked together for years

NHS Given Mixed Bill Of Health In New Study Of International Healthcare Systems

The NHS is neither a leader nor a laggard when compared to healthcare systems of similar countries, though on some critical measures of resources and performance the UK is falling well-below average according to a major new report from The King’s Fund

The analysis of healthcare systems in 19 different countries finds that the NHS offers people good protection from the potentially catastrophic costs of ill health The researchers also found that the UK health service is amongst the most efficiently run healthcare systems for example by spending relatively little budget on administration and keeping medicines costs low

But the UK has below average health spending per person compared to other countries and underperforms significantly on many key health care outcomes including cancer survival rates and life expectancy

The report published ahead of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the NHS shows that the UK has strikingly low levels of key clinical staff with fewer doctors and nurses per head than most of its peers and a heavier reliance on internationally trained staff The UK has just 3 doctors per 1 000 people while Greece has more than twice as many, with 6 3 doctors per 1,000 people

The UK also spends less than many of its peers on physical resources such as buildings and equipment and comes bottom out of 19 countries for the number of CT and MRI scanners per person The US has five times as many scanners per person and Germany has four times as many

The report authors conclude that there is little evidence one individual country or model of health care performs consistently better than another across a range of performance measures The report finds that countries raise their standards of health care mainly by reforming and improving their existing model of health care rather than by adopting an alternative model OTHER KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE:

Of the 19 countries assessed the UK has amongst the lowest levels of life expectancy for men and women with falls in life expectancy being particularly striking since the pandemic Since 2020 only the USA has had consistently lower male and female LE than the UK While life expectancy is determined by many more factors than just health care the UK has higher levels of deaths from treatable diseases such as heart attack and stroke than the majority of its peer countries, and below average survival rates for many major cancers

The UK has relatively few hospital beds: 2 5 beds per 1,000 people compared to an average of 3 2, placing the UK second to last out of 19 peer countries

The UK spends just 1 9% of health spending on administration; the 6th lowest out of all the countries

measured The proportion of admin spend is significantly lower than the United States which spends 8 9% of health spend on admin and France which spends 5 5%

Relatively few members of the UK public have skipped seeking medical care due to cost and only a small number have trouble with medical bills compared to other countries Just 1 in 10 people think the cost of accessing treatment is a big problem

Waiting times in the UK for common procedures like knee hip and cataract operations were broadly middle of the pack compared to similar countries Like in the UK many countries in the analysis had rising waiting lists before the Covid-19 pandemic but the fall in planned operations like these was dramatically sharper in the UK in the first year of the pandemic

Commenting on the research Siva Anandaciva Chief Analyst at The King s Fund and author of the report

said: ‘As the NHS turns 75 the much-loved British institution has sadly seen better days Whilst the UK stands out in removing most financial barriers to accessing health care and the NHS is run relatively efficiently, it trails behind its international cousins on some key markers of a good healthcare system The pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic on our health service compounded the consequences of more than a decade of squeezed investment in staff, equipment and wider services that keep us well This leaves the NHS delivering performance that is middling at best and the UK must do much more to reduce the number of people dying early from diseases such as heart disease and cancer

‘Some may speculate that adopting an alternative funding model for the NHS would resolve these challenges But we found little evidence that any one country s model of health funding and delivery is inherently better than another Equally, this is not an excuse to accept the current state of the UK health service

Working to improve our existing health system whilst providing it with the adequate resources political support and long-term planning it desperately needs would give the NHS the best chance of delivering the timely high-quality care and outcomes it is capable of

The independent report which was commissioned by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry considers how the UK NHS compares on a broad range of measures to 18 similar higher income countries including France Germany Italy Sweden Japan Singapore and the USA 1 The report authors drew on the latest available evidence to examine several measures2, including the resources a health system has such as funding staff and equipment; how well the system uses those resources for example efficiency, quality of care and health outcomes; and the wider context such as the health and behaviours of a country s population

Elderly Enjoy Time Travelling Journey Down Memor y Lane

“I would replicate the bride s wedding gown as closely as possible to create a perfect match and gift them on their wedding day

They were so popular I had to have my old treadle operated Singer swapped for an electric one ” The two ladies were joined for the visit by Pelton Grange Care Home

Swift Management Ser vices Limited

NCF Members Amplify The Voices Of People In Receipt

Of Care And Support As They Speak Up For Care

The National Care Forum (NCF) has worked with its not-for-profit members to amplify the voices of older people people with learning disabilities and autistic people throughout the General Election campaign

Vic Rayner OBE CEO of NCF said: All too often the voices of people receiving care and support are not heard They are referred to in terms of numbers and data but they are very rarely approached for their individual opinions experiences and thoughts and this is something we wanted to challenge by encouraging them to speak up for care Through our members we have been able to share what people in receipt of care and support think of the parties’ election manifesto promises what they want from the next government and what social care means to them NCF members have empowered residents and the people they support to take part in the election by helping them to vote For example, Royal Star & Garter arranged for postal votes for many of their veteran residents in several of their homes

One of those residents is Yvonne who said It s important for me to vote so that my voice is heard I don’t know if I d have been able to do this without the help of staff here at Royal Star & Garter so I’m very grateful to them ”

In addition Oaklea Trust empowered by the My Vote My Voice campaign interviewed two of the young people they support, Matt and Sally, who are voting for the first time this year Matt said: Voting gives people the right to voice their opinion on how the country should be run and who it should be run by ”

Brandon Adventurers are a group of people supported by NCF members Brandon Trust The group have paid roles to advocate for people with learning

ments were: Liberal Democrats:

Crewe Pride For Older Community Returns For 2024

Care Home Resident Receives

Birthday Surprise From Her Idol, Daniel O’Donnell

Sona raises £22m to help large Social Care organisations access AI-driven WFM

We are excited to announce this new round of investment and how it will impact large Social Care organisations and their employees

Together with my fellow co-founders, Oli Johnson and Ben Dixon, we’d like to thank Felicis who led the financing with participation from Northzone, Google s AI-fund Gradient, SpeedInvest, Antler, BAG Ventures, and the numerous notable angels who participated in the round

When we founded Sona in 2021, we wanted to solve the unique challenges of frontline work with technology that empowers every employee, on every level of a large organisation

Two years later, Sona is doing just that for over 100,000 people We are grateful to the many organisations who have chosen us to support them on their digital journey, including Community Integrated Care, iVolve, Affinity, Yorkshire Care, Greensleeves Care, Cartrefi Cymru, and Livability, helping them deliver almost 5 million seamless shifts We’d also like to thank our partners who share in our vision for an integrated tech landscape for Care, including Nourish, Radar Healthcare, and Lottie

Some of the most talented and motivated people around have joined us to make this possible, and I’d like to give a particular shout-out to Hayley Horwood and Richard Upshall Together, they have more than 25 years of experience in the Care sector and their insights have guided us every step of the way

This deep involvement has taught us that the complexity associated with multi-location, 1000+ staff operations is coupled with the pressure and responsibility to provide the best care possible Social Care demands a state-ofthe-art solution, built with the kind of technology that isn’t just the latest right now, but that is flexible enough to continue being state-of-the-art ten years from now and later into the future

The financing is a big step on our journey to becoming the go-to WFM for large Social Care groups, but - more importantly - it is an investment in the sector as a whole

Over the past year, we ve seen demand for a nextgeneration solution like Sona increase fourfold Our

partners are looking to make their operations more efficient and reliable, improve staff satisfaction, and become financially sustainable organisations that can easily grow and support more people

The fact that we can confidently say Sona is a solution that pays for itself - and then more! - is something we re incredibly proud of because it provides organisations with a new revenue source they can re-invest into employee wellbeing and a better experience for the people they care for

So, what does this mean for the Care sector?

1. A truly intelligent AI-driven solution

We want to empower Social Care enterprises to forecast their staff needs based on what is best for the people they support with maximum accuracy and automatically tailor their operations accordingly This will help organisations speed up their scheduling, gain real-time views of their shift runs, and encourage growth in a way that tech simply hasn t in the last decade Previously, the focus was mostly on digitising paper-based processes, but as many organisations are now starting a vendor-replacement cycle, we want to provide them with a real nextgeneration solution

2 Automated HR processes

Our HR solution is already closely linked to Scheduling and communicates seamlessly as solutions built to work together from day one should The next step is to bring automation to the HR processes that currently take up the most time and are heavily prone to errors Our goal is to make the data we feed into our Payroll engine as accurate as possible and remove the potential for mistakes to snowball, leading to drops in employee satisfaction, more admin time, and even legal risks down the line

3. User-first technology

One implementation challenge organisations have experienced with legacy software is low tech adoption rates from frontline staff But what oftentimes is seen as fear of change, is actually a natural reaction to employee apps which were not designed to be accessible The Sona mobile app - together with all our interfaces - is built with usability in mind and consumer-grade standards We want to enrich this experience with even more features that make user life more efficient and increase satisfaction, particularly around self-service and onboarding new staff We believe the first impression new employees get of their organisation and its processes is key to their retention

4 High-quality research and contributions to Social Care in the UK

The feedback we’ve received for our industry-leading reports, webinars, and other research activities has always been incredible and we re only looking to add more Social Care is first and foremost about the people and the community We plan to continue reporting on the pulse of the sector, bring together leaders and visionaries to share their insights, and always spotlight the many opportunities Care offers At the same time, we want to expand our existing charitable contributions and make sure that we re always giving back to those on the frontline

committed our Customer Success and Implementation teams are to always going the extra mile, helping them optimise and grow their business We want to make sure that as we grow ourselves, we only improve this experience and provide even more comprehensive support every step of the way For that we ll be on the lookout for the best talent available

Overall, with Sona, I like to think of it as building the “selfdriving car” of running a Care business The last 20 years of workforce management were dominated by legacy point solutions that digitised simple paper processes Sona is building the next generation of WFM with a truly intelligent platform that enables organisational leaders in complex, multi-location enterprises to put the right people, in the right place, at the right time; and to seamlessly manage their workforce end-to-end

We believe we can deliver this because our exponential growth has been driven by tangible factors: speed of product delivery, high configurability, and sector expertise

Unlike legacy platforms, Sona s technology has been built from the ground up for real-time data processing and insights Leveraging the Elixir programming language and large language models - similar to what powers tools like ChatGPT - we offer AI-powered real-time actionable feedback which helps drive intelligent decision making and leads to real workforce productivity gains The trust of our investors so far has yielded a total of £30 millionfunds that we see contributing to the development of the sector as a whole

“We are proud to lead Sona's Series A round and support its mission to empower frontline enterprises with cuttingedge workforce management solutions ” We believe in Sona s potential to redefine how businesses [ ] manage their workforce, and we ' re excited to be part of their journey towards reshaping the future of work Ben, Oli, Steffen and the Sona team have already helped over 100,000 frontline workers schedule shifts, and we know so many more will appreciate smarter software that enables their work ” Niki Pezeshki, General Partner at Felicis

As we continue to innovate, our mission remains clear: to transform the outdated tools that have hindered Care enterprises in the past and usher in a new era of intelligent WFM that drives efficiency, employee wellbeing, and, ultimately, the delivery of exceptional care

Steffen Wulff Petersen Sona CEO and Co-Founder

5. A trustworthy partnership for all our UK customers

Our partners have consistently highlighted how

Sona co-founders Ben Dixon Steffen Wulff Petersen and Oli Johnson

Birmingham Hospice Announces Redundancies Amid Funding Crisis

Birmingham Hospice has announced that it is proposing to make significant redundancies as it faces unsustainable rising costs and an estimated £2 4 million deficit budget this year

The charity is being forced to reduce its number of inpatient beds and cut the equivalent of 45 full-time roles – around 14% of its overall workforce

In common with hospices across the country, the last few years have seen big increases in its costs, including the price paid for energy food and drugs – and the funding it receives from the NHS has not risen at the same rate

As the gap between costs and income continues to rise significantly senior leaders from Birmingham Hospice have called crisis talks with NHS commissioners to negotiate additional funding Numerous meetings have taken place with the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) but while they recognise the hospice’s value and the risks associated with a reduction in service levels they also have a funding shortfall and are having to make savings themselves

Since Birmingham Hospice was formed in 2021 from the merger of Birmingham St Mary s Hospice in Selly Park and John Taylor Hospice in Erdington, it has already made significant cost savings by merging management and support staff roles The hospice also made further efficiency savings earlier this year which resulted in a small number of posts being made redundant

The hospice has sought to draw attention to its plight through lobbying at a local and national level

including a petition and meetings with local MPs and councillors It has also supported the national campaigning by industry body Hospice UK, which led to a debate in parliament; however, the government response was that funding decisions were a matter for local ICBs and no additional money would be provided Simon Fuller CEO of Birmingham Hospice said: The prospect of having to make highly skilled specialist end of life clinicians and support staff redundant is totally unpalatable We are doing everything we can to support all our hospice colleagues through this difficult time

Birmingham Hospice has been working with Hospice UK and other hospices nationally to seek support to address the financial challenges across the sector The problem has been discussed in Parliament; but the current administration has passed the problem to local commissioners who have not been able to provide additional funding Reducing hospice services is bad for the people of Birmingham, the health care system and those who will be affected by the proposed redundancies

“There is a growing need for palliative and end of life care and the NHS is unable to meet the huge demands on its beds Most people do not want to die in hospital and hospices provide outstanding services that support people to die in a place of their choosing

“Amanda Pritchard, CEO of NHS England, outlined at the NHS ConfedExpo in June how better end of life care in the community could free up NHS bed spaces equivalent to building three new hospitals If this is to be realised then surely better funding of hospice services is a must All we can hope is that after the election we will see a sensible discussion on the future of hospice care ”

Lucy Watkins Income Generation Director at Birmingham Hospice said I d like to thank those in the community who have supported us over many years We need your support now more than ever, and this

year saw the launch of our Crisis Appeal which has once again seen people give what they can to help us

“Our current situation is no reflection on the generous support we receive, and is entirely down to a lack of government funding for the hospice sector While this shortfall cannot be covered by fundraising alone we are hugely grateful for everyone’s support, whether that is through donating to us, taking part in one of our events or visiting one of our shops

Works Begin On £16m New-Build Care Home In Bur y St Edmunds

changing needs of older

people will provide residential care nursing and residential dementia support for up to 64 people A sustainable approach including using more energy efficient technologies and materials has been adopted where possible throughout the Home

Mark LLoyd, RMBI Care Co s Managing Director says: Our new-build Home will provide residents with thoughtful and purposedesigned environments that enhance and promote wellbeing Cornwallis Court is currently rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission and this will help to further strengthen the exceptional care staff provide

Added Value Enterprises - Sustainable Solutions for Social Care

Culture From 30 Countries Celebrated With A Food Festival At Didcot Care Home, The Meadows

Sustainable solutions for Social Care.

Social care organisations have a lot on their plate without a supply chain review getting in the way We collaborate with social care organisations and care homes across the country, taking care of the time-consuming details, and achieving the good value they deserve

With a robust, ethical, highly traceable supply chain, we deliver expert food, beverage, and non-food purchasing solutions that save time and money That means more time to focus on what matters, like supporting patient wellbeing with exceptional quality produce

Let's achieve new efficiencies today Sustainable sourcing for social care organisations and care homes.

We know how important sourcing is to social care organisations and care homes You need to know where your food, beverages and non-food are coming from, but that often means paying more than you should

At AVE, we don t believe that there should ever be a choice between ethics and value We offer sustainable sourcing that is good for the planet and your bottom line Social care purchasing.

Social care organisations choose us as their partner because we know the particular requirement of this challenging field We deliver a lean robust supply chain that works for your patients and people In a busy market we cut through the obscurity and complicated language to find the deals that matter to you achieving the quality you deserve at prices you didn't know were possible

How's that for a healthy supply chain? Your social care purchasing partner.

Achieve lean, robust food and non-food supply for your social care business or care home Our purchasing experts have spent years working in the social care sector, identifying the particular needs of people in this challenging field and delivering on time every time Sustainable produce, better prices and the quality you deserve Social care food management consultancy. inspire healthcare chefs and catering staff with quality menus and recipes that your patients will love Our food management consultants have worked with health and social care organisations and care homes across the UK, crafting bespoke menus that deliver on price and taste We'll even help you navigate the tricky territory of special diets and allergens with ease Social care in-house catering solutions.

Catering can be tricky to go at alone Why not partner up? Trust us to lend a specialist hand across every aspect of your food operation, and guarantee the best results - safety and sustainability assured

Impact Healthcare Sells Five Care Homes

Impact Healthcare REIT a real estate investment trust comprising UK healthcare real estate assets with a focus on care homes has sold five of its non-core care homes for £8 8 million Impact has exchanged on the sale of three care homes in East Yorkshire for a total consideration of £4 3 million Ashgrove Care Home, a 56-bed care home in Cleethorpes; Emmanuel House a 44-bed care home in Hessle; and Hamshaw Court a 45-bed care home in Hull

The purchaser is a local owner and operator of care homes and the transaction is subject to re-registration of the care home operations from the current tenant, Minster Care Management Limited (“Minster”), to the purchaser which requires the approval of the independent regulator the Care Quality Commission (“CQC”) Completion is expected during the third quarter of this year

In addition to the above disposals Impact

and

Orchard Blythe Hosts A Thrilling Ladies’ Day At The Races

testament to the spirit of community at Orchard Blythe where staff residents and families united to create unforgettable moments Prizes were awarded for everything from winning bets to the best-dressed horse adding a

and

themselves

heartwarming It was more than just an event; it was a day filled with laughter

Chris a family member expressed “We had a fantastic time! The staff went above and beyond to make it special for everyone It was wonderful to see our loved ones having such a great time and being part of such a joyful occasion

Resident Rita, beaming with joy said, “Staff all put in so much effort, and we all had a wonderful time It was lovely to see everyone having such fun together ” Ladies’ Day at Orchard Blythe not only entertained but also strengthened bonds within the community creating cherished memories and reinforcing the home’s commitment to providing vibrant and engaging experiences for residents

Unlocking Innovation and Collaboration: The Care & Occupational Therapy Show

The Care & Occupational Therapy Show scheduled for July 17th at Westpoint Exeter is poised to be a pivotal event in the fields of care and occupational therapy With an extensive lineup of CPD-accredited seminars keynote speakers networking opportunities and expert exhibitors this event offers a comprehensive platform for professionals to explore the latest trends exchange ideas and foster collaborations

At the heart of the event are the CPD-accredited seminars and keynote speeches which promise to provide attendees with invaluable insights and knowledge Renowned experts will take the stage to address pressing issues share innovative strategies, and discuss emerging trends shaping the future of care and therapy From advancements in assistive technologies to holistic approaches to patient care attendees can expect to gain a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of their professions

Networking lies at the core of The Care & Occupational Therapy Show offering attendees the chance to connect with peers, industry leaders, and potential collaborators Whether you're seeking to expand your professional network explore career opportunities or forge strategic partnerships the event provides a conducive environment for meaningful interactions Through structured networking sessions informal discussions and dedicated meeting spaces attendees can leverage the collective expertise and experiences of their peers to drive innovation and excellence in their practice In addition to the educational and networking aspects the show boasts a vibrant exhibition floor featuring

expert exhibitors showcasing the latest products services and solutions

From state-of-the-art assistive devices to innovative therapeutic interventions attendees have the opportunity to explore a diverse range of offerings from leading industry providers The exhibition serves as a hub for discovering cutting-edge technologies exploring new approaches to patient care and staying abreast of industry developments

Furthermore, the event caters to professionals at every stage of their career journey from seasoned practitioners to students and newcomers to the field For students and recent graduates, the show offers valuable insights into the profession career guidance and networking opportunities to kickstart their careers For established professionals, it presents a platform to stay updated on the latest advancements expand their knowledge base and connect with peers to drive continuous improvement and innovation in their practice

The Care & Occupational Therapy Show is a must-attend event for professionals seeking to stay ahead of the curve in the dynamic fields of care and occupational therapy By combining CPD-accredited education networking opportunities, and expert exhibitors under one roof, the event promises to unlock innovation foster collaboration and empower attendees to drive positive change in their practice and the broader healthcare community Mark your calendars for July 17th and join us at Westpoint Exeter for a day of inspiration education and networking at the forefront of care and occupational therapy

Get your free tickets today using the link below www eventbrite com/e/care-occupational-therapy-show-2024-tickets-875814373367

Cedars Care Home Brings Home Prestigious Palliative Award

Cedars Care Home has won the Support for Family Carers Award at the recent final of the Palliative and End-of-Life Awards The Support for Family Carers Award recognises exceptional support provided to residents and their families at an emotional time within a comfortable and welcoming environment

The Cedars team and Debbie Day the home s end-of-life lead (and national winner of the Great British Care Awards’ palliative care trophy in 2019), did exactly that, according to the judges They described Cedars as A wonderful team that should take pride in their work adding The organisation s culture emphasises care and meticulous attention to detail They not only support the residents and their families but also care for each other

“Winning

The Southend-based home was also a finalist in the Palliative Residential Care Provider category, with Debbie in the running for The Lifetime Achievement to Excellence in Palliative Care Award

Debbie says: “To be finalists in no fewer than three categories, among such an amazing array of top palliative care is incredible but it s such an achievement for the home to win the Support for Family Carers Award Cedars’ view is that death should be seen as another important part of life s journey just as birth is We believe in giving someone the death they want and then it’s all about getting those arrangements in place in good time not at the last minute The person s wishes should always be respected says Debbie

Veteran Friendly Framework: One Year Impact

As communities marked Armed Forces Day on 29th June, a project which supports veterans in care homes celebrates its first anniversary Designed for use in residential settings for older people the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) helps providers to offer appropriate support for veterans living in care homes across England It will deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes for over 25,000 veterans, plus partners of veterans

The Framework supports care home staff in identifying veterans and their wellbeing needs, addressing social isolation and providing signposting to statutory and charitable services It is a quality improvement programme and is free to care providers

The VFF is a two-year collaboration between Armed Forces charities Royal Star & Garter the Royal British Legion and the NHS Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA – an NHS flagship Armed Forces programme) with funding support from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust One year on and the programme has had a huge impact already Thirtyeight care homes have achieved VFF status and of these five have also successfully undergone their first-year review Eighty homes are currently working towards VFF status and nearly 100 more are engaged in discussions about taking part Estimates indicate that the programme is already supporting 1 500 veterans and partners and benefitting the wider residential care community too The standards align to the Care Quality Commission s assessments, helping care providers to produce evidence of quality improvement and demonstrate to relatives and new enquirers their commitment to evolving their care

St Mary s Care Homes runs seven nursing residential and dementia homes in Yorkshire all of which have achieved VFF status within the past four months Operations Manager Adam Ward said its impact was already being felt in this short time “It’s allowed us as a care team to understand a little bit more about the resident and what they ve been through,” he said “This improves our approach - it’s important to us that everyone’s care is person-centred, to give them the best possible outcomes

Mr Ward said the VFF programme has opened doors to local communities, with visits from cadets and Royal British Legion branches and it has been good for business: Some of our veterans don t see themselves as ex-military, because the Armed Forces never really left them It’s really important that we appreciate this in the care we provide and that we build links with the wider community to support our veterans and help us understand what they ve been through “Our homes haven’t been VFF-approved for long but it s already generated a lot of activity and interest

from people visiting the homes and in the wider community We’ve seen an increase in occupancy in some of our homes especially those which have a big Forces community around it like Hull and East Ridings One of our Homes has achieved VFF status despite having no veterans because we recognised the benefits the Framework still delivers and there s every chance they will have veterans in the future ”

Non-veterans have also benefited from the VFF through visitors to the homes and in other ways Mr Ward said: “Non-veterans talk about their own experiences They may not have served themselves but a parent may have or relative or a friend, and that creates a greater level of engagement and communication

Mr Ward finished: When I look at it all together I can clearly see the VFF is starting to have an impact already and it’s going to have a greater impact as we go on We ve learnt we re part of a bigger community than we thought We’ve learnt that some staff members are veterans, we’ve learnt that residents relatives are veterans or actively serving It s been a really good journey so far, and we’re only at the beginning of it I’m excited to see where it will lead us and I d encourage every other care home to do it too to help the people they care for ”

Andy Cole Chief Executive at Royal Star & Garter said “I m delighted that the VFF has had such a big impact on the lives of veterans in just one year The benefits of being involved are many, and I look forward to more care homes joining the VFF family

Mark Atkinson, Director General, Royal British Legion, said: “It’s great to hear some of the many benefits that the VFF is having on veterans across the country We re proud to be a partner in this important project and that RBL’s six care homes have now all been accredited by the VFF scheme We believe it is making a real and meaningful impact on those members of the Armed Forces community who are living in care homes

Prof Tim Briggs CBE, National Clinical Director for NHS Improvements and Operational Recovery, said: We are delighted that together Royal Star & Garter and RBL have been able to extend the work NHS trusts are doing, accrediting as Veteran Aware, into Veteran Friendly (VFF) care homes The VFF programme is enhancing the support and wellbeing available to those who have served their country and accrediting via the Veteran Friendly Framework is one way of paying back the debt that we owe them ” Any care homes interested in receiving more information about the VFF can visit https://veteranfriendlyframework org uk email VFF@starandgarter org or call 07425 326070

Eckington Resident Reflects On His War Time Efforts

During The Korean War This Armed Forces Day

Bridport Residents Reflect On War Time Efforts This Armed Forces Day

St Mary’s Riverside Home Manager Laura Barnsley with resident and RAF veteran Keith St Mary s Riverside was the first home from the St Mary s Care Homes group to achieve VFF status

HC-One Signs Armed Forces Covenant

Care provider HC-One is proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant as part of its commitment to being an inclusive employer and to support the Armed Forces community

HC-One’s signing of the Armed Forces Covenant acknowledges and understands the needs of the Armed Forces community actively providing employment opportunities to the Armed Forces community ensuring that no member of the Armed Forces community faces disadvantage because of their service, and that special consideration may be provided to those who are injured or bereaved HC-One are proud to sign the Armed Forces Covenant as a promise to those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families to be treated fairly

HC-One invites members of the Armed Forces community to consider a career in care a sector with a number of different roles and opportunities on offer to make a difference to the lives of residents living in its care homes

HC-One colleagues receive enhanced rates of pay that progress with their experience; have access to an award-winning Learning and Development team platform; are provided with multiple opportunities

to be an equal opportunity employer

Kevina Turnbull Head of Resourcing at HC-One commented: We are delighted at HC-One to have cho-

sen to sign the Armed Forces Covenant to demonstrate our organisation’s support for the Armed Forces community and the principles of the Covenant

“We hope these steps demonstrate HC-One’s aim to commit to being an inclusive employer and also encourage members of the Armed Forces community to consider exploring a rewarding career in care

Mark Meacham, aged 53, who is Head of Catering and Housekeeping Support Services at HC-One served for 24 years in the Armed Forces joining at the age of 16 years old in 1988 as an apprentice and left in 2011 After leaving the Forces, Mark pursued a career in another trade as a Fibre Optic Engineer but his passion was in catering Mark applied for the role of Hospitality Specialist at HC-One in 2015 which was Mark’s first experience of working in catering and the social care sector and he has never looked back since Mark has continued to progress and develop in his career at HC-One becoming Head of Catering & Housekeeping Support Services in 2020

Mark Meacham Head of Catering and Housekeeping Support Services at HC-One stated: The difficulty for anyone leaving the Armed Forces is the ability for them to transfer the skills they have gained during their career into what is wanted in civilian terminology, and too often they undersell themselves

“HC-One judge people on their life experience understanding that what is written on paper is not necessarily what you get and can see the potential in well trained disciplined and trustworthy people who will work hard and will never let you down

Keighley Care Home Brings Residents

Together With Militar y Inspired Summer Fair

HICA Group Announces Specialised Veteran Care Initiative

Patient Hygiene Wipes Promote An Individualised Approach To Cleansing For Those Receiving Care

Unigloves Rebrands Its Derma Shield Workplace Skincare System

The Importance of Nutrition and Hydration in a Care Home Setting

By Rob Henry, Head of Culinary Solutions and Compliance

assistance with eating and drinking skills as well as the provision of meals

With that in mind, it s essential that you re not only aware of the food and drink regulations in place but how you can build on these to improve your offering and services within a care home environment WHAT HAPPENS IF RESIDENTS DON’T RECEIVE THE RIGHT NUTRITION?

With age malnutrition can become more of a concern It s estimated that around 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 are either malnourished, or at risk Changes that the elderly go through can lead to things like a diminished appetite or even a loss of interest in food not to mention

health conditions or changing health needs that can also impact the amount of nutrition a person receives It s important to remember that residents may be a healthy weight but could still not be getting the right nutrients they need Other signs of malnutrition might include things like muscle weakness feeling tired increased falls or even poor wound healing

What s more older people will find it more difficult to absorb vitamin D through sunlight, and so this must be considered in their diet

Similarly older adults can also be a higher risk of becoming dehydrated as they may not recognise the feeling of thirst the way they used to FOOD AND DRINK REGULATIONS FOR CARE HOMES

The Health and Social Care Act of 2008 was brought in to ensure all care home settings registered with the Care Quality Commission and complied with its requirements It’s deemed to be one of the most significant reforms of social care in decades

In particular, Regulation 14 states that the nutritional and hydration needs of residents must be met WHAT CARE HOMES CAN DO

With that in mind it’s important that care homes have the right measures in place to keep residents as healthy as possible when it comes to nutrition and hydration Here are some tips on how carers and kitchen staff can work together to further improve the system in place

Regular assessments: Every resident will have different needs and so by

carrying out frequent assessments you can determine more accurately whether residents are getting what they need from their current meals and drinks This also gives you the chance to identify

Personalised plans:

to allergies medical conditions and also flavour and texture preferences

• Ongoing education: It’s hugely important to carry out regular

and

or malnourishment It also means they

to help residents improve their health and wellbeing

Emotional support and reassurance In some cases residents may hold back on eating or drinking because of worries with incontinence It’s absolutely pivotal that carers can give the right emotional support and are able to reassure residents on this topic

Nutrition and Hydration Essential To Residents’ Health and Wellbeing

LAUNDRY SOLUTIONS

The Importance of Proper Laundr y Practices in Care Environments

Laundry is one of the major cleaning and hygiene challenges for care homes

For care homes maintaining impeccable cleanliness is more than a routine task; it is a vital responsibility The elderly and those with compromised health are particularly susceptible to infections making rigorous hygiene standards essential Professional laundry systems are engineered to meet these stringent requirements ensuring that every piece of linen from bed sheets to residents' clothing is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized

Unlike domestic machines commercial laundry systems are designed to handle large volumes with consistent efficacy They maintain precise water temperatures and use specialized detergents capable of eradicating harmful pathogens This level of thoroughness is crucial in environments where the risk of infection is high MINIMISING INFECTIONS AND CROSS-CONTAMINATION

Infection control is a critical concern in care homes Pathogens such as MRSA E coli and norovirus pose significant threats to residents Professional laundry systems play a key role in mitigating these risks by incorporating advanced features designed to prevent cross-contamination Barrier washers for instance have separate compartments for dirty and clean laundry ensuring that contaminants are contained and do not spread to freshly laundered items

Programmable wash cycles in these systems can be tailored to different textile types and soil levels, optimizing the disinfection process Furthermore innovations like ozone technology enhance sanitization while allowing for lower temperature washes, preserving fabric quality and extending the life of linens THE ROLE OF TRAINING AND SAFETY

Effective laundry management in care homes extends beyond the machines themselves Proper training for staff is critical to ensure that laundry processes are carried out safely and effectively Understanding how to use detergents correctly is a key aspect of this training Professional laundry detergents are formu-

lated to be both powerful against germs and safe for sensitive skin but improper use can diminish their effectiveness or even pose safety hazards

Staff must be trained in the correct handling and dosing of these detergents to maximize their benefits while ensuring safety Additionally, training on the use of laundry equipment helps prevent operational errors and promotes adherence to hygiene protocols

SAFEGUARDING YOUR RESIDENTS

In conclusion the importance of best laundry practices in care homes cannot be overstated By implementing effective laundry procedures care facilities can safeguard the health and well-being of residents maintain a clean and hygienic environment, and ultimately enhance the quality of care provided Prioritising proper laundry practices is a fundamental aspect of upholding the highest standards of cleanliness and ensuring the comfort and safety of individuals in care homes

P&G Professional have a suite of well-known and respected products across the sector for powerful cleaning and lower operational costs

Ariel Professional Washing Powder Antibacterial is a professional detergent specially formulated to deliver excellent stain removal and deep down cleaning at low temperature Ariel Professional delivers unrivalled cleaning and antibacterial protection at low temperatures and with short washing cycles thereby reducing energy and time costs whilst still getting things clean There is also an added benefit in that many P&G Professional products have similar names and smells as their domestic ranges giving a feeling of comfort and familiarity to residents and their families

Hygiene and infection control is vital and at the top of the agenda for care homes but we can be comforted to know we are going into battle with some of the most reliable and scientifically proven products that P&G Professional have developed with their unparalleled experience of engaging with the care sector and with the most comprehensive scientific rigour

Revolutionising Care Home Laundr y: The Genius Choice

INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

The Transformative Role of Music in Care Communities

In life where memories intertwine with the present there's a profound need for companionship understanding and support – especially for those navigating the complexities of dementia We know that Dementia isn t just a medical condition; it s a complicated journey for over 90 000 people in Scotland today marked by profound emotional upheaval and huge uncertainty As such we believe that approaches to this delicate type of care must transcend clinical protocols and embrace the little things when it comes to human experience For example music!

When the rhythm of life slows to a gentle rhythm in the quiet corridors of care facilities, music can be a powerful force and breathe vibrancy and vitality into the lives of those who need it most What we have found is that for those navigating the complexities of dementia, the role of music

surpasses mere entertainment it becomes a lifeline A conduit for connection and a source of comfort

In my time in my role I personally have witnessed first-hand the great impact of music in nurturing mental physical and emotional wellbeing among the 3 500 people benefiting from our Dementia Day Care Services every year We have all been exposed to music in some way in our lives –whether by listening to recordings playing an instrument attending concerts or dancing From lively sing-alongs to serene music therapy sessions partaking in a symphony of experiences when living with dementia can awaken hidden memories, stir dormant emotions and reignite feelings of joy and camaraderie

In fact a study comparing standard care to regular singing or music listening sessions over 10 weeks in 89 people with dementia (type not specified) music sessions improved general cognition (MMSE score) attention and executive function compared to standard care Singing appeared to evoke personal remote memories by increasing recall of names of children friends and immediate short story recall

One of our flagship programmes the Music Wellbeing Programme stands as a testament to the power of communal music-making Led by talented musicians and dedicated staff members this dementia-inclusive activity serves as a sanctuary where residents and caregivers alike gather to share stories create melodies and forge lasting connections Through familiar tunes, we witness the emergence of radiant smiles, the tapping of feet, and the stirring of long-forgotten memories, as residents reclaim moments of joy and belonging Music really does serve as a universal language for us all overcoming factors such as age cognition and physical ability

Could your centre or service partner with local entertainers or other community organisations to incorporate music within your care community? From lively dance performances to intimate acoustic sessions these

collaborative endeavours create an environment with an infectious energy, lifting spirits and fostering a sense of collective celebration

The Eric Liddell Community stands as a centre of hope, redefining the landscape of dementia care with innovation compassion, and inclusivity Our namesake – a Scottish legend, sports person and missionary – strived to create a world where no one felt isolated or alone Where every individual's journey is met with dignity and respect

Based on the substantial evidence that music offers numerous health benefits we’d highly recommend that your establishment considers introducing music entertainment and community engagement Together we can all create moments of joy connection and meaning for those who need it most

Recreo VR - Bringing a Change of Scener y to Care

Recreo VR’s innovative service has been proven to enhance the mental and social well-being of those living with dementia through person-centered virtual experiences Our headsets are a fun and exciting way to personalize care enhance activities and improve the quality of life of your residents

We partner with the Alzheimer’s Society and our service has been co-designed with those affected by dementia offering an intuitive VR interface for carers to select experiences and environments that are meaningful, engaging, and suitable for residents to enjoy In a recent evaluation of our product with over 100 people living with dementia 97% of residents engaged with our headsets 86% said they enjoyed it and wanted to access VR more in their care Our headsets also helped residents recall memories improved mood and wellbeing over

Coordinate Activities For Elderly People and Seniors with Hashtag Quiz

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Music for Health: Enhancing Lives Through Musical Workshops INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

Founded in 2001 Music for Health has been making significant strides in improving the well-being of residents in Care Homes and Nursing Homes across England and Wales These workshops are thoughtfully designed to engage participants in a variety of activities including dancing with instruments singalongs and interactive quizzes

The program s multifaceted approach is particularly beneficial for residents suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's Music known for its therapeutic properties provides a stimulating environment that promotes both physical and mental activity Dancing helps improve motor skills and coordination while the rhythmic aspects of music can trigger memory and emotional responses providing a sense of familiarity and comfort

Sing-alongs create a communal atmosphere encouraging social interaction and reducing feelings of isolation The quizzes not only entertain but also stimulate cognitive function challenging the brain and helping to maintain mental acuity

Overall, Music for Health’s workshops offer a holis-

tic approach to care ensuring that elderly residents remain active engaged and socially connected By bringing the joy of music into care homes this initiative continues to make a profound impact on the lives of many fostering a sense of community and wellbeing

To expand our reach and impact Music for Health is currently recruiting more Area Directors to join our team across the United Kingdom If you have a passion for music and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others, we encourage you to contuct us and help us bring the healing power of music to more communities

Contact Carl on 07712 669456, email musicforhealthrecruitment@gmail com or visit www musicforhealthteam co uk

PLEASE MENTION THE CARER WHEN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISING

Activities to Share

Tired of the same old song and dance when it comes to planning engaging activities? Well fear not! Activities to Share is here to sprinkle some excitement into your daily routine

If you ve been feeling like you re stuck in a creative rut we ve got the antidote Picture this a wonderland of activity ideas free downloads that are basically the golden ticket to fun and a treasure trove of products that'll make your heart skip a beat (in a good way)

We get it – after a while even the most fantastic activities can start feeling a bit blah That's why we've scoured the corners of creativity to bring you fresh fabulous ideas that'll have you and your crew grinning from ear to ear

Our website, activitiestoshare co uk, is your go-to haven for all things fun and engaging Need a burst of

The Role Of Memor y Lane Games In Person-Centred Care Planning

Digital therapeutics can be effective and efficient tools to enhance and support care plans in many different ways including intervention and management of physical well-being cognitive stimulation emotional and mental health and clinical monitoring

Memory Lane Games as an example uses therapeutic interventions driven by specialized software that helps those living with dementia and their care teams manage specific needs and improve clinical outcomes through dementia-specific games The app is an adaptive solution which is tailored over time to individual needs More specifically it makes for more effective care delivery in the following ways

Creating Engagement by employing personalised and localised games to not only trigger positive memories but also foster improved socialisation address social isolation and improve communication and understanding of a person s likes dislikes and needs

Supporting health equity with multinational multicultural multi language localised content

Through its ava lability and portab lity the app can be employed at a moment’s notice, when it is most

Timeless Presents - Enhancing Lives Through Connection and Engagement

After her father s passing from Alzheimer s Sharon Daltrey and her husband Chris founded Timeless Presents a company devoted to encouraging engagement and communication for those living with dementia by promoting cognitive stimulation emotional engagement and sensory assistance Drawing from their personal experiences and informed by the challenges her father faced, Sharon and Chris embarked on a mission to make a difference in the lives of individuals currently living with dementia The Activity Coordinator at Forbury Residential Home had this to say “We won some prizes in a competition and our residents really enjoyed them The Curiosity Box is amazing for one of our residents who continually claps her hands Since having the Curiosity Box she has been occupied with it and engaged in a meaningful way Our residents are also loving the puzzles and coloring books Thank you so much for giving our residents a better quality of life At Timeless Presents Sharon and Chris are dedicated to developing innovative solutions that promote meaningful interaction and enhance quality of life for individuals with dementia By adopting principles discovered during her father s later stages of Alzheimer s and incorporating current research, Timeless Presents designs familiar and accessible activities that inspire reminiscence and positive practices without requiring any training For example their Sentimental Seaside Puzzle’ is a familiar activity that has been adapted to overcome sensory difficulties that those with dementia may have while incorporating a vibrant design that is familiar and may prompt conversation and reminiscence In a significant milestone Timeless Presents recently achieved accredi-

Focus Games - Game Based Training for Ever y Situation

tation from the internationally renowned Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) for three products being the first time that they had assessed any activities This accreditation underscores the company s commitment to creating dementia-inclusive products that meet the highest standards of quality and effectiveness They will be exhibiting at stand A16 at The Alzheimer s & Dementia Show on 14-15th June 2024 where you will be able to meet them see their products and get a first look at their Timeless Train Set prototype With a focus on accessibility and impact Timeless Presents aims to empower individuals with dementia and their caregivers to navigate the challenges of dementia with dignity and joy Through their innovative approach and dedication to excellence Timeless Presents is shaping the future of dementia care one meaningful interaction at a time 07936 408

New Award-Winning Seated Dance Activity Programme

A Comprehensive Approach to Managing Falls Among Elderly Residents: A Nursing and Operational Perspective

By

As the Director of Operations and Commissioning at Langdale Care Homes, and a seasoned nurse with over 20 years in the healthcare industry, I have witnessed first-hand the challenges posed by falls among elderly residents It is a subject close to my heart, and I feel it is of utmost importance to share our comprehensive and sensitive approach to this matter

Falls can have devastating effects on the physical, mental, and emotional health of our elderly residents leading to injury hospitalisation and a decline in confidence and independence However they are not an inevitable part of ageing With effective strategies and due diligence we can significantly reduce the risk and impact of falls Our approach is rooted in individualised care Each resident is unique and so too are their risks and vulnerabilities A thorough and personalised risk assessment is the cornerstone of our falls management strategy The assessment covers a wide range of areas from physical health mobility and medication to environmental factors within the home

In terms of physical health we pay keen attention to conditions known to increase fall risk such as poor vision arthritis and neurological impairments Regular health check-ups coupled with personalised exercise programmes to improve strength and balance have proven highly effective Our team works closely with residents ensuring they feel comfortable and confident in performing these exercises

Medication can also significantly influence fall risk As a nurse I understand the complex interactions between various drugs and how they can affect balance and coordination Therefore we regularly review residents'

Fall Savers - Affordable Fall Monitoring Solutions

NURSE CALL AND FALLS

Reducing Falls with Bide

Dr Tom Adler was a GP for 30 years He often witnessed the devastating effects of accidental falls on the faller their carers and also the resource implications for the NHS and Social Care

Tom

“Falls

“Although there were many innovations

Stay Safe with Smart Wireless Nurse Call

In

increasing

of

and other more local issues which have driven up the rate of inflation over the last few years The impact of this meant that most manufacturers of electronic products had to increase their prices as costs spiralled This of course has impacted the end user The most dramatic impact has been on the Care Industry An industry that has lacked the support it desperately needs in these trying times

Courtney Thorne at the same time took a strategic decision to take a close look at our core products right down to component level the objective being to make us less vulnerable to future global supply chain issues, and to reduce the cost of each product with the amin of ensuring that we deliver the same high quality product at a cost protected price We had to ensure that this would happen without jeopar-

dising the superb levels of support we provide to our valued customer base

This ground up review involved all departments from Research and Development right through to the Field Service team (and everything in-between) This in-depth collaboration took time as we had to ensure that each and every element was refined perfected and tested to our (and our customers) rigorous requirements Whilst many organisations have limited-time or end of product line offers we are very pleased to announce a price reduction on our core Connect and Connect Health Nurse Call system ranges With flexible terms full integration with Care Apps celebrated service delivery and the most reliable and robust solution now at a new lower price there has never been a better time to talk to us about a new nurse call system For more information email us at: info@c-t co uk or see the advert on this page

Reducing nighttime falls for your loved ones

33% of accidental falls are at night

• Automatically plays voice messages to remind loved ones to take care when they wake up

• Lights up gently to help navigating in the dark

• Suitable for use at home and in care homes

EXAMPLE VOICE MESSAGES:

• “David, take your time before you stand up, we love you”

• “Don’t get out of bed Emma Press your buzzer, we’ll come and help you”

Simple installation:

1 Plug into power socket

2. Record up to 5 personalised voice messages

3. Place by bedside

Peace of mind for you, independence for your loved ones.

Tel: 0114 437 1298 Email: hello@getbide com Website: www.getbide.com

NURSE CALL AND FALLS MONITORING

PLEASE MENTION THE CARER WHEN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISING

Crash Mats Designed to Reduce Injuries from Bed Falls

Blaucomm Ltd - Telecommunications & Networks

Blaucomm’s Nurse Call

Messaging Service (NMS) is the market leading solution to remove the dependency on noisy nurse call panels and pagers, through its intelligent software which delivers the alerts straight to the care staff who need them Care homes are rapidly introducing smartphones for digital care planning and eMarnow 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 benefit to care homes to enhance the staff performance with how they accept and respond to residents which ultimately promotes better response times and visibility 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

We find Blaucomm is a genuinely

company with a reliable product

One Call Systems have developed one of the most reliable streamlined wireless nurse call systems on the market The rechargeable technology, water-resistant casings, and long-range radio capabilities set us apart

At the heart of the innovative Nursecall system is the One Call Display Panel which runs on an efficient internal radio network Designed to provide the highest level of performance and reliability The Display Panel allows staff to view live calls instantly Qualified installers will set up your system quickly and efficiently, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum benefits

With the ability to connect to the internet you can easily monitor your Home's call records from anywhere The panel is completely configurable from the display allowing you to customize your Home's settings to your preferences Trust our innovative system to provide the safety and efficiency your Home’s needs

The One Call Room Units are designed to withstand the rigours of your busy care environment There are five alternative versions - Pear push lead Pull Cords Out of Bed Door monitor and Leadless Units that you can choose from that best suit your needs

Watertight casings and fitted rechargeable batteries mean that you can rest assured that the units can be easily washed and will provide reliable service for up to 2 years on a single charge

The Call Logging system is designed to meet the safety and care requirements of Care Homes and nursing facilities The digital solution ensures complete and accurate logging of every call to prove evidence of care This invaluable tool ensures the safety of your residents

The Call Logging system is a must-have for any Care Home that wants to ensure they are providing the best possible care

Onecall provides the ability to monitor response times attendance duration and which Carer has attended which call You can be sure that you have complete oversight of your care provision Not only does this system provide valuable evidence of care, but it also helps to motivate and encourage staff to continue providing an exceptional level of care

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE

Mainteno Facilities Management Software

Envivo Group is at the forefront of care and support sector driving innovation that enables people to live lives full of choices and opportunities They have 202 locations that are now using Mainteno Facilities Management software

“Our experience with Mainteno at TLC/Envivo Group has been really positive already Since its roll-out it has shown real and measurable benefits and has had a marked impact on the workload and assurance of our operations team

"We can now raise issues whether large or minor almost the instant they are spotted We can denote the priority with which they need to be tackled and track the progress of works to rectify them It has reduced almost completely the need to be directly contacting people to resolve issues which was an almost daily occurrence It has been obvious that the streamlined approach that it provides helps in prioritising works for maintenance teams and contractors, gives them plenty of detailed information as to the

exact issue and has given us an evidence base to show that issues are resolved in a consistent and effective timeframe

"The details that are available once a job is logged are invaluable to us as managers to assure ourselves that issues are not forgotten

PASS supports over 1 000 care providers every day giving them access to market leading care management tools hand in hand with unlimited 24/7/365 support from our dedicated and friendly PASS team

Assured by NHS Transformation Directorate PASS provides a secure platform that allows you to plan record and evidence the care you deliver The only assured solution built specifically for the home care sector it provides comprehensive real-time functionality and allows you to share progress against outcomes with customisable exportable reports CARE PLANNING AND ROSTERING FROM A SINGLE PLATFORM

To meet the wider needs of the PASS community

All-in-one PASS has recently been launched bringing advanced rostering functionality to our established digital care planning platform As a result advanced staff scheduling payroll and invoicing functionality is now seamlessly linked with care planning and reporting reducing the technical complexity risk and overhead associated with integrating two separate systems

As a result PASS now provides an all-in-one suite of digital care management tools available from a single platform designed to:

Save you time

• Increase the efficiency of your teams

Improve the quality of care

Deliver better outcomes

INTEGRATED HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Our commitment to the continual evolution of PASS is further illustrated by the addition of GP

Connect The first product of its type to offer this feature PASS is still one of only a handful of digital care management solutions to have completed this NHS Digital integration, and is the only one offering it to the home care market

PASS GP Connect provides authorised social care staff with realtime access to their client s GP records

It makes medical information available when and where it is needed leading to improvements in both care safety and outcomes

Visibility of allergies vaccinations and medications especially useful for clients unable to reliably share their personal information

Using medical information to inform care planning

Ensuring that the right medication is delivered to the right person in the timeliest manner In one case this allowed the administration of antibiotics on a Friday evening aiding the service user s swift recovery from nfection

Available to all PASS users at no additional cost, PASS GP Connect is significantly more efficient than waiting for a GP response It s also a positive step forward on the path to the DHSC s goal for widespread digitally enabled care and is in full alignment with their ambition for joined up care for everyone Get in touch

www everylifetechnologies com hello@everylifetechnoloiges com

Alleviating Pain in Care Homes - Prevalence of Pain in Care Homes

Over 425 000 people live in Care Homes in the UK Many have significant longterm health problems Some 65% have dementia, reduced cognitive functioning, and difficulties with communication Studies estimate that at least one-third of the Care Home population live with, and experience pain

Care Home residents with cognitive and speech disorders are at a higher risk of living with pain and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) that affect muscles bones and joints

The Care Act 2014 emphasises the importance of measuring and improving the wellbeing of social care users However, there is no standard method of measuring quality of life in Care Homes nor are there ways to measure aspects of health such as pain, anxiety, or depression

The consensus is that pain is often under-recognised and under-treated in care homes

However pain is a subjective experience and cannot be adequately measured which is why mainstream approaches rely on self-reporting A key challenge to carers managing these experiences is the high proportion of residents who live with dementia

THERMAL IMAGING – A NON-INVASIVE OBJECTIVE SOLUTION

Thermal imaging or thermography is a non-invasive complementary diagnostic approach that creates a high-definition thermal map of your body (thermogram) Thermograms illustrate temperature patterns consistent with inflammation Inflammation is a vital part of the immune system s response to injury and infec-

tion

The appearance and location of thermal patterns helps to identify regions and sources of pain based on levels and differences in temperature and hence thermography can be used to diagnose pain objectively - invaluable when the resident is unable to communicate effectively

Thermography can also detect the source of pain and inflammation surrounding bone fractures entrapped nerves muscular trigger points and arthritis It enables the early detection of pressure injuries before any visible signs and provides diagnostic information indispensable in helping to arrive at identifying the sources of pain and an accurate diagnosis

Early detection of the source of the problem allows practitioners and residents to design a proactive treatment plan with specific interventions and treatments to mitigate the process of inflammation Thermography is also a highly effective tool for monitoring if a treatment protocol is working

Bunn et al in a meta-analysis of studies in 2020 found that thermography had such high diagnostic utility that they propose thermography as a first line MSD detection tool

By seeing what the human eye cannot see Thermidas thermal imaging solutions can assist carers and clinicians in locating and creating optimal treatment plans and alleviating pain

Stephen Taylor Thermidas UK

Book a free demo at www thermidas fi

Data Protection And Cyber Security: Next Steps For Care Homes

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

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Angloplas Dispensers Help Reduce the Risk of Cross Infection

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& PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Debt Financing and Social Care

RECRUITMENT & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Debt Financing and Social Care

(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

There are an increasing number of debt financing options open to care providers from alternative lenders through to grants In Kent for example Kent County Council is offering an interest-free loan to fund capital investment and growth projects Whilst these schemes will often require match-funding or come with a demonstratable job creation requirement they can offer a valuable way to reduce bank funding

Care businesses should always take specialist and independent advice based on their own specific situation before considering which lender to approach for borrowing or taking external investment Rachel Emmerson is a Partner and Abbey Watkins an Accountant in the Funding Team at Kreston Reeves Kreston Reeves offers accountancy, tax and business advice to a wide range of clients Visit www krestonreeves com

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 senior carers and nurses from overseas We also have an expert team of solicitors for the necessary legal proceedings and advices WHY JJ? We have very minimal processing fees We assist you to get a sponsorship license Qualified and experienced candidates from overseas Tel: 01704 808227 www jjcarerecruitment co uk admin@jjrecruitment co uk

Care Home Finance from Global Business Finance

Global assists clients throughout the U K who specialise in the healthcare sector to achieve their objectives of purchase development and refinance We have organised over £1 8bn for clients in the past 30 years, providing clients with competitively priced funding to refinance existing debt ease cashflow and develop businesses further

From helping clients make their first purchase through to allowing groups to grow significantly in size we assist at every stage of your business expansion

Every proposal is individual and deserves to be treated that way, so we hope you will allow us to be of assistance to you and call us to chat through your plans and requirements, I am sure we will be able to tailor a facility to your requirements Call us on 01242 227172 or e-mail us at enquiries@globalbusinessfinance net