Caring UK Weekly - 22 December 2021

Issue 88 22.12.21

The weekly online newsletter for the care sector

Report shows underfunding of social care CHRONIC underfunding of care provided for our oldest and most vulnerable has been exposed by the Government, campaigners say.

The Independent Care Group has called for urgent action to tackle the gap between the true cost of giving care in care and nursing homes and in people’s own homes, and what care providers are paid to deliver it.

In its own report the Government has admitted that local authorities are not paying enough to provide proper care.

The Government report, Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Fund: purpose and conditions 2022 to 2023, says: “…a significant number of local authorities are paying residential and domiciliary care providers less than it costs to deliver the care received.

This is undermining their markets, creating unfairness, affecting sustainability and, at times, leading to poorer quality outcomes.”

Now the ICG wants to see Government and local authorities work together to properly fund the provision of care.

ICG chair Mike Padgham said: “Here we have in black and white a clear admission that care is not being properly funded on the front line.

“Local authorities will themselves argue that they are not getting enough funding to

commission care, so it is vital that both sides address the issue.

“Sadly, what the Government is proposing to inject into social care is nowhere near enough to address the issues.

“The people who are suffering are the 1.5m who can’t get the care they need and care providers who are struggling to survive in the Covid-19 landscape.”

Some £8bn has been cut from social care budgets since 2010 and experts say at least £10bn extra a year is needed to get back to previous levels.

The ICG is calling for a root and branch overhaul of the way care is funded.

“Social care has been chronically under-funded for a generation and the rigours of Covid-19 has left it on its knees, struggling to provide care for our oldest and most vulnerable in care and nursing homes and in their own homes,” Mike added.

“Financial cutback after financial cutback has left the provision of care in tatters.

“The Government, and previous governments before this one, have failed social care time and time again, showing the same failure to grasp the simple equation that if you don’t fund social care properly it will fail and today we have yet more evidence to prove that.”

Staff and residents from Brookfield Care Home and Staveley Birkleas Nursing Home which are both in Nab Wood Shipley, and Beanlands Nursing Home in Cross Hills, have enjoyed a special ‘Elf Day’, where its staff dressed up as elves and posed for ‘elfie selfies’ with residents, as part of a national fundraising campaign run by the Alzheimer’s Society. £130 will be spilt between the dementia charity and the homes’ own residents’ fund. Residents enjoyed games and a delicious afternoon tea,as part of the festive celebrations. Residents at Brookfield Care Home also welcomed a very special visitor – a life size Elf on the Shelf.

Provider’s IIP Gold accreditation MEALLMORE Ltd has achieved the Investors in People Gold accreditation.

Fewer than 1,000 organisations in the whole of the UK currently have IIP Gold Accreditation, and only 62 of those are classified as care providers – with just six in Scotland.

The report deemed that ‘through 20202021 and the challenges associated with COVID-19 pandemic’, Meallmore has shown ‘the ethos and philosophy of a ‘gold-standard organisation’, and ‘clearly demonstrate a shared sense of purpose, together with a common set of values, leadership behaviours; and philosophy of care’.

It further added: ‘your principles and values were not only highly visible – yet also provided a clear roadmap throughout Covid-19’.

Gerry Hennessey, managing director

Merry Christmas to all our readers and advertisers from everyone at Caring UK and Caring UK Weekly

of Meallmore, said: “This is a hugely important achievement for us. In this industry, our people are crucial to what we do, and we are committed to making sure they get the best experience working with us, which also results in us getting the best out of them.

“It was a very proud moment to hear that in the most challenging of times, all of our staff reported feeling safe and valued, and have so many positive things to say about being a part of Meallmore.

“We believe in continual improvement, so we’re fully prepared to go beyond Gold, and we’re already planning our next steps to take things even further.

“Thank you to everyone for all of their hard work and dedication, which makes us what we are today, and makes every Meallmore home such an excellent place to work and live.”

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CARINGWEEKLY Residents of Barnes Lodge Care Home in Tonbridge were delighted to receive some Christmas cards and letters from some local school children The surprise delivery certainly brought some Christmas spirit to the home, as the residents spent an afternoon reading their merry mail from Tonbridge Grammar School and getting into the mood of the upcoming festivities.

General manager Nicky Pett said: “It was very kind of the pupils to think of us, at this time of the year especially.

Handwritten letters are very special and not many people send or receive them anymore, so our residents thoroughly enjoyed reading them.”

Doreen Frost and Madge Dineen are pictured reading their mail.

Residents have helped decorate Royal Star & Garter’s three Homes, and are taking part in fun activities in the run-up to Christmas. At the Surbiton Home, residents are taking part in a range of activities, which have included Christmas tree decorating, making eggnog and mince pies, carol singing and creating their own tree decorations from clay. Chef Rida also led some mince pie cookery classes. At Royal Star & Garter in Solihull, there have been Christmas crafts, with residents making little Rudolphs, miniature Christmas trees, baubles and candleholders. There were also music activities, which filled the Home with festive songs. Residents in High Wycombe have also been enjoying a number of different craft activities, including Christmas wreathmaking and other decorations.

Residents and staff of Fleetwood Hall Care Home got into the festive spirit by putting on their own original pantomime – with the help of a brother and his sister. Andrew Snape and Helen Waite staged their version of ‘Cinderella at Fleetwood Hall’. Andrew, who wrote the script, and Helen are the activity coordinators for the home. The cast of 15 included staff from the home and a number of residents. All the residents of the home joined in singing carols.

Residents of Rogers House Residential Care Home in Wigmore have been embracing their creative sides and making decorations and displays.

Armed with plenty of faux flowers and foliage, the residents got together to show their creative sides and make some festive flower arrangements. Adding some sparkle to their displays, the residents used glittery pinecones and pieces of tinsel amidst their wintery flowers, to give them a truly festive finish. The residents also created a giant snowy scene, to put up on the wall in the dining room and spread a bit of festive cheer.

Residents at Ashton Court care home in Newcastle have ‘gone international’ after their partnership with an Australian nursery school prompted a ‘friend request’ from a Spanish secondary school. After engaging on the Christmas Card Exchange Worldwide 2021 Facebook group the care home received many responses, from as far away as the USA, the Netherlands and Australia. Residents will be exchanging Christmas cards with everyone who replied to the home’s post and are creating special Newcastlethemed cards and calendars for the youngsters at the Barngeong Reserve Kindergarten in Croydon, Victoria. Now IES La Fresneda, a secondary school in Asturias in northern Spain, has contacted the home to exchange Christmas cards.

People in care will be able to watch a special carol service in Lincoln Cathedral from the comfort of their own home thanks to an initiative by St Katherine’s Care. ‘Carols for Care’ is the brainchild of the homecare provider’s managing director Colin Webb, who also runs music production company Acoustic Nations. Colin and the team at Acoustic Nations have spent the past few weeks filming and producing a carol service featuring the world-class Lincoln Cathedral choir and an address by the Dean of Lincoln, the Very Revd Christine Wilson. The service is available for people to watch for free via a link in an email. To ensure as many people as possible can enjoy it, St Katherine’s Care has teamed up with the Lincolnshire Care Association which will also be sending the email out to all its contacts.

Staff from a Kilmarnock care home are organising a ‘Toy Drive’ which will see more than 40 local children get Christmas presents they would otherwise not have. Argyll House, which is part of Mansfield Care, is donating presents to East Ayrshire Women’s Aid, who will distribute them to children who suffer from domestic abuse. There are more than 200 children in the East Ayrshire area alone being supported by East Ayrshire Women’s Aid this Christmas.

The charity aims to offer support and refuge for women, children and young people who have suffered directly or from the knock-on impact of domestic abuse. The idea came from the home’s team leader, Elaine Martin, who proposed the staff swap their Secret Santa giving for the charitable donation.

Elaine is pictured with some of the toys.

20 children from Langley Hall Primary Academy, Langley have performed a Christmas concert for the residents of Castle View retirement village in Windsor. Performing their own Theatre of Christmas Entertainment, the event was held in the Sky Lounge of the new development. In appreciation, Robin Hughes, CEO of Castle View, presented a cheque for £400 raised by the residents to Claudio Di Meo, director of music at the Academy to purchase new instruments.

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CARINGWEEKLY Residents of a specialist dementia care home in St Budeaux, Plymouth, are keeping fully occupied with a sleigh-full of activities in the run-up to Christmas. December got off to a great start at Butterfly Lodge with a bauble workshop and competition, producing a supply of new decorations to go on the Christmas tree, plus a wreathmaking workshop which provided lots of eye-catching decorations for doors and walls. Residents enjoyed assisting staff with the putting up of decorations and dressing the tree, and have also been busily engaged with a Christmas card workshop, followed by sessions of card-writing and visits to the post box.

Resident June Boase is pictured decorating the tree.

Vida Healthcare is celebrating the spirit of Christmas with activities and merrymaking for staff and residents. The operator is coordinating a range of festive celebrations across its three homes, Vida Grange, Vida Hall, and Vida Court for residents and staff to enjoy.

Initiatives include carol singing from local schools, an elf day, Christmas crafting, a Christmas jumper day and a full Christmas dinner for each home on Christmas Day. Vida Healthcare’s latest care home, Vida Court, will also be showing festive films in its state-of-the-art cinema. Staff will be the focus of celebrations with Christmas parties, and an awards ceremony where employees will be recognised for their ongoing hard work, dedication and outstanding care delivery.

School children in Romsey have been helping care home residents get into the festive spirit with a Christmas singalong. Pupils at Halterworth Primary School sang for residents at Durban House and, to ensure everyone’s safety, it all happened over Zoom.

The festive video call saw residents at the nurse-led care home and schoolchildren coming together to sing a range of Christmas carols, and it was a Yuletide event to remember.

Residents at Kenton Hall care home in Newcastle welcomed Mr P the miniature horse for his first post-lockdown Christmas visit. With a nod to the festive season, Mr P and owner Katy Smith dressed for the occasion to bring a smile to the faces of the residents.

Royal Star and Garter in Solihull has been recognised for its outstanding personcentred dementia care. The Home received the Level 1 accreditation from Meaningful Care Matters following a recent audit. The MCM audit looked at the Home’s two dementia care areas – Roundel and Whiteley Houses. The audit found the quality of life experienced by residents was at the highest level, with care provided by engaged and loving staff who care deeply for veterans whilst bringing joy, and meaning to every day and at every opportunity. Home manager Cheryl Harbourne bought butterfly Christmas tree decorations to congratulate the areas’ staff.

Residents at a Worthing care home started to get into the festive spirit by celebrating Christmas Jumper Day. Caer Gwent saw lots of the residents participate in the day, donning their festive fleeces and jazzy jumpers to kick start a busy month of activities. Marking the 10th annual Christmas Jumper Day, this provided a great atmosphere and festive buzz in the residential care home. The festive cheer doesn’t stop there as the residents and staff still have their Christmas party to look forward to where they will be dressing up to eat mince pies, drink mulled wine and celebrate.

Manager Clare Feest is pictured in her Christmas jumper.

Abbeyfield House in Keynsham has been busy with its preparations for Christmas. Aside from the traditional Christmas tree and festive decorations, the residents and staff of the supported housing scheme have recently turned their hands to baking gingerbread, with some incredible results. The Abbeyfield Society set its residents and staff across its sites the challenge of representing their homes in gingerbread form, to celebrate Gingerbread House Day. They were asked to take photos of their creations and describe how it represents the unique nature of Abbeyfield. The judging panel agreed that Abbeyfield House in Keynsham had produced the best gingerbread house that truly embodied the group’s values.

Signature at Purley care home has raised £100 for the Purley Food Hub following a successful raffle event. The raffle took place during the care home’s Christmas fair where residents were treated to festive delights and the opportunity to do some shopping. With Christmas approaching, the care home was determined to play its part in helping those less fortunate in the community to access food. And, following the event, the care home used the funds to purchase festive food and treats for the food bank to use in their parcels. General manager Tina Dawson personally delivered the products to the charity.

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CARINGWEEKLY

CQC publishes report on Saint Jude Care Home in Liverpool

Orchard House Nursing Home in Sutton Coldfield.

New owner for West Midlands care home DC Care has completed the sale of Orchard House Nursing Home in Sutton Coldfield on behalf of Charmian Lea. Orchard House is a purpose-built nursing home, first constructed in 1989, that is registered for a maximum of 31 residents.

The business attracted significant interest from a wide range of prospective purchasers including existing operators.

The home was acquired by Shans Care Group, who also acquired The Laurels in Aberdare through DC Care

in 2018.

The sale was handled by DC Care’s southern region director Andy Sandel and senior sales negotiator Michelle Natkus.

Andy said: “Michelle and I would like to congratulate Charmian on the sale and wish her all the best for the future.

“The pent-up demand for highquality care facilities certainly results in no shortage of interest when they go onto the market. We are delighted to have found such ideal purchasers in the form of Shans Care Group.”

Residents recreate famous works of art and photos RESIDENTS at Tallington Lodge in Stamford have been recreating famous works of art and iconic photographs as part of a month of art therapy activities.

The residents searched their home for props and costumes to recreate the artwork and had great fun posing, dressing up and discussing the original artworks.

“We started off by studying some famous paintings and decided to recreate the artwork with things we had to hand around our home,” said wellbeing coordinator Chantal De Vries.

“We also made our own art using album and magazine covers. The residents chose a diverse range of paintings to recreate, from surrealist artists to photographers.

“We had so much fun creating the images and learnt a lot about colour, different styles and techniques. The residents were eager to try new things and explore the many dimensions of art.

“It took a lot of planning and preparation to achieve the best results. We made a lot of mess, but we had so much fun along the way, it was definitely worth it.

“We had fun exploring colour and art too. We looked at primary colours and the colours created when you mix them. To make the theory of colour a bit more interesting we used a prism.”

The results of the residents’

artistic activities were shared on the Tallington Lodge Facebook page for their families and friends to enjoy.

The artwork created by residents will feature in the Country Court 2022 calendar.

Care homes from the Country Court group submitted their residents’ artwork and the best 12 pieces will be chosen to feature in the calendar.

“We have many talented residents in our care homes,” said Tallington Lodge home manager Manju Panankavil.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to share their creations and give people a sense of purpose. Everyone has enjoyed taking part in the activities this month, they’ve had great fun trying new techniques and styles.”

Art therapy activities have included drawing and painting, collage and photography.

THE Care Quality Commission has published a report following an inspection at Saint Jude Care Home in Sefton, Liverpool in October.

CQC undertook an unannounced focused inspection to look at whether it is safe and well-led, to check the provider had met all the legal requirements following the last inspection in January.

The care home, which was previously rated as requires improvement, is now rated inadequate overall and has been placed into special measures to focus their management team on the areas where urgent improvements are needed. CQC has also rated the service as inadequate for being safe and well-led.

Saint Jude Care Home is a residential care home that can support up to 22 people aged 65 and over, including people living with dementia. At the time of inspection, it was providing personal care to 17 people.

Hayley Moore, CQC’s head of adult social care inspection, said: “When we inspected Saint Jude Care Home, we were very concerned that there was a lack of leadership, and they hadn’t made sufficient improvements since our previous inspection in January and were still in breach of regulations.

“We found a service that didn’t have good enough systems and processes in place to ensure safe recruitment processes were followed, so people were at risk of being cared for by unsuitable staff. Also, when checks on staff identified concerns, these were not appropriately risk assessed.

“Medicines management wasn’t always good enough. The service didn’t have enough appropriately trained staff to safely give people their

medicine and they were also regularly interrupted while doing this, which increases the risk of mistakes being made and people not receiving it when needed.

“Our inspectors saw significant concerns around fire safety. There was no evidence that fire evacuation drills had taken place and some staff were not aware of the process.

Also, some radiator covers were missing which put people at risk of burning themselves, and some fire doors didn’t close. Following our inspection, we referred our concerns to the local fire service who carried out checks to ensure people were safe. The provider also responded immediately by addressing our concerns.

“We will monitor the care home closely and will not hesitate to take further action if we feel people are not safe and are at risk of harm.”

Inspectors found the following: n There were significant concerns with health and safety which put people at risk of harm. n Medicines were not always safely managed. There was no appropriate medicines policy to support the safe management of medicines. n There were no systems in place to effectively and consistently monitor incidents to ensure staff could learn from them to prevent a re-occurrence. n People were not always admitted to the home safely following current COVID-19 guidance. n Risks to people were not always appropriately assessed or managed.

Care plans did not contain enough information to support people safely.

The manager had identified this concern when they started in August 2021 and had plans to review care records.

A resident at Sedgley Court in Dudley has been reunited with her brother thanks to a surprise visit organised by the care home team. Rosemary Bywater was speaking to her brother John on the phone, as they do every single day, when he suddenly appeared by her side in the residents’ lounge. It was the first time they had seen each other in more than three years. John, who lives in Paignton, is unable to drive, and so manager Kim Dean and deputy manager Emma Southall drove the seven-hour round trip to collect him and his wife Mary and bring them back to Sedgley Court so they could spend some quality time together before driving them home again the following day.

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CARINGWEEKLY

Sundae school treat for home’s residents RESIDENTS at a Somerset dementia care home have been enjoying an innocent indulgence at a tasty ‘banana split party’ organised by the activities team to brighten up the longer autumn days.

The highlight of the party was the opportunity for each person to enjoy their own personalised banana split, but staff also pushed the banana boat out in other ways out to boost the party atmosphere.

Richard Dempslake, activities organiser at Camelot House and Lodge, said: “Before everyone tucked into the party platters, we organised a bit of ‘sundae school.’

“Our residents love a good quiz, so we had fun with a few bananathemed questions like where bananas are grown, and why they’re good for you, and we also enjoyed a fruity games of apple bobbing, using grabbers.

“Music is really important to people with dementia, and it was lovely to see them singing along to themed playlist we put together.

“The favourite song for the day, of course, was the Banana Boat song, as well as other sweet classics such as Sugar Sugar, Sweets For My Sweet, Pure Imagination from the Willy Wonka film and la-la-ing along to the Banana in Pyjamas theme.”

For the party tea each banana split was made up according to residents’ preferences, with the options of toppings available including whipped cream, cherries, strawberry or

chocolate sauce, sprinkles, raisins, syrup and vanilla ice cream.

Richard added: “There was a lot of lip-smacking and finger-licking going on, and big smiles all round.

“Sometimes it can be a challenge to encourage people living with dementia to eat, so it can be a good idea to tempt them by making food a fun experience.

“Our chef Chris Morris understands the importance of presenting food in a way that will appeal to our residents, as well as catering to individual preferences and where appropriate we use eating and drinking as an opportunity for activity and social stimulation.

“That’s not for everyone, but many of our residents do enjoy it – and the banana split party certainly fitted the bill.”

Forget the tea dance, it’s Don and Doreen’s ‘D’ dance A PAIR of lifelong dance fans enjoyed a chance to trip the light fantastic once again thanks to staff at their Dorset care home.

Fellow residents Doreen Webb and Don Skilling were treated to a starburst afternoon on the ‘dance floor’ at Colten Care’s Newstone House in Sturminster Newton.

Knowing both of them have an interest in dancing, team members transformed the dining room into a Strictly-style ballroom complete with lights, sparkle and smart speaker.

The music featured waltzes, tangos, quicksteps and salsas.

Companionship Team leader Karlene Duffy said: “Don was a ballroom instructor at his father’s dance school in Blackpool, while Doreen also has a passion for ballroom.

“She loves all things Strictly and used to dance regularly with friends and family.

“She asked recently if she could go to a dance. We wanted to make that wish come true for both by holding a special afternoon in recognition of their love for sparkles and beautiful dance moves.

“Instead of a ‘tea dance’ we renamed it a ‘D-dance’ in their honour. We invited all our residents to join in or just enjoy the music.

“Don taught us some moves while Doreen encouraged all her friends at Newstone to come along and share her passion.

“It was amazing. Don took great delight in showing us what to do. He certainly let us know if we put a foot out of place. Everyone loved it.”

Among the other residents who came along was Rita Clay. Earlier this year, Rita took part in an online dance session with former Strictly Come Dancing pro Robin Windsor, specially arranged by Colten Care for residents at various homes.

Homecare operator’s new branch officially opens BLUEBIRD Care Folkestone & Dover has officially launched.

Marked with a ribbon cutting by Mayor of Folkestone, and carer herself, Coun Michelle Keutenius, the occasion was enjoyed by all attendees.

Bluebird Care Folkestone & Dover will be working with customers who live with dementia, physical disabilities and many other acute and chronic conditions.

Working alongside their customers’ families, social services and the NHS, they will ensure each person receives the care they need, from 30-minute visits to live in care.

Andy McAllister, care manager of the Bluebird Care franchise, said: “We’re extremely pleased to be opening our new Bluebird Care Folkestone & Dover office.

“Covid-19 has brought many to the realisation that they would prefer to

receive care from the comfort of their own home.

“This new expansion will give us an opportunity to continue to deliver exceptional home care and support to more people in the Folkestone and Dover area and give members of the local community fresh job opportunities.”

The event not only celebrated a big moment for all associated with the Bluebird Care franchise, which has offices in Gravesham & Dartford, Maidstone and Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells, but gave everybody an opportunity to reflect on what has been an extremely challenging year for many in the social care sector.

Bluebird Care Folkestone & Dover is also recruiting for 50 new jobs in conjunction with the launch. Initially recruiting for care assistants, they are hoping to create additional job opportunities in the near future.

Chair to step back to senior adviser role SIR David Behan CBE will be stepping back from his role as chair of HC-One at the end of the year.

Thereafter, he will continue to support the operator as a senior adviser to the Board and executive team, and also enjoy more family time.

He said: “It has been an honour to serve as chair and sit on the HC-One Board over the last three years.

“Throughout this time I have always been inspired by the bravery, commitment, and dedication of our teams.

“I look forward to continuing to advise the Board and management in supporting HC-One to achieve its mission to deliver high-quality care through kindness.”

As chair, Sir David: n Directly led HC-One’s initial response to the pandemic. n Oversaw the appointment of a new chief executive officer, James Tugendhat, and the development of his Executive Team. n Worked with the Board to support the refinancing of HC-One through the injection of more equity from its shareholders, with Safanad taking majority control, and the

consolidation and reduction of HC-One’s debt.

The refinancing marked another step in setting HC-One on course to deliver its strategy of better meeting the evolving care needs of the country, in particular the growing number of people living with dementia.

As part of this strategy, HC-One has already announced increased pay to frontline carers and its significant investment in refurbishing over 200 local authority and NHS funded care homes.

James Tugendhat, CEO of HC-One, added: “On behalf of everyone at HC-One I sincerely thank Sir David for his exceptional service as our chair.

“His leadership and expertise have been invaluable in support of both our residents and colleagues.

“His steady hand and compassionate leadership at the height of the pandemic were critical, as well as his unwavering drive to deliver the highest quality care.

“I look forward to continuing to work with Sir David as our senior adviser and to building on our vision to be the kindest care home provider.”

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