February 2011

no.177 • £4.75

In association with

By Dominic Musgrave

A GROUP which representsNorthamptonshire’s care homeowners has warned proposedfunding cuts could lead to closuresand the death of frail residents whoare forced to move home.

Glenn Hurd from the county’sAssociation of Registered CareHomes told NorthamptonshireCounty Council if it cut the money itpays care homes to take councilfunded residents the decision wouldhave serious repercussions.

He told Caring UK the group, whichrepresents 70 per cent of homes, is‘shocked’ at plans to cancel a four-year agreement reached in 2009 onthe amount it paid in a bid to savemoney.

“In 2009 we were given a four-yeardeal by the council to help stabilisethe sector,” Glenn added. “We aresurprised this agreement is being putforward to be withdrawn after justtwo years, particularly as homeoperators will have set budgets forthe four-year period as promised bythe council.

“The consequences of cancellingthis agreement to the well being ofthe sector cannot be understated.”

In 2009 the two parties agreed acash injection of almost £1m afterthe group warned it would turn awaycouncil-funded residents andthreatened to move out of the countybecause their businesses were nolonger uviable.

Glenn added: “The council shouldbe aware that if this budget proposalstands there will be further homeclosures, reductions in quality, joblosses and, as research has proven,an increased mortality rate amongthose older frail people that areforced to move due to home closures.

“We all know that councils arehaving to save money, but it is timeto spare the elderly and find savingselsewhere. There are simply none leftto be found in the care home sector.”

A spokesman for the council said atthis stage it was just a proposal

He added: “Substantial cuts ingovernment grants are forcing us tomake savings across all of ourservices.

“Over the past two years we haveinvested in the Expected to Pay Rateabove inflation.

“We are therefore proposing thatthere is no increase to the rate in thenext two years as the rate is now at asimilar level as other authorities.”

Cuts may leadto closuresand death

Television presenter and journalist EstherRantzen spent an afternoon talking to theresidents at Nightingale House Care Home inClapham. She enthralled a packed audiencewith stories from her career and her work withChildLine. Esther also spoke about the value ofolder people in society.

Bellydancerleadsthe fun ...RESIDENTS at aNorthwich care home have found a fun way to exercise and stay active.

They have been puttingtheir rhythm and dancingskills to the test in lessons provided byprofessional belly dancer,‘Samara’.

Dressed in full Arabiancostume, Samara hasvisited the CLS-runGleavewood facility topass on her dancing talent to residents andstaff.

The lessons werearranged by home servicemanager, Ellen Wigley,who has been going to herclasses for almost 12months.

She said: “Belly dancingis great for improvingflexibility and posture.Everyone enjoys listeningto the Arabian musicSamara plays during thelessons too.”

The Arabian themedactivity has also broughtback memories forresident Bill Boydell, whoserved in Cairo during theSecond World War.

incorporating

The Number One magazine for the care sector

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3CARINGNEWS

AdvertisingSales and Marketing Director:Tony Barry

National Sales Executives:Rebecca Hazell Tel: 01226 734685 Email: rh@whpl.netMandy EdwardsTel: 01226 734333 Email: mandye@caring-uk.co.ukFax: 01226 734477

PublishersWharncliffe Publishing Ltd.47 Church Street, Barnsley, SouthYorkshire S70 2AS.Email: info@caring-uk.co.uk

EditorialGroup Editor:Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 Fax: 01226 734478

Healthcare Editor:Dominic MusgraveTel: 01226 734407

Reporter:Christina EcclesTel: 01226 734463

Group Deputy Editor:Judith HalkerstonTel: 01226 734458

Database enquiries to:01226 734695 E-mail: circulation@wharncliffepublishing.co.ukWhilst every effort is made toensure the accuracy of all con-tent, the publishers do notaccept liability for error, printedor otherwise, that may occur.

www.caring-uk.co.uk

You can now follow us on Twitter at caringukPaula Whitely and the team at Ashworth Grange

Success on a plate ...A DEWSBURY care homehas been given full marksfor its kitchen facilities andhygiene standards.

Ashworth Grange headchef Claire Whalley and herteam have been awarded an‘excellent’ five-star foodhygiene award by theDepartment ofEnvironmental Health fol-lowing the home’s first

inspection.

Home manager PaulaWhitely said: “Claire and herteam are relishing workingwith residents in order to make sure everybodyenjoys the very best quality, home cooked foodand we look forward tomaintaining the excellentstandards we’ve achieved so soon.”

Care home welcomesa dog called ChickenBy Dominic Musgrave

A REDDITCH care home has taken on anew resident in the shape of a retiredgreyhound called Chicken.

The rescue dog is already proving a bighit among residents at Sanctuary’sBrambles facility, and staff say he hasshown a particular eye for the ladies.

Managers at the home decided beforeChristmas that a dog would be just thetrick to bring new life to the residents.

Manager Margaret Hook said Chickenwas also helping residents with demen-tia and Alzheimer’s.

She added: “Everyone is talking abouthim. He has brought pleasure not just toresidents but the staff as well. We have

families coming to visit their relativesasking where he is.

“When the district nurses come to visitthey bring food for Chicken. He hadloads of stuff bought for him overChristmas. We even had the hairdressertake him out for a walk.”

“He will just sit there and the residentsmake a fuss over him and they love it.Some remember their own pets and theystart talking about their lives. It helpsbring them out of themselves.”

After deciding to get a dog, staff visitedThe Blue Cross animal adoption centrein Bromsgrove.

“There were three dogs we were inter-ested in, but Chicken caught our eye,”

added Margaret. “He didn’t bark, he justsat there looking sorrowful. When wetook him out of his cage his tail startedwagging and we just fell in love with him.

“He was a bit nervous when he firstarrived and a bit wary of men but sincecoming here he has been much morerelaxed and bonded with our male mem-bers of staff.”

The care home has also provided a newlease of life for Chicken, who arrived atThe Blue Cross with a cancerous leg.

Managers are now thinking aboutadding budgerigars and fish to the homeafter studies showed that having petsbring health benefits to humans, boost-ing social skills and self-esteem.

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CARINGNEWS4

Paul and Christine Goldie celebrate their lottery win.

A CARE home worker has alreadyhanded in her notice after herhusband scooped more than £3.5mon the National Lottery.

Paul and Christine Goldie haddelayed their Christmas Daycelebrations until Boxing Day due toher work commitments at Fell HouseNursing Home in Washington, butwere then able to celebrate their veryglad tidings in style with their family.However, the couple struggled toenjoy the meal for the shock of thewin.

Paul, who works as a fitter for alocal bathroom company, discoveredthey had won £3,581,481 in the earlyhours of Boxing Day after spending

the evening with Christine’sdaughter. Paul said: “I had a quietChristmas Day while Christineworked at the local care homeserving Christmas dinners; then laterI collected her and we went over tomy step-daughter’s house.

“It was midnight on Christmas Daywhen we got home. Christine wastaking a shower when I thought tocheck the lottery numbers. I couldn’tbelieve it – I kept checking thenumbers thinking I must have gotthe date wrong. Then I shouted atChristine to get out of the showerand come and help me. It’sunbelievable.

“And to think I nearly didn’t buy the

ticket that morning.”The couple, who have been married

for six years, have already orderedtwo new cars – an Audi Q7, totransport the children andgrandchildren around, and an AudiA3 to use as a run-around.

Paul added: “I want a lovely bighouse, lots of space in the garden forthe kids, a drive and garages for thecars. You’ve got to, haven’t you?

“Christine has already handed inher notice and I am considering myoptions. I am not saying we willnever work again but we want sometime out to find a new house, goshopping and have holidays. We can’twait.”

Care worker’s £3.5m lottery joy

Residentsbecomecomposersfor projectRESIDENTS at a Chester care home became composers for aproject that resulted in themrecording their own piece of classical music.

The group from CLS’ FlorenceGrogan House worked with theManchester Camerata internationalchamber orchestra as part of a six-week experiment to dispel the myththat classical music is exclusively‘high brow’ by demonstrating thatpeople of any age and backgroundcan enjoy and compose their ownmusic.

At the end of the project a concertwas held at the home, where thegroup’s new classical tune ‘Paths toPeace’ was performed by aprofessional string quartet to anaudience of family, friends and carestaff.

Home manager Jenny Jobber said:“Everyone was very impressed by the quality of music the grouphad composed, and there was a real buzz about the place as thosewho had taken part in the projectlistened to their stories andmemories coming to life throughmusic.”

Home creates own shopAN Essex care home has created itsown 1950s-style Co-op shopcomplete with brand names fromyesteryear to help residents relive thegood old days

Drinks, sweets, cereals andhousehold products that werepopular at the time appear in theiroriginal packaging on a temporarystall at Sanctuary Care’s Birchwoodfacility in Ilford.

Co-op own ranges such as Spelwashing powder and other brandsfrom the decade including Ovaltineand Horlicks also feature.

It has proved such a hit in the homethat one resident – 91-year-oldSpencer Tricker - has taken on therole of shopkeeper, weighing items

up for ‘customers’ using traditionalweighing scales.

Activities co-ordinator LesleyNorton added: “The 1950s was aspecial era, and our residents wouldhave been in their youth at the time.

“The shop is a very visual way ofbringing that period back to life. Ithas proved a trip down memory lane,sparking conversations among theresidents about when they wereyoung.

“They have really enjoyed seeingitems in their original packagingagain and pretending to goshopping.”

The products were ordered from theCo-op, complete with originaladvertisement posters of the time.

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Residents ledto safety aspipe burstsBy Louise Cordell

SEVEN residents at a Lincoln carehome had to be moved to safety aftera burst water pipe caused a majorflood in the early hours of New Year’sDay.

The residents at Canwick Court,who have dementia, had to be led orcarried from their beds to safety aftergallons of water gushed into theliving quarters in a converted base-ment.

The affected area that was floodedwith clean drinking water alsocontains an industrial kitchen, diningarea and living room, and the clean-up operation is likely to last up totwo months.

Staff at the Guardian Care Homesowned facility, which has 17 resid-ents, have been praised for the pro-mpt way they dealt with theemergency.

And eastern regional managerMaria Gatt said residents weremostly upset that the Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit they had been bought for Christmas were alsodestroyed.

She added: “There has beenmassive support from our staff,including those at our other homes

in the area, and management.

“It was obviously distressing for ourresidents to have to be moved fromtheir beds in the middle of a flood so early in the morning, but the staff handled it very swiftly and well.

“They had moved four of them tothe ground floor and, when firemenarrived, they carried the other threeupstairs.

“The effects of the flood are quitehorrendous but the residents, their families and our staff have been very understanding andhelpful.”

The building was checked to makesure the electricity supply couldsafely be used, and specialistcontractors were on the site soonafter the flood to begin the clear-upoperation.

Maria added: “They have de-humidifiers in the basement to dry itout and are thoroughly cleaning all ofthe rooms.

“The home has other kitchens thatit can use until the basement is fit foroccupation again, and two extraovens, a fridge and freezer have beenbrought in to replace those damagedin the flood.”

Kay Sheldon has been awardedan OBE for services tohealthcare in the New Year’shonours list.The CQC commissioner hasworked with the inspectoratesince its launch in 2009, andpart of her role includes actingas champion for involvementand for equality and rights, aswell as co-chairing the eQualitygroup made up of people whoreceive health and social careservices. Kay said: “I am verypleased to receive this award.Alongside many others, my workin health and social care hasbeen directed at making surepeople who use services have aninfluential voice in the way careis provided and monitored.“I see this award as recognitionof the importance of that work.”

Award’s just the job for NicolaTHE manager of a Cheltenham carehome has been recognised for herhard work.

Nicola Humphries, who runsCarebase’s Amber Wood, waspresented with a Jobcentre Plusaward in appreciation of thecontribution she has made to thelocal area to help people into jobs.

Amber Wood opened last Octoberbut, long before the official opening,Nicola had been working withseveral recruitment companies to

find suitable employees.

Nicola said: “I am delighted at thisrecognition and even happier thatworking with Jobcentre Plus hasresulted in the recruitment of staffthat are perfect for Carebase’s latesthome.

“We look forward to working withJobcentre Plus in the future.”

She was nominated for the awardby Jobcentre Plus recruitmentadviser Catriona Murray.

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7CARINGNEWS

Care homeswin feescourt caseFOUR care homes which went tocourt over the fees the local councilpay them for care have won theirlandmark case in the High Court.

Pembrokeshire county council,which admitted mistakes in the wayit calculated its payments, will nowhave to pay higher fees for residentsat four private care homes, followingthe judge's ruling.

The care homes, which house 86residents – Pen-coed care home inSaundersfoot, Langton Hall inFishguard, Woodfield in Narberthand Woodland Lodge, in Tenby –argued that the fees they were beingpaid were unsustainable.

Director Mike Davies, who had pre-viously said he may have to close thehomes if the fees were not increased,described the decision as a ‘hugerelief’.

He added: “Our over-riding concernfrom the outset has been the need toprovide high quality, sustainable ser-vices for the people for whom weprovide care.

“The judgment has therefore comeas a huge relief for all concerned,most importantly for the residents ofthe four homes involved in this caseand the dedicated staff who lookafter them.

“When the council come to consid-er resetting the fees by the endJanuary, we hope that they are set at

a level that enables the homes tocarry out essential repairs and toplan for the future, safeguarding highquality care homes for the people ofPembrokeshire.”

The court ordered the council toreview the £390 a week it pays foreach resident it funds, and come upwith a new fee by the end of Januaryusing the Welsh AssemblyGovernment’s official commissioningguidance.

Care Forum Wales said the fourhomes had received ‘excellent’ rat-ings from the Care and SocialServices Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW).

A council spokesperson said theauthority, which was also criticisedfor a lack of written records or docu-mentation relating to the meetingswhen fee decisions were taken,would review the payments made tothe homes.

He added: “The council has a limit-ed pot of money and faces difficultdecisions on how it spends it particu-larly in the current financial climate.

“It is a delicate balancing actbetween providing an acceptablelevel of care to the residents of thehomes while at the same timeacknowledging the limitations of thepublic purse. The judgment wasextremely lengthy and we now needto take time to review it before mak-ing any further comments.”

Celebrity chef Brian Turner raised awareness of good nutrition in older age as part ofhis visit to a Leeds care home. Brian Turner prepared lunch for 150 residents and staffbefore officially opening the 19 new independent living apartments at Headingley Hall, a57-bed facility owned and operated by Westward Care.He then went on to present a series of awards to residents and staff, which includedacknowledging the home’s two oldest residents – 104-year-old Kathleen Nettlingham,pictured, and 105-year-old Ada Shires.

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CARINGNEWS8

PEREGRINE House took part in adevelopment programme tailoredspecifically to the social care sector,and is now part of the one per centin the country that can use anddisplay the sought after award.

The 25-bed home, which has beenowned by husband and wife teamDr Kevin and Teresa O’Sullivan forthe past 15 years, was recognisedfor providing a wide range of dailyactivities for residents, many ofwhom have dementia, and havingdedicated staff.

He said: “We first got involvedwith the scheme a couple of yearsago because, after the initial feelingof haven’t we done well after gettinga three-star rating from CSCI, Irealised we probably wouldn’t bevisited again for another threeyears. I didn’t want us to rest on ourlaurels, and this award is testamentto the quality of the work our teamof 36 staff do, and it is great they arenow recognised by Investors inPeople as world class.

“I have always wanted the staff to

believe in themselves, and I believeyou do a better job when you havethe confidence. One carer is now 60and has been doing it for yearswithout any qualifications. She wasa bit hesitant at first, but it has beengreat to see her confidence growsince she gained her NVQqualifications.”

Kevin, who first became interestedin care homes when he was trainingto be a doctor in Manchester, saidhe has struggled to find qualitylocal training providers, especiallysince changing the home’sregistration to also includedementia. He added: “We noticedthat a lot of residents developedsome form of dementia while theywere with us, so had to add that toour registration, as if we hadn’t thentechnically we we would beoperating outside of what we wereallowed.

“This led to more people comingto us with enquiries, so we decidedwe had better be good at it, but, aswe are a little isolated here, we have

struggled to find good training.“I spoke to our local care group

and they recommended a homethat did it well, who in turn put mein touch with David Sheard atDementia Care Matters.

“He audited the home and madesome recommendations, some ofwhich worked and some didn’t, butit is about making sure we keep upwith the latest trends andstandards.”

A Whitby care home has become the only one in the Yorkshire and the Humber area to win agold Investors in People award. Dominic Musgrave found out more.

PEREGRINE House is currentlyundergoing a £600,000 expansionand refurbishment programme,which will see the registrationgrow from 25 to 30.

The work will also includewetrooms being installed in all ofthe ground floor bedrooms, andthe creation of an office area.

Kevin, who has also owned asecond home in Devon, added:“We hope to have the extensionside of the work completed byMarch, and then the work willbegin in the original building.

“We are not sure at this stagewhether we will be recruiting anyextra staff. I will be sitting downwith the manager to discuss whatwe need to do. It may be that wejust need to change the dailyprogramme.

“I have looked from time to timeat the possibility of purchasing asecond home again, but I alwayscome to the conclusion it is not aclever thing to do. It may be thatwe add a further extension toPeregrine House in the futureinstead.”

‘Award is testament to thequality of team’s work’

£600k homeexpansionunderway

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11CARINGNEWS

Council homesset to close inLincolnshireBBBByyyy DDDDoooommmmiiiinnnniiiicccc MMMMuuuussssggggrrrraaaavvvveeee

FIVE council-owned care homes inLincolnshire are to close and will bereplaced by more modern accommo-dation and services, it has beenrevealed.

The Cedars in Gainsborough, ParkView in Lincoln, Ingelow Manor inBoston, Halmer Grange in Spaldingand Crowtree House in Louth willshut, although the council has saidthey will remain open until new ser-vices are ready to be used.

The council’s three remaining carehomes, Linelands in Nettleham,Bonner House in Sleaford andHarrison House in Grantham, will beretained for the next few years with aview to developing improved accom-modation and services in these areas.

Graham Marsh, executive council-lor for adult social care, said staff willbe consulted and residents and theirfamilies regularly updated to makethe transition as smooth as possible.

He added: “We have looked closelyat the consultation and consideredthe feedback from all who respondedand worked with community liaisongroups around each home.

“We want to ensure older peoplehave the best accommodation andservices in place to support them andimproved, modern accommodationwill be provided in the areas wherethe five homes will close.

“We have ensured there will be ade-quate provision of intermediate,respite and day care in all these areasand in many cases these will beenhanced. We remain committed toproviding the best possible care forour growing population of older peo-ple in Lincolnshire and reshapingservices to give greater choice andcontrol for those who need supportas they move over to their own per-sonal budgets.”

The council is using a series ofcommissioning principles to under-pin any decision-making on thehomes and the services that replacethem.

These include services achievingvalue for money and being accessibleand support local communities.

The five existing homes will bereplaced by a varying number ofintermediate care beds, respite carebeds and day care places.

Homes arenamed bestin countryA CARE home in Devon andanother in Essex have beennamed the best in the country bya specialist website.

Abbeyfield’s Tamar House inPlymouth and HollymedeCottage in Wickford were the bigwinners in the Best Care HomeAwards in the large and smallcare home categories respective-ly. The awards are voted for byusers of the website, with specificfeedback sought from residentsliving in the nominated carehomes, their family and friends,as well as the views of employeesand health care professionals.

Founder Debbie Harris said apersonal recommendation isinvaluable when choosing a carehome. She added: “Governmentcut backs and the tightening ofresources means that everybodyhas to take responsibility for themore vulnerable amongst us.

“The Best Care Home Awardsprovide a benchmark to highlightthe amazing work and standardsof care available throughoutEngland. As part of the nomina-tion process we receive scores ofpositive and touching comments,and these are available to anyuser to view as part of theirresearch process to aid theimportant decision makingprocess.”

The awards identify two win-ners from four regions across theUK (south east, south west, mid-lands and North) to highlight thebest large care home and bestsmall care home in that area.

This year they have addressedthe difference between large andsmall care homes for the firsttime. There are also two runnersup in each category.

Volunteers add a splash of colourA SHEPSHED care home was given ahelping hand when Prince’s Trust vol-unteers came to decorate.

Southern Cross-owned The Willowsfound out about the charity after oneof its sister homes in Hinckley hadsome help from it.

Staff were part-way through decorating the care home’s

dining room but were struggling tofinish it.

The 14 volunteers completed thedining room, main lounge area andturned a storeroom into a familyroom with library and bistro, as wellas landscaping the garden and paint-ing the furniture, all in the space ofjust a fortnight.

Staff, residents and guests at a Balcombe care home were treated to a production of Jack and the Beanstalk by a local theatre company. More than 30 people enjoyed the production at the Alpha owned Russettings by the Carousel Theatre Company.

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CARINGNEWS12

A SHEFFIELD nursing home hasundergone an £18,000 facelift.

Lady Anne Neil, the wife of Sir HughNeil who founded the BroomgroveTrust charity more than 40 years ago,joined residents and staff atBroomgrove nursing home in theBroomhall area of the city to unveilthe refurbishments.

The 35-bed home, the onlyorganisation of its kind in the areawith charitable status, now has a newupstairs nurses station and threeupdated bathrooms thanks to grantsfrom the Marjorie Coote OlderPeople's Fund, Sheffield Town Trustand the Church Burgesses Trust, aswell as fundraising efforts by the

home.Jill Wall, who has managed the

home for the past four years, said:“Since I have worked here we havetried to make a concerted effort toupdate our facilities but, as acharitable trust, we don’t have a lot ofmoney. We recently updated a coupleof wings in the nursing home, andthe latest round of work has seen usreplace several bathrooms that wereof no use to the residents with allsinging and all dancing ones.

“They now have walk-in showersand extra storage space, and we havenow created an upstairs nursingstation.”

Jill says she may apply for another

grant for her next project to updatethe reception area, while the home isalso hoping to raise approximately£55,000 to create a new activities andtherapies room.

She added: “We have currentlyraised around £8,000 towards thenew building. I did a parachute jumplast year, which brought in £2,000,and I am looking to do somethingequally as whacky again this year.”

Residents have also played a keyrole in marking the 70th anniversaryof the Sheffield Blitz. They providedmemories for the recently published‘Sheffield’s Date With Hitler’ bookand material for the Blitzcommemoration event in the city.

George Connell(Sheffield TownTrust) withLady Anne Neil(MarjorieCoote), Jill Wall(BroomgroveNursing Homemanager), MikePestereff(chairman ofBroomgroveTrust) and SirHugh Neil(MarjorieCoote).

Facelift for Sheffield home

WebsiteupdatedFREMANTLE has launched its newwebsite which has been custom builtby marketing solutions providerMediahawk.

The site’s key sections are forprospective employees or peoplelooking for services.

Claire Gajeckyj, marketing managerat Fremantle, said: “Our existingwebsite was based on old technologyand had been in use for four years.Website design has moved onsignificantly, as has the technologywhich helps direct prospectivecustomers to your site.

“Mediahawk designed us an up-to-the-minute site with search engineoptimisation, much easier and fasternavigation for users, an eye-catchingmodern look and feel and, veryimportantly, a range of accessibilityfeatures.”

ResidentsevacuatedTWENTY five residents wereevacuated from a Flintshire carehome after a fire broke out in a storeroom.

Nobody was injured in the incidentat Aston Hall in Deeside followingthe blaze, which is believed to have been started by an electricalfault. Damage was confined to the store room and the attic spaceabove.

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CARINGNEWS14

By Dominic Musgrave

ACTOR Ricky Tomlinson opened a £1mextension at a Wrexham care home that hasmore than doubled in size.

Best known for his role as Jim Royle in BBC's The Royle Family, he has strong links with the area as he lived there for manyyears.

He officially opened the extension tospecialist dementia home Cherry Tree, which has gone from 17 to 37 beds, afterowners the Atkins family bought the house nextdoor.

Manager Debbie Davies, who has worked atthe home for just over three years, havingowned her own for 10, said: “As Ricky is fromthe area we thought he would be perfect toopen the new extension, and we were delightedwhen he agreed.

“We also arranged for a George Formbytribute band to play during the day, and Ricky played the banjo while the residentsdanced.

“We now hope that we can become a centre ofexcellence for dementia in the area, as it is very much a sought after service in the localarea.”

The new extension, which has taken a year to

complete, includes a glass link between the twobuildings, and as well as the extra bedroomshas also seen the creation of four new lounges,a conservatory, sensory room and two sensorygardens.

There is even a sports bar complete withmemorabilia from the 1940s and 50s and afootball table.

Debbie, who was the brainchild for the bar,added: “There is now so much to do at thehome for the residents, which is important forpeople with dementia.

“I have worked almost 30 years in care, andhave visited a lot of establishments, and havingspoken with the residents the main things theywanted were a sensory garden and somewhereto mingle.

“The ladies, as well as the men, like sport,which is why I came up with the idea for the bar, and they can go there in the evenings andhave a glass of sherry or a can of beer andeither sit and chat or play with some of the pubgames.”

� We want to hear from you if you are building or are opening an extension at your care home. Let Dominic Musgrave know byemailing dm@whpl.net or telephone 01226734407.

Royle Family actor opens£1m home extension

Ricky Tomlinson with Cherry Tree owner Dave Atkins andregistered manager Debbie Davies.

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15CARINGNEWS

Lightning-hittree crashesthrough roofBy Louise Cordell

THE manager of a Dundee carehome says they are slowly gettingback to normal again after part of a100-foot redwood tree crashed on tothe roof of an extension.

Two residents’ bedrooms atRedwood House, which gets its namefrom the tree, were affected by thedramatic incident, which is believedto have been caused by a bolt oflightning during a snow storm.

One of the residents has beenmoved to a vacant bedroom inanother part of the home, whileanother has been rehomed in thestaff room, which used to be a livingarea.

The home’s manager GladysMackay said it was lucky none of the20 residents or staff were hurt.

She added: “In the early hours ofthe morning the lightning bolt hit thetop of the tree, travelled down thetrunk and split it in two.

“Half of the tree came down overthe car park and took down the other

door, while the other half later camedown over the roof of the building.

“Fortunately the resident whoseroom bore the brunt of the tree washaving breakfast downstairs at thetime and was unaware of what hadhappened.

“That is the case with many of theresidents as we have a fair amount ofdementia within the home, andmany have forgotten having beentold what has happened.

A specialist team removed theupper trunk, and a structural reportruled the building safe to occupy.

Gladys added: “It was a beautifultree which gave the house its name— and it is sad what has happened.

“Because of the bad weather andthe festive period the work has beendelayed, although the builders didcover up the damaged part of theroof before breaking up.

“It also knocked out our telephone,nursecall and broadband systems,which we are slowly getting back upand running again.”

Resident Ivy Springham, one of the subjects of ‘Somerset Centenarians’

A TAUNTON-based care group is cel-ebrating the longevity of some of itsresidents with a book on centenari-ans to be published in the spring.

Somerset Care currently has 60 resi-dents over 100 living in its group ofcare homes or being looked after byits domiciliary care staff, and hasdecided to record the life histories of20 of its centenarians and publishthem in a book to coincide with its20th anniversary.

Inspired by its most famous resi-dent Harry Parch, who lived to theage of 111, ‘Somerset Centenarians’includes a variety of life stories, fromthose of a tiller girl to that of a life-

long Clarks shoes employee.Chief executive Andrew Larpent

said: “The fact people are livinglonger is primarily a cause for cele-bration, and this book is our contri-bution to celebrating the great socialopportunity that this gives to somany of us.

“Our commitment is to help toenable everyone to enjoy theirlongevity to the greatest extent possi-ble. 100th birthday parties in ourhomes are now common occur-rences, and each is celebrated in asmuch style as is possible for the indi-vidual concerned.”

Care group celebratesits centenarians

Home reaches final stages of awardsA DERBY care home is through to thefinal stages of the annual PindersHealthcare Design Awards.

Bluebell Park, a Barchester-run carehome in Chellaston, has been select-ed in the elderly and contemporarydesign category.

The 64-bed care home, which was

designed by MCA Architects, built byGF Tomlinson Limited and fitted outby Barchester’s team of interiordesigners, was opened in theautumn.

The winners will be announced atan event at Lord’s cricket ground atthe end of March.

Post office opens in homeA NORTH Yorkshire village has itsown post office again after the origi-nal one closed almost three yearsago.

The new facility has opened inSycamore Hall, Housing 21’s extracare scheme for older people inBainbridge.

The opening by Post Office Ltd ofthe outreach service follows thelaunch earlier this year of a newlibrary outlet service from thescheme. Other community facilitiesprovided include a restaurant, shop,hairdressing salon, day centre andhealthcare suite.

Sycamore Hall Court manager

Michelle Mottershead said: “Housing21 was delighted when we were initially approached by Post OfficeLtd to see if we could provide room for an outreach post office service.

“Our rural situation can make it dif-ficult for residents and some localpeople to access other post offices, sohaving this facility here is ideal. I’msure it will be a valuable asset to thepeople of Bainbridge.”

The new service will be provided bythe sub-postmaster of Hawes PostOffice, and will open four hours eachweek, on Mondays and Wednesdaysfrom 9am to 11am.

15 18/1/11 16:49 Page 1

CARINGNEWS16

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How caring Kathturned home’sfortunes aroundTHE manager of a Blackburn carehome has transformed its fortunessince taking over three years ago.

Kath Pazdzior has worked in thecare sector for 18 years, and the two-star Linden House, a former primaryschool, has gone from strength tostrength since she took over thereins. The 40-bed home is currentlyundergoing a new approach in itsdementia wing, which includesdecorating the walls and even the fireexits to make it look like a traditionalhome.

She told Caring UK each of the 12residents even has their ownindividual front door to help withrecognition.

Kath added: “The home wasn’t in aparticularly good state when I tookover, and what I have tried to dosince coming here has involvedencouraging the staff to get moreinvolved and use their personalities.

“Staff work better if they are in abetter environment, and if they seethe residents getting a lot out of lifeduring their time here then they willwant to be a part of it. It is all aboutmaking the residents happy.

“A lot of the early work I had to do

involved getting care plans up toscratch and putting the relevant stafftraining into place. We are now atrain the trainer centre for dementia.”

Kath worked her way up to hercurrent role working at anotherhome in the North West, havingoriginally moved into care purelybecause she needed a job. OwnersNimesh and Kirti Khistria also run acare home in Liverpool, and she saysthey are open to her suggestions.

Kath added: “Once you go into careyou never look back, and if you are acaring person then that is what youdo. I am currently trying to create anactivities area for the dementiaresidents. This will include a shed forthe men to potter around in and alsoa sewing machine and typewriter totake the residents back to the 1940s.

“I am also keen to put a proper roofon the building to make it look morelike a bungalow because like manysingle-storey school buildings itcurrently has a flat one. In future Iwould also like to have an orchardhere. The owners always do their bestwherever possible to put my ideasinto practice.”

A resident enjoys a performance by Music in Hospitals at Kingsley Care Home, Harrogate.

RESIDENTS at Bupa care homesnationwide are going to beentertained this year as part of theMusical Memories project.

The concerts are organised byMusic in Hospitals, a leading charitythat provides professionallyperformed live music in health and care settings throughout the UK,with music ranging from classical,jazz and folk, music hall and showtunes.

Bupa Care Homes’ communityaffairs consultant Siobhan Drane saidthe aim is to improve the quality oflife and wellbeing of residents.

She added: “The partnership withMusic in Hospitals has been hugelysuccessful so far in the UK and it issomething that will be discussed withour international colleagues to see ifthere is an opportunity in Australia,New Zealand and Spain to repeat thistype of experience.”

Musical project to hit the right note with care homes ...

16 18/1/11 16:50 Page 1

17 17/1/11 11:59 Page 1

CARINGNEWS18

Advertiser’s announcement

SKY has launched a newsubscription offer that is sure toraise a smile with care homeresidents.

Sky offers a wide mix of channelsto suit all tastes. Thoughtprovoking channels like theDiscovery Channel and theNational Geographic Channel offerengaging programming that willencourage discussion and debateamong residents.

Viewers can look forward toaward winning comedy and cuttingedge drama from LIVING; Sky1features exclusive UK dramas andfascinating documentaries; andThe History Channel will connectresidents to the great lives andevents of the past.

Sky’s unrivalled sports coverage issure to fill communal areas andbuild camaraderie and friendships,with February and March bringingextensive coverage of the BarclaysPremier League, the ICC CricketWorld Cup 2011 and Euro 2012qualifiers.

There are two channel packagesavailable for care homes wishing totake a subscription in theircommunal areas.

The Sky Base package is priced atan introductory offer of £90 permonth/per communal area. Thispackage has a selection of sportschannels, plus music and a wide

variety of entertainment contentsuch as Sky 1, Animal Planet andthe Home and Health channel.

However, to ensure residentsdon’t miss out on their favoriteshows, the Sky Ultimate package isalso available at an introductoryprice of £100 per month/percommunal area and offers SkySports 2, Sky Sports 4 and ESPN inaddition to all of the sport andentertainment content available inthe Sky Base package.

A Sky+HD box is available at noadditional charge to Sky Ultimatesubscribers and will allow residentsto record, pause and rewind liveSky Sports channels. Bothpackages are available at a furtherreduced price when taking Skycontent in-room.

A Sky subscription brings with itmany other features to enhanceyour residents viewing experience.A free HD pack available in bothpackages provides a more detailedpicture with vibrant colours andclearer sound helping to furtherenhance the quality viewingexperience.

Functionality such as theelectronic programme guide,information button, text sub-titlesand more will allow residents toschedule their TV viewing withease – an added benefit to create ahome-like environment.

Sky adds to the home comforts

Showing a service commitment toresidents and their families is apriority. This introductory offer,open for a limited time only, can

help to exceed quality expectationsfor your care home and help tocreate a perfect home experiencethat will keep residents smiling.

Home ordered totake immediateaction to improveBy Louise Cordell

A SECOND Bristol care home owned byMimosa Healthcare has been warned itmust take immediate action to improvestandards of care.

CQC inspectors who visited KingsmeadLodge nursing home found that it was notmeeting essential standards of quality andsafety covering: � Care and welfare of people who useservices.� Management of medicines.� Staff recruitment.� Staff training, professional developmentand supervision.

Inspectors will return to the care homeunannounced to check whether theimprovements have been made and todecide whether to initiate formalenforcement action.

In the meantime the home, which has 81beds for older people including peoplewith dementia, has agreed to stop takingnew admissions while improvements aremade.

Regional director Ian Biggs said staffwould monitor the home closely, workingwith the city council, continuinghealthcare team and primary care trust.

He added: “It is clear that people living in

Kingsmead Lodge have not been gettingthe level of care that they need. We foundevidence of poor care which failed to treatresidents with the respect and dignitywhich we all have a right to expect.

“Some of the staff do not appear tounderstand the needs of people withdementia. It is not only a lack of empathy –we also found that the home has not beenproviding the specialist support for peoplewhen they need it.

“We have received an immediateundertaking from Mimosa Healthcare thatthey will not admit any further people tothis nursing home while theseimprovements are being addressed.

“The law says these are the standards thateveryone should be able to expect whenthey receive care. Kingsmead mustimprove – or face the consequences. Ourinspectors will return in the near futureand if we find that the home is not makingprogress we will take further action.”

The inspectors visited the home inresponse to concerns which it hadreceived.

The team reviewed information on thehome, talked to staff and residents,checked records and conducted a detailedobservation of dementia care.

DOMICILIARY care providerHome Instead has developed aprogramme to monitor thequality of care it delivers.

Through an exclusivepartnership with JD Power andAssociates, caregivers andclients will be routinelysurveyed to ensure consistentdelivery of high quality servicethrough Pursuing Excellenceby Advancing Quality (PEAQ).

CEO Trevor Brocklebank said:“We are committed toadvancing quality to ensure weconsistently deliver the highestlevels of customer service.

“These survey results willprovide us with insight intoour areas of strength as well asthose areas that need attention

and improvement. “We say we provide the best

quality care to our clients.Now we can actually measureand prove it.”

At the company’s recentnational conference, fourHome Instead offices receivednational PEAQ awards.

Steve Willoughby fromBrentwood and Mick andJenny Sheehan from Oldhamand Saddleworth picked upprizes for outstanding staffsatisfaction.

Chris and Sue Broadbentfrom Chester and Chris Lyefrom Ipswich also collectedawards for outstanding clientsatisfaction, having gained thehighest scores in the country.

Brentwood’s Steve Willoughby (centre) receives his award from Sam andTrevor Brocklebank.

Monitoring quality of care

18 18/1/11 16:52 Page 1

19

Caring UK Commercesection brings you all the latest property,business and trainingnews every month.

In this issue:

� Governmentfunding cuts to hitcare across the UKPage 20

� Developer isnamed man of theyear at ceremonyPage 21

� Group takes overhomes fromtroubled operatorPage 22

High Court rules againsttemporary cap on workersBy Dominic Musgrave

A TEMPORARY cap on the number ofskilled workers from outside the EUallowed into the UK was introduced“unlawfully”, the High Court has ruled.

Home secretary Theresa May intro-duced the cap this summer as an inter-im measure ahead of a permanent cap.But a legal challenge to it initiated byAston Brooke solicitors on behalf ofECCA and the Joint Council for the Welf-are of Immigrants was upheld, with thetwo judges Lord Justice Sullivan and MrJustice Burton ruling that ministers had“sidestepped” Parliamentary scrutiny.

Chief executive Martin Green said theassociation was concerned over the

position of immigrant care workers.He added: “I felt it was important to

challenge the Government’s impositionof a quota because governments mustbe reminded that they have to go thro-ugh due process before decisions aremade.

“I was disappointed that the HomeSecretary acted to swiftly reinstate thecap, but nonetheless I believe the judg-ment will make a difference to hundredsof employers who had an illegal capimposed upon them through theremoval of their Certificates ofSponsorship. The Government is intenton placing curbs on recruitment fromoverseas, and also through their axing ofthe Future Jobs Fund are denying

employers a route to recruiting from theUK workforce.”

Martin has previously said that the banhad led to some care homes beingforced to employ staff who were not ascompliant or qualified as they wouldlike. But immigration minister DamianGreen said he was disappointed by thedecision.

He added: “We will study the judgmentand will appeal it, if we have grounds.

“We remain firmly committed toreducing net migration and will beintroducing a permanent limit on non-European workers next April. We will doall in our power to continue to prevent arush of applications before our morepermanent measures are in place.”

19 18/1/11 16:53 Page 1

CARINGCOMMERCE20

Government funding cutswill hit care across the UKBy Jeremy Huband

IN 2010 the new coalition cameinto play and have still to showtheir full hand as to where theywant to take care.

I am thinking that care at homeat all costs will be replaced by amore pragmatic view based on costand need.

This may see a swing backtowards care homes andalternative approaches to care.Different areas of the country willinterpret central guidelines in theirown way.

With our adult providers we areseeing failed supported livingplacements being accommodatedin care homes and an acceptancethat supported living is notappropriate, while others try to fixthe supported living offering.

What is all too clear is thatgovernment funding is being cutback, and this will hit care acrossthe UK. We have already seenletters asking providers to reviewtheir homecare rates, and we hearof cuts in weekly care home fees.

We also expect to see a fall inoccupancy levels as authoritiesdelay in placing people in care orapply a greater level of selection.Both will help keep their costsdown. Those homes reliant onlocal authorities will be the mostaffected. Homes withpredominantly private fee payerswill be able to increase fees to takeinto account inflation.

With the increase in minimumwage, higher heating costs andresurgence in inflation, profitmargins will be hit. The higheroperating costs will restrict profitswhich in turn will dampen values.

As a bank we are seeing well runquality businesses weathering thestorm. While these homes may notall be modern, purpose-built unitsthe quality of the provider is seeingthem through.

Those homes which made theeffort to gain the now historicthree-star quality rating from CQCmay also find this beneficial. Notsurprisingly recent joiners to thecare home market, who possiblypurchased at the peak of the

market, units in secondarylocations, and borrowed theabsolute maximum amount ofdebt they could, may find thecurrent market conditionschallenging.

While we are not seeing manytransactions in the businesstransfer market, the stagnation infee rates and softening ofoccupancy levels may force tradingbusinesses or brown field sitesonto the market. We would suggestthat any such opportunities arereviewed closely, and forecast feerates and occupancy levels reflecthistoric levels.

While I have not seen many carevillages over the past few yearstheir time must come again. I'mnot sure if 2011 will be the yearbut, if the residential propertymarket remains buoyant, they willhave a chance. Hopefully the newcrop will reflect care and lifestylerequirements of the area theyserve. I can see these becomingmore of a residential play, whichwill attract house builders anddrive costs down.

2011 will be a difficult year. Thebudgetary constraints will forceoperators to reassess their businessmodel and some will leave. Naturalselection leaps to mind with thosemost able leading the way.

� Jeremy Huband is director ofhealthcare at RBS.

Jeremy Huband

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21CARINGCOMMERCE

VIPs braved icy weather to take partin a topping out ceremony to cele-brate progress at a £2m state-of-the-art dementia care home.

The specialist facility, which isbeing built alongside The RoyalBritish Legion’s care home GalanosHouse in Southam, Warwickshire ison track to meet its spring comple-tion deadline despite the recent poorweather.

Manager Jo-Anne Wilson said: “Thehome will offer specialist care andaccommodation, a place where wecan offer a home for life for people

with dementia.

“There is an increasing demand forthis type of care. We already have awaiting list for places in the newhome, we wanted somewhere where we could offer the very bestcare.

The home is being built in accor-dance with latest research about thebest kind of environment in which tooffer dementia care.

The building will house 30 residentsin three wings around a market style square, complete with shopfronts.

Greswolde managing director Malcolm Priest with Paul Gillam (Royal British Legion),Charles Clayson (BCAL Consulting), Paul Ingle and Peter Flavill (both Portess andRichardson), David Morris (Tompkins Robinson Surveyors), Jo-Anne Wilson (RoyalBritish Legion) and Martin McTiernan (GCL).

Poor weather fails to delay£2m care home project

A CARE home developer was namedman of the year at a prestigiousannual awards ceremony in London.

Ian Holmes picked up the honour atthe Over 50s’ Housing Awards inrecognition of his and business part-ner Danny Sharpe’s work to deliver500 new beds for care home operatorExecutive Care group over the pastthree years.

The partner and project director ofNorthStar Capital Projects, and boarddirector of Executive Care Group, isthe youngest person ever to pick upthe award.

He said: “We are working rightacross the UK, from a 90-bed special-ist care facility in Dundee to a 70-bedhome in Poole.

“We have also been awarded plan-ning consent for a major 64-bedscheme in Cumbria and a 90-bed

project in Newmarket.”In accepting the award Ian spoke of

the need for the industry to wake upto the massive demands which thebaby boom generation will soon beplacing on it, and warned of the highstandards which will be demanded bythem.

He added: “The care hotel conceptis a new type of product whicheschews the mean standards of manyof the care homes built over the pastfour or five years and instead offerslarge bedrooms, health spas, coffeeshops and cinemas.

“By driving economies of scale intothe supply chain, and by tightly man-aging the construction process, weare achieving a very high end productfor a cheaper per bed price than mostof our competitors can deliver verybasic accommodation models.”

Developer namedman of the year

COLLIERS Healthcare has completedthe assignments on four purposebuilt care-homes in the north ofEngland on behalf of ING.

The properties were all under fiveyears old and had a combined regis-tration of 317.

Operating within a particularly tighttimescale, Colliers discretely offered

the homes to select operators andwere able to present a number ofcredible alternative tenants to thelandlord, each with competitiverental bids.

Heads of terms were agreed with thepreferred tenant and simultaneously,Colliers were instructed to sell theproperty investments.

Colliers complete assignments

21 18/1/11 16:58 Page 1

CARINGCOMMERCE22

Troubled operatorhands over homesto care group

DC CARE concluded 2010 with thediscreet sale of Howson Care CentreLimited to Villecourt Ltd two yearsafter the company originallyconsidered purchasing the home.

Named after vendors Lewis andGail Howson, the specialist facility inLincolnshire provides accommod-ation for 78 service users withinnumerous care categories includingold age, nursing, learning disabilityand mental health.

Initially a care home for the elderly,the property was developed toprovide dementia care plus tailorednursing facilities to specific clientgroups.

Further developments in recentyears saw the diversification intoprovision for clients with learning

disability and mental health, in bothresidential and semi independentliving units.

The latest purpose-built unit wascompleted just prior to the businessbeing marketed and this provides astimulating environment for some ofthe younger service users.

Care centre changes hands

By Louise Cordell

FOUR Yorkshire care homes havebeen handed over to a care group torun after the previous operator facedproblems.

The homes, with a total of 317 beds,were run by Orchard Care Homes,but landlord ING Properties tookthem back when the group went intoa creditors voluntary agreementearlier this year.

After several months of negotiationsthe operation of the four homes:Cookridge Court and Grange inLeeds, Scarborough Hall and Lodge,Leeming Bar Grange andBoroughbridge Manor and Lodgehave been handed over to Avery withthe support of the CQC, NorthYorkshire county council and Leedscity council.

All the homes were built within thelast three years and meet or exceedcurrent minimum standards. They allprovide residential care and care forpeople with dementia.

Avery healthcare managing directorJohn Strowbridge said the homes willremain open during refurbishmentwork.

He added: “We found that thehomes needed a lot of work but theywere all built within the last threeyears and all offer ensuite facilitiesand we are very much up to thechallenge.

“Once refurbished and with ourcare and quality programmesimplemented they will fit perfectlywithin our portfolio.

“I would like to give this assuranceto residents and their families thatalthough we will be closing downparts of each facility for a period asthe refurbishments take place theyneed have no worries at all and verysoon they will be operating to newand much higher standards.”

The company has set up a separatemanagement team to handle thetransition and refurbishment,ensuring that its current portfolio ofhomes will not be affected by thedevelopments.

The homes will be refurbished andbrought back into top condition overthe next six months, and Avery’s careand quality programmes will beintroduced. Significant numbers ofadditional care jobs across the regionwill also be created.

A LUXURY retirement villagedeveloper and operator has scoopedthree property industry awards for itsflagship West Yorkshire site.

Audley’s flagship Clevedondevelopment on the outskirts ofIlkley won the five-star award for bestretirement development in Yorkshireat the UK Property Awards and went

on to take the international award forthe same category. The village alsowon bronze in the best retirementdevelopment category at the WhatHouse? awards.

The site, which opened inSeptember 2009, won the title of bestcare village earlier this year at thePinders healthcare design awards.

Trio of awards for developer

Audley chief executive Nick Sanderson receives the bronze award in the best retirementdevelopment category from James Sandbrook, managing director of the retirementdivision of House to Home UK and comedian Jimmy Carr.

Tax reclaims forcommercial property

ownersCAPITAL allowances are among the most valuable andleast exploited methods of reducing property owners’income tax or corporation tax liabilities.

Capital allowances arise from capital expenditure onpurchasing or constructing a new property along

with extensions and refurbishments.We carry out retrospective, current year, and new

build capital allowance claims, both for individuals andcompanies in relation to commercial properties rightacross the commercial sector.

Most retrospective capital allowance claims that wehandle lead to a significant tax refund for the client. Wewill quickly identify the validity of a claim withoutobligation. If a claim does not proceed, there will be nofee.

We comprehensively survey the property which allowsus to identify any qualifying items that, for numerousreasons, have previously not been claimed.

Enquiries: Telephone 01246 293011 or visit www.salmon-business.com

22 18/1/11 17:01 Page 1

23CARINGCOMMERCE

Government policiesbring opportunitiesfor private operatorsBy Matthew Wolton

WHILE the independent sector hasbeen steadily increasing its involve-ment in the delivery of adult socialcare – both in the private market andin the public sector on behalf of localauthorities and PCTs – it hasn’t allbeen plain sailing, but conditionslook set to improve.

Recently there have been warningsigns for operators of residential carehomes. In December 2010 SouthernCross Healthcare announced lossesof £47.4m in the year to September.

Add to this providers being hit byincreasing rents, an increase in theminimum wage, potential caps onthe use of immigrant employees and,for the first time in many years, localauthorities and PCTs are looking for areduction in the fees they pay as theyrespond to the Government’sComprehensive Spending Review.

Occupancy rates are also decreasingas both privately and publicly-fundedindividuals use services such as re-ablement and telecare to maintaintheir independence and autonomyfor longer in their own homes.

However, there are grounds for cau-tious optimism, especially forproviders looking to take over ser-vices currently being provided by thepublic sector.

When ‘A Vision for Adult Social Care’was published by the Department ofHealth last November, one of itsseven core principles was ‘partner-ship’ with the aim that care and sup-port should be delivered in partner-ship between individuals, communi-ties, the voluntary and private sec-tors, the NHS and councils.

It stated that in 2008/09 around halfof councils spent over a fifth of theirresidential care budgets on in-houseprovision, rising to over 60 per centin some areas. For day care, themajority of councils spent over halftheir budgets on in-house services.

Government is focused on remov-

ing barriers to collaboration, poolingbudgets across health, social careand employment support and reduc-ing the barriers to market entry forsmaller organisations. This presentsopportunities to providers who, untilnow, have not been involved in thismarket.

Recent research has suggested thereare still 24,000 people in local author-ity in-house residential care homeswith the average cost of keeping aresident in a council-run home put at£824 per week.

The cost to the council of sendingthat resident to a privately-run care home is £445 per week – a sav-ing of £379 per week or over 45 percent.

If independent providers took onmost or all of these residents thiswould result in a significant increasein the market in these difficult timesand, according to these figures, thepublic sector could save approxi-mately £475 million a year.

A win-win scenario that cannot beignored?

� Matthew Wolton is director of TPP Lawand author of the special report “FutureService Models for Adult Social CareDelivery”.

Deal sealed forJersey homeBARCHESTER Healthcare hascemented a deal to construct a new58-bed care home at Lakeside inJersey.

The new Georgian-style facility willbe built on the land adjacent to theexisting home, and will incorporatetwo pavilions as its showpiece.

These will house eight two-bed-room assisted living apartments forthose looking for an independentlifestyle.

The task of designing the care homehas been undertaken by architectRobert Adam, a specialist designer oftraditional and progressive classicalarchitecture.

Civic couplecut ribbonTHE mayor and mayoress ofChelmsford officially openedExcelcare’s new care home in thecity.

Councillor Alan Arnot and his wifeJackie cut the ribbon at Okeley CareCentre, which will provide accom-modation and care for the elderlyand those with dementia.

The day was hosted by businessdevelopment manager Nicky Ryan,and was also attended by the compa-ny’s chairman and chief executiveOsman Ertosun.

23 18/1/11 17:02 Page 1

CARINGCOMMERCE24

By Dominic Musgrave

WORK is due to get underwayshortly on a new £1.5mextension to a Cumbernauldcare home that once completewill create 20 new jobs.

Eighteen bedrooms will beadded to the 35 alreadyavailable at the family-runDarroch Nursing Home onland purchased from the localcouncil by husband and wifeDavid and Julie Turner 18months ago.

Julie told Caring UK the workat the former convent will alsoinclude the creation of a newcar park, entrance area,kitchen and laundry.

She added: “We hope to havethe work completed by theautumn, and it is to include abit of everything to meet withlocal demands.

“Getting planning

permission was difficult aslocal residents didn’t want tosee another bit of greenerybeing built on and they don’thave very big gardens.

“But the land was sold to uswith outline planningpermission, and a care homeis quite a good neighbour tohave, and at the end of the daywe are providing a service aswell as creating jobs. All in allit has probably taken 18months.”

The home was originally runby Julie’s parents, but shebecame more involved 14years ago, and took over therunning in 2003.

She now looks after thefinances, while her husband,who previously worked in IT,is responsible for the fabric ofthe building.

Despite her bankingbackground, Julie says it has

been a struggle getting themoney for the extension inplace, though she would notrule out adding to thebusiness in future.

“The banks were very tricky,”she added. “They are askingfor as much information asthey can get, and we arehaving to change banks to getwhat we require.

“We are always looking, butit would have to be in the rightarea and it is not an easy jobat the end of the day.

“It is 24-7 and many of thestaff have been here for years.Unlike many businesses whocould close their offices whenwe had the bad weather at the end of last year, I had to get them to work in my4x4.

“Some days I was starting at7am and not getting homeuntil after 10pm.”

Extension atformer conventto bring 20 jobs

International touchto conferenceSPEAKERS from around the globe have been linedup to speak at a conference on creating better livingenviron-ments for older people.

The event at the National Motorcycle Museum,which is being hosted by Pozzoni LLP, DavisLangdon LLP, GB Building Solutions and Blue SkyGlobal Investors, will feature examples of projectsfrom as far afield as Japan, Holland, Denmark andAustralia.

Speakers will include Dr Stephen Judd, who will doa presentation on Hammondville, a flagship schemefor the largest dementia care provider in Australia.

Moniq Wijnties will look at Hogewyk, a Dutchdementia project which relies on its size for itssuccess and Emi Kiyota will present on Gojikara, aninnovative Japanese village concept. The day willalso feature practical advice on funding, deliveryeconomics and tax by representatives from theevent’s sponsors.

‘Building for older people in an ever changing careenvironment’ takes place on February 3 and will behosted by NCF executive director Des Kelly.

Home soldTHE Birmingham officeof Christie and Co hassold Holmfield NursingHome on the outskirts ofNuneaton in Warwick-shire. The 22-bed home,which has expansionopportunities, was soldto existing care homeoperators from Harrowfor an undis-closed sumoff a guide price of£945,000.

Seminars A LONDON-based firm ofsolicitors is hosting a series ofseminars.

Bates, Wells and Braith-waite’s forthcoming seminars‘Immigration law and careprovision’ and ‘CQC compli-ance issues for care providers’take place on February 10 andMarch 9 respectively, startingat 5pm. The ‘Health and safetylaw’ event is on March 30 andstarts at 4.30pm.

24 18/1/11 17:03 Page 1

25 18/1/11 10:44 Page 1

CARINGDEMENTIA26

RESIDENTS with dementia oftenexperience distress if they cannotfind the clothing they are familiarwith.

As with all residents it is importantthat an individual’s garments arecorrectly returned to them afterwashing. With more than 1,200garments going through the carehome laundry this is not an easy task,especially if the garment is notnamed adequately.

Attach-a-Tag is a simple, costeffective method of labelling clothingand soft objects and is an ideal way toquickly label short term and respiteresidents’ clothing as well as normallaundry.

Replicating a button, it attaches inseconds to the garment seam orlaundry label, making it discreet andcomfortable to the wearer. Thepatented design is easy to attach butdifficult to remove, and cannot betaken off by accident or come offduring the laundry process.

Each tag has the owner’s nameetched onto it, which is guaranteednot to wear off in the wash. Thiscombined with the unique fixingmethod of Attach-a-Tag means theowner is identified every time.

Suitable for industrial laundry andiron proof, it is reusable, making iteven more cost effective for your carehome.

Clothing tag system anideal way to beat distress

DEMENTIA Life has released a newversion of its Digital ReminiscenceTherapy Software (DRTS) - acommunication tool designed withcarers in mind.

It uses reminiscence with carefullychosen digital media content from anextensive library of archivephotographs and videos alongsideinteractive entertainment such assing-a-longs, quizzes and games.

DRTS is designed to enhancecommunication with people who

have dementia and the elderly,allowing the carer to engage,communicate and interact in aneffective manner to provide astimulating and enjoyable pastimefor people with dementia.

The ease of communicationprovided by Dementia Life isbeneficial to both carers, residentsand visiting friends and family, takingsome of the pressure off andencouraging engagement andwellbeing.

New version of tool launched

A TEAM of Middlesex Universityacademics has created a new toolfor helping people living withdementia – a comedy DVD starringthe service users themselves.

The project, which saw users ofThe Grange care home in Haringeyacting out a visit from the Queenfor a mockumentary style video, isbeing used as a training tool forsocial care students and a resourcefor Haringey adult services.

The ‘Queen’s Visit’ usedimprovisation, props, acting andcomedy to involve the elderly withmethods proven to stimulate themind, which research suggestsmay offer health benefits to peoplewith dementia.

Social work academic atMiddlesex University, TrishHafford-Letchfield, said the projectwas also designed to examinestereotypes about people withdementia and look at ways toprovide a new type of service.

She added: “It’s one of therequirements of professionaltraining to have service usersinvolved in the teaching andlearning. With people who havedementia it’s very difficult toinvolve them in learning.

“It’s about promotingrelationships between staff and

service users. It’s about having funtogether rather than just providingcare.

“By using comedy andimprovisation, we were able tocreate a forum for exchange ofideas with older people withoutthem having to rely on short-termmemory which can be a problemfor them.”

“Family members of the elderlypeople involved said they had seenglimpses of the fun side of theirrelative’s personality emergeduring the filming, somethingwhich is often hard to see whencaring for someone with dementiaday-to-day.”

An actress portrays the Queen for thetraining DVD.

Residents star innew training DVD

26 18/1/11 17:05 Page 1

27CARINGDEMENTIA

Benefits ofmusic therapyin spotlightA CARE home’s music therapistwill speak about how his work isbenefiting people with dementia atan international conference.

Ming Hung Hsu, who works atthe MHA’s Weston and Queenswaynursing and dementia care homein Stafford, has been invited to theWorld Music Congress in Seoul,which is held every three years.

He will talk about a resident whofeatured as the case study of theMasters degree dissertation forwhich he earned a distinction.

Ming said music therapy encour-ages non-verbal communication,which can be helpful for peoplewith dementia who are less able toexpress themselves.

He added: “Some people withadvanced dementia might be ableto play an instrument or sing, evenif they can’t speak. And with thosewhose dementia is not soadvanced, the music can stimulatethem.

“Music stimulates brain activity

with elements such as rhythm,melody and volume. It is alsoabout free association. In music,people can play whatever comes tomind. Residents may have prob-lems that mean they cannot usewords, but in music therapy theyplay and you can see what they arethinking.

“A person might be playing sever-al notes like a melody, while thetherapist will confirm it by playingan accompaniment. If they guessright, the person will probablycontinue to play, and show emo-tions while doing it.”

Ming has seen the effects of histherapy through dementia caremapping, a data collection methodoften used in occupational thera-py, which involves documenting aperson’s behaviour over a period ofobservation.

Microanalysis of video recordingsis also used to demonstrate howpeople’s well-being improves as aresult of a music therapy session.

THE new owners of a Somerset carehome say they plan to transform it intoa specialist dementia facility.

Jean Lubbock and Christine Ramseypurchased Knights Templar Court inWincanton after Christie and Co wereinstructed to put it on the market onbehalf on joint administrators ChrisMarsden and Ian Best of Ernst andYoung LLP.

The pair, who have run another facil-ity called Foxes Moon in Dorset for thepast nine years, plan extensive workon the 20-bed facility, which compris-es three houses that have been linkedtogether.

Jean said: “We paid a lot of money forthe home, but didn’t get as much as we

thought we would. We were told wewould be getting a home with 12 resi-dents and a manager in place, butwhat we actually got was a home withjust nine residents and no manager.

“There were several things thatattracted us to the home in the firstplace. The land and the fact that it hadpotential were two of them, but wealso felt sorry for the residents livingthere because although they werebeing well looked after, the homeneeds a lot of tender loving care.”

Jean says the refurbishment work atKnights Templar Court, which was soldfor an undisclosed sum with fundingprovided by Barclays, is likely to takeup to three years to complete.

New home owners planspecialist dementia facility

27 18/1/11 17:06 Page 1

CARINGLAUNDRY28

MIELE Professional has continuedthe advancement of its laundry caretechnology with the introduction ofits DryPlus PT 8000 generationtumble dryers.

The range comes in five sizes andvarying control sets to suit all types ofcommercial laundry operations.

The DryPlus series features drumvolumes for load capacities from 10to 40kg, faster drying times and offerscost-saving benefits thanks to heatingby the most efficient forms of energy.

All models in the PT8000 rangefeature Miele patented innovationssuch as the honeycomb drum, airrecycling system and PerfectDryelectronic residual moisture controls.

These powerful machines maximiseefficiency and are designed to ensurecost-effectiveness in all phases of thedrying process.

The dryers are available with achoice of heat power sources –electric, gas or steam – to ensure asustainable, cost effectiveperformance.

Where laundry care is required tomeet the changing needs of thebusiness, appliances must be highlyflexible in their operation, and the PT8000 has a range of adaptablefeatures to ensure maximumefficiency of use.

Depending on the dryer size, theFlexPlus varying control unit set ups

ensure that the machines can adaptto suit all situations including coinoperation.

With a 52cm wide door aperture,loading and unloading of bulky itemssuch as duvets is easy, and coupledwith integrated drum lighting there isno danger of leaving somethingbehind when unloading.

The DryPlus PT 8000 features anupdated casing design which helps toconserve energy and in turn, saves oncosts.

The EcoPlus design ensures asustainable, cost efficientperformance due to the higheffectiveness of the internal system:seals and gaskets adapt to drumoscillations, preventing air frombleeding in from outside andtherefore sealing in heat.

Miele unveils newrange of dryers

28 21/1/11 09:40 Page 1

29CARINGHOMECARE

Re-ablementapproach wouldwork says studyA SPECIALIST re-ablement approachin homecare services to help peoplerecovering from acute illness, falls orfractures will pay dividends, newresearch has claimed.

The study, led by the University ofYork, found there was widespreadagreement among managers andfront line staff that re-ablement wasof greater benefit for people recover-ing from acute illnesses, falls or frac-tures than those with chronic or pro-gressive health problems.

The Social Policy Research Unit atYork led the research, which alsoinvolved the Personal Social ServicesResearch Unit at the University ofKent and was commissioned by theDepartment of Health.

Lead researcher, professor CarolineGlendinning, said: “Many localauthorities are developing inclusivere-ablement services, accepting mostnew service users.

“However, there was widespreadagreement among managers andfront line staff in the study that re-ablement was of greater benefit forpeople recovering from acute illness-es, falls or fractures than those withchronic or progressive health prob-lems.”

It examined the effectiveness of‘home care re-ablement’ – a new,short-term intervention in Englishhome care.

The researchers compared people infive English local authority areas whoreceived home-care re-ablement witha group receiving conventional homecare in five different local authorityareas.

The study involved more than 1,000people.

The findings included:� Re-ablement was associated with

a significant decrease in subsequentcosts of social care service use.

� The reduction in social care costswas almost entirely offset by the ini-tial cost of the re-ablement interven-tion. The average cost of a re-able-ment episode was £2,088 with a meancost of £40 per hour of service usercontact time.

� Re-ablement had positiveimpacts on users’ health-relatedquality of life and social care-relatedquality of life, in comparison withusers of conventional home care ser-vices.

Using the National Institute forHealth and Clinical Excellence cost-effectiveness threshold, re-ablementwas cost effective in terms of healthand social care costs.

The researchers found no apparentnet cost savings to health and socialcare services in the first year after re-ablement, compared with conven-tional home care. However, they con-cluded home care re-ablement isalmost certainly cost-effectivebecause of improved outcomes forusers.

The researchers advocate closerrelationships between home-care re-ablement and physiotherapy services,particularly as the NHS starts todevelop re-ablement services. Theyalso recommend further research intohow carers can contribute to andbenefit from re-ablement interven-tions.

Business expands coverage with Belfast acquisitionONE of the UK’s largest domiciliarycare businesses has expanded its cov-erage with the acquisition of Belfast-based Quality Care Services.

The business was started in 1994and currently delivers approximately4,600 hours per week of care, mostly

to elderly people in their own homes. QCS will continue to be run on a

day-to-day basis by general managerFred Sweetlove. He will work along-side new owner City and CountyHealthcare Group’s team, headed byCEO Craig Rushton, to operationally

integrate the businesses and continueto grow the regional client base.

Craig said: “We believe the scale ofthe business and opportunity of themarketplace make Quality CareServices an attractive bolt-on for Cityand County Healthcare Group.

“One of the biggest attractions ofthe Belfast and Northern Ireland mar-kets is that currently only around halfof the province’s annual domiciliarycare spend is outsourced to the pri-vate sector, compared to more than80 per cent in England.”

Somerset Care Group has made asenior appointment within its commu-nity care operations.Georgina Rogers (pictured left) hasbeen appointed as community servicesmanager for the group’s base inMelksham, which provides care toclients in their own homes acrossWiltshire.She has worked for the Somerset Caregroup for more than four years in avariety of roles, and in her new role sheis responsible for developing the com-munity care provided in the area.Director of community services EoinKeogh said: “This is a new role withinthe Somerset Care Group, and has beencreated in response to the needs of ourcommissioners and clients.“Georgina’s promotion is welldeserved, and reflects our desire todevelop our staff into future man-agers.”

DOMICILARY care provider Caremarkhas strengthened its support teamwith the appointment of PatrickThompson as franchise recruitmentmanager and Tracy Newcombe asregional support manager for thenorth.

Patrick will bring his wealth of expe-rience in both franchising and thecare sector to work alongside the

existing franchise support team. Prior to this appointment, he was

the regional support manager for theCaremark company owned offices,gaining further valuable insight andexpertise of the current market andits future.

Tracy’s new role will see her supportfranchise owners in the north.

Provider makes appointments

A COMPANY which helps people tolive independently has expanded itsoperations across Yorkshire.

Independent Home Living has setup a base in Wetherby, to cover theHarrogate and Wetherby areas.

The company , which has its headoffice in Scarborough, was foundedin November 2000 by Ann Wyatt andAlison Thompson.

It employs more than 150 staff,offers personalised homecare and

support services. A spokesman said the opening of

the Wetherby office had led to thecreation of six jobs and it was hopedthat more staff would be hired soon.He said “word of mouth” recommen-dations had helped to sustain thebusiness during the recession.

Independent Home Living hasoffices in Beverley and York andreceives around 2,000 care calls aweek.

Yorkshire firm opens new office

29 18/1/11 17:07 Page 1

30 18/1/11 10:48 Page 1

31CARINGNEWS

Inspectoratechallenged tojustify claimBy Christina Eccles

THE INSPECTORATE has been chal-lenged to justify its claim excellentlyperforming councils are those whichtry to push people away from resi-dential care.

Responding to the CQC’s report onhow well councils are doing in man-aging adult social care, the RegisteredNursing Home Association says it ispreposterous to imagine that the bestsolution for every person with multi-ple health and social care needs is tobe looked after at home.

It argues that, for many thousandsof people across the country, goinginto a nursing home for 24-hour careis the only safe and effective way ofmeeting complex needs.

CEO Frank Ursell said it also pro-vides companionship and security tomany vulnerable individuals whomight otherwise suffer feelings of iso-lation.

He added: “It is disturbing that afixed ideology about the primacy ofnon-residential care in virtually allcircumstances appears to infect theCQC.

“Of course many people would pre-fer to stay in their own homes as longas possible. In fact, the majority dojust that. But many people opt tocome into nursing homes because

their health needs are such that theycould not cope at home, even withdomiciliary support.

“These days, most nursing homesare caring 24 hours a day for individ-uals who, less than 25 years ago,would probably have been in thegeriatric ward of an NHS hospital.It’s fair to say many of today’s resi-dential care homes now deal withindividuals who, 25 years ago, mighthave been in a nursing home.”

Frank also pointed to what hecalled the CQC’s contradictory defini-tions of what makes councils ‘excel-lent’ in their approach to adult socialcare.

He added: “On the one hand theCQC says excellent councils are thosewho try to push the market awayfrom residential care.

“On the other hand, it says excellentcouncils are those where a high pro-portion of its placements are in carehomes rated ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ bythe CQC.

“So let’s just picture the scene. An‘excellent’ council approaches anursing home that is rated as ‘excel-lent’ by the CQC and says: we knowyou are excellent but we think youshould close down and allow yourresidents to be supported at home bydomiciliary care workers. What sortof nonsense would that be?”

AN East Anglian care provider hasshowed its appreciation to its staff atits annual awards ceremony.

Healthcare Homes, which celebrat-ed its fifth anniversary last year, pre-sented 10 awards at the event, whichwas held at Dunstan Hall in Norwich,and included its yearly conference.

Among the winners was KevinRead, minibus driver at Mill Lane inFelixstowe, who was chosen as the2010 unsung hero. For every nomina-tion in the category a tree has beenplanted at Theydon Bois Wood inEssex.

Other victors included Sally

Shadbolt, manager of FornhamHouse near Bury St Edmunds, whowas awarded the going the extra mileprize. Meanwhile, Maria Bagwand-een, quality assurance co-ordinatorat the Lowestoft office, was presentedwith the anything but routine award.

Other winners: Far from average –Shipdham Manor; Less Is more –Meadow House; Living for tomorrow– St Leonards Court; Precision is thekey – The Manor House; Trained andconfident to care – Uvedale Hall;Turning the corner – Sally Chilvers(Uvedale Hall); Director’s Award –Emma Cooper (The Manor House).

Winners receive prizes from Healthcare Homes’ directors and chief executive Richard Clough

Firm chooses its winners

31 21/1/11 10:00 Page 1

CARINGNEWS32

By Daniel Curran

SOCIAL trends mean it is moreimportant than ever for carers tobe aware of the correct way ofhandling the issue arising when aperson passes away.

It’s a sad fact of life that many inour society experience anincreasingly solitary existence atthe end of their lives. And it is carehome staff who often have to stepinto the breach when assuring thatthe formalities are properly dealtwith when someone sadly dies.

A recent study by Age UK foundthat 17 per cent of older peoplehad less than weekly contact withtheir family, friends andneighbours. Statistics like this cantranslate into real problems forcare home staff. When a residentpasses away, a care home is leftwith the legal responsibility toensure any recipients of a will ortestament are sought out. Theproblem for many carers is whereto start and how to go about theprocess of registering a death.

Official legal guidance from the

government’s treasury solicitordepartment is that if someone diesin care, the care home shouldmake ‘reasonable enquiries toestablish that the deceased has notleft entitled relatives or a will’before referring the death to thetreasury solicitor or duchy ofLancaster or Cornwall.

Probate genealogists specialise inidentifying and tracing heirs, andlocating missing or unknownbeneficiaries. We are often askedfor advice on how to handle whatcan be a difficult and time-consuming dilemma for manycarers unused to the complex taskof tracing the deceased’s next ofkin.

On the event of a death carerscan contact probate genealogistswho can then make all enquiries tofind the next of kin on behalf of thecarer, thus fulfilling the treasurysolicitor’s requirement. Many dothis free of charge and can locatenext of kin very quickly, which isalways an advantage in thissituations.

Our recommendation to care

homes is that they should prepareall the relevant information beforecontacting the appropriateauthority, by recording allimportant information in advanceis key to this. Fulfilling the treasurysolicitor’s requirement can beaccomplished in four simple steps:

� Note down dates and places ofall key life events; birth andmarriage, names and details of anychildren or siblings or rumoured orknown remoter kin.

� Compile a list of assets and debtsin order to establish anapproximate value of the estate.

If the next of kin are found, theywill instruct a solicitor to contactyou immediately.

� If the family has died out theestate can be referred to thetreasury solicitor.

� As the baby boomers reachretirement in the years ahead, carehomes will be under increasingpressure to make sure they carryout their legal duties.

� Daniel Curran is managing directorof Finders

What every carer should knowwhen registering a death ...

Daniel Curran

32 20/1/11 16:25 Page 1

33 20/1/11 16:22 Page 1

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35

SINCE 1982, Colne (Lancs) based,Richards Residential Supplieshave concentrated uponsupplying simple solutions tocommon nursing home problems.

The new WACMAT® adheresstrongly to this tradition.

With its ultra absorbent cottonpile and 100 per cent waterproofbacking, the remarkableWACMAT® is an ideal accessorywhere spills may occur.

Used as a commode mat, inbedrooms or bathrooms, theWACMAT® ensures full carpetprotection. Then, after use, simplymachine wash and tumble dry!It’s that simple...

The WACMAT® will then beclean and odour-free, ready toperform time and time again. Alternatively the flat-laying WACMAT® can be used as an entrance mat,saving you hundreds of pounds in rental costs alone.

Enquiries: Telephone 0800 074 3749

Simple solutions Personalised linen for care homesTOWELSDIRECT has been supplying the care sector forthe last 20 years, and are providing premium Turkishquality towels that last up to 150 washes.

Most towels that you see in a retailer will only last60 washes. We also provide minimum iron bedlinenthat is constructed of easy care polycotton, againdesigned to last longer than your average bedsheetand save your staff time.

Bespoke embroidery designs are available, alongwith matching bedlinen and curtains. Please call freefor a no obligation discussion.

Since Towelsdirect’s inception, we have alwaystried to focus on our uniqueness. Customers arereminded that we offer free

delivery on orders over £150, operate a nominimum order policy and next day delivery fromstock. We

recognise that our customers’ needs are everchanging, and it is with this in mind that we areupdating our website daily.

Enquiries: Telephone 0800 018 6935 or visitwww.towelsdirect.co.uk for our online

catalogue.

Jangro launch new laundry rangeJANGRO has launched its own range of on-premise laundry products.

Highlight of the range is Fabrix®?Laundry Liquid. In independent laboratorytests, Fabrix®? has been scientifically provento kill the H1N1 flu virus, MRSA and C.difficile spores.

Sovereign Low Temperature Destainer isused at only 30°C, reducing energy costsand wash time, allowing more loads per day.

Sovereign commercial grade, highstrength Peroxide Laundry Destainer is veryeffective when washing at 60°C and above,removing stubborn bleachable stains.

Sovereign Fabric Softener is aconcentrated, multi-component product,incorporating ‘quick dry’ and ‘easy iron’features with superb anti-static properties.Sovereign Bio and Non-Bio Laundry Liquidsare designed specifically to tackle the toughest stains.

And Sovereign Laundry Conditioner is for those occasions when a heavy-duty product for hightemperature washes is required.

For outstanding cleaning performance at 30°c without a destainer, are Sovereign Biodegradable andNon-Bio laundry liquids that are both non-irritant and very economical.

Enquiries: Call Jangro on 0845 458 5223, email centraloffice@jangrohq.net or visitwww.jangro.net

Beaucare launches new eCommerce websiteBEAUCARE Medical Ltd, the UK’s premier supplier ofhygiene, medical supplies and equipment to private carehomes, hospitals and individuals, has launched a neweCommerce website.

It follows significant growth in online sales for thecompany, and reflects an increasing demand for onlinefeatures and benefits from both Beaucare’s business andprivate customers.

The site, which was originally launched in 2002, nowbenefits from easier and faster navigation throughproduct categories; better in site search functions; moreonline special offers; links to social networking toolsincluding Facebook and Twitter.

Managing director Jonathan Brown said: “As acompany, we are constantly striving to improve andexpand on the products and services we offer and, havingconsolidated our range of both medical and hygieneproducts, we are now concentrating our efforts onimproving the way we showcase them to our customerbase.”

All online payments will continue to run safely andsecurely.

Enquiries: Telephone 01423 878899, emailsales@beaucare.com or visit www.beaucare.com

Reed Medical adds diabetic/healthy socks to range

AS a major orthopaedic footwearmanufacturer, Reed understandsthe importance of supporting thefeet during daily activity.

We are also aware of theimportance of socks for supportand prevention of injury,particularly to the diabetic foot.

Reed Medical now offerspecially designed diabetic/healthysocks which provide:

� An even fit which is notsusceptible to creasing.

� No elastic cuff which canhinder blood circulation in the calf.

� A smooth closure by handlinked toes.

� Sizes 35 to 46 available in arange of colours.

Socks manufactured using a combination of materials: cotton, amicor (cotton/acrylic), silver fibre andwool ensure comfortable fit while helping to limit foot problems.

Enquiries: Telephone 01254 503333, email: info@reedmedical.co.uk or visit www.reedmedical.co.uk

By Dominic Musgrave

THE opening of a theatre stylekitchen has marked the end of anextensive refurbishment andredevelopment programme at aWorcester nursing home.

The new kitchen will allow residentsat Stanfield to see their meals beingcooked and cost £35,000.

It follows a £1.6m development of acourtyard style facility around theGrade Two listed building, whichowner Richard White said took himthree years to obtain planningpermission for.

He added: “The Georgian buildingwas converted into a care home in1987, and up until recently it hascontinued to meet everyone’s needs.

“But in recent years theexpectations of people looking tomove into care have increased and,although the quality of care hasremained the same, the physicalbuilding has not met expectations.

“It took a lot of effort to get theplans passed, and we worked closely

with a specialist company to developa building appropriate for our caredelivery that also gave the residentsthe opportunity to safely go outdoorsshould they wish.”

Richard says he is now looking intothe possibility of building severalindependent living units on a plot ofland adjacent to the home to meetlocal demand.

He added: “It isn’t likely to be in thenear future, but we have had severalenquiries for this type ofaccommodation.

“We would provide whateverservices the person may require tohelp them live independently and,providing we have an availablebedroom, they would be able to moveinto the main home if and when thetime came that they became moredependent on us.”

� Are you planning an innovativedevelopment or refurbishment atyour care home? Let healthcare editorDominic Musgrave know by emailingdm@whpl.net or call him on 01226734407.

Theatre stylekitchen endsrefurbishment

A Weymouth care home is calling for more items of memorabilia to help its elderlyresidents recall memories of their earlier lives. Care South’s Mount Pleasant senior careassistant Sue Francis and care assistant Chris Pavitt arrange for small groups ofresidents to look through items of memorabilia or sing along to music of yesteryear.

35 18/1/11 17:13 Page 1

CARINGINDUSTRY NEWS36

Monitor hasdual purposeTHE Live-Link Movement Sensor isone of the most progressive, up-to-date, portable monitors on themarket.

This is the only unit of its kind witha dual purpose, which can be used tomonitor residents leaving their bedsor rooms and can also be connectedto a chair sensor pad.

The Movement Sensor can belinked in to the majority of nurse callsystems. Nurses or carers will bealerted if a resident sits up in bed,gets out of their chair or leaves theroom. This one piece of equipmentgives staff the flexibility of one unitcovering several scenarios.

The unit is also of great benefit toany residents who may be at a greaterrisk of falling or injuring themselves –those with poor mobility, sufferingfrom dementia or confusion,recovering following an operation orsuffering from the side-effects ofprescribed drugs.

On-line designfacility is launchedBADGEMASTER has launched a new,user-friendly, fully interactive on-linedesign facility, enabling customers todesign their own name badges andcreate their own designs instantly, onscreen.

The company first introduced aspecialist, professional, free designservice 18 years ago, and theirdesigners regularly support many topdesigners, corporate clothingsuppliers and leading companiesacross every industry.

The new and innovative websitemakes all the professional skills,experience and resources used by topbadge designers available toeveryone with internet access.

Via a user-friendly, step-by-stepprogram, it allows users to exploredifferent looks for their new badgeand to create instantly their chosenoptions without any of the delays orcosts involved in the need to use adesigner.

Current climate putsEric in great demandA CARE home consultancy iscelebrating its 20th anniversary andits 18th specialising in raisingoccupancy levels and increasing feeincome and profitability forproprietors and managers of carehomes nationwide.

And Eric Howard says his servicesare in demand now more than ever.

He added: “The perfect storm ofgovernment and local authority cutsin funding, the increasingly ‘tight’criteria badly affecting admissions to

residential homes, and little or noincrease in fees for the foreseeablefuture is severely restricting the sizeof the cake – the number of potentialresidents on the market and theprofitability of care homes.

“Furthermore, uncertainty aboutthe economy and domestic propertyvalues are also making prospectiveself-funding residents nervous aboutmaking the commitment for long-term care.”

Eric says he is guiding his clients

through this maelstrom, havinghoned his techniques over years ofsuch crises.

“100 per cent occupancy is the holygrail,” he added.

“If you are consistently full tocapacity, you can cope with thebureaucracy, the never-endingpaperwork, the inspections and thenew policies.

“Anything less, and the last fewbeds are your profit and margin ofsafety, and you are in trouble.”

AID Call has been at the forefront ofwireless nurse call technology forover 30 years.

Our first class knowledge,innovative approach and reputationfor delivering reliable, safety criticalsolutions has clearly positioned usas the leading supplier of wirelessnurse call solutions.

Our unique Touchsafe® system isthe only wireless nurse call thatcombines all of these safety criticalfeatures and leading edgetechnologies.

This continuous commitment hasseen us lead the way in the use of the

most advanced two way, class one safety critical radiotechnologies.

All touchable elements of thesystem are embedded with anti-microbial additives to help combatthe spread of infection.

Over the years Aid Call hasacquired a track record forconsistent innovation.

We take a user centric approach to design, listening to the peoplewho matter to ensure that oursystems meet and exceed theconstantly changing needs of ourclients.

Company has track recordfor consistent innovation

REFRESHENING ProfessionalCaring Moist Wipes arespecifically developed to helpreduce the risk of healthcareassociated infections by cleansingand preventing crosscontamination through handcontact.

The wipe is perfect for removinggerms from hands, ideal forpersonal hygiene and guaranteeseffective cleansing, theprofessional way.

These unique moist wipes areindividually wrapped for that

personal touch, infused with anatural Aloe fragrance andbalanced to the skins natural pH.

Caring Moist Wipes can also bepersonalised to yourrequirements upon the outerwrapping.

Every wipe will be covered withyour brand, your advertisingmessage and what you have tooffer.

Give your business an edge byemploying this unique productdirect into your clients hands.

Refreshing moist wipescan be personalised

BVS unveilstwo newdignity DVDsBVS plans to release two new DVDsin the near future in response to theCommon Induction Standards 2010 called ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ and ‘Dignity andRespect’.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusionhas drawn more attention in thisincreasingly multi-cultural society.Skills for Care listed equality andinclusion in the 2010 Standards toreflect their significance.

The government’s Dignity in Careinitiative highlights that ‘Highquality health and social careservices should be delivered in aperson-centred way that respects thedignity of the individual receivingthem’.

Sales and operations managerMinjie Xiong said: “Legalrequirements can be daunting.

“Our aim is to explain theregulations in a plain language thatevery care worker can comprehendand learn how to apply them inpractice.”

FUNDING can be confusing,especially when it comes to findingout what your eligible for.

Care services minister Paul Burstowhas recently announced a £400m potto fund respite breaks for carers whocare for an individual for more than

50 hours a week. Part of this fundingalso allows for a carer to take overduties while away.

Bond Holidays provide a great rangeof breaks from famous tributes to toptours, plus a range especially forcarers.

Bond offer breaks for carers

Pampering has benefitsMANY residential and care homesrecognise the benefits of employingthe services of a hairdresser andbeautician.

Organisations such as theAlzheimer’s Society recommend thisto preserve residents’ individuality,personal pride and wellbeing, whiletaking the weight off nursing staff.

However, when hiring a hairdresser,should you just look for the basicssuch as insurance, references and aCRB check, or would you prefer tofind a supplier qualified in the care ofelderly patients, including dementia?

Jenny Twigg, founder of Lily Pins,who provide specialist hairdressing,beauty and chiropody services to thecare industry, said: “My mission isthat all residential and care homeswill have the choice to have their ownpersonal hairdressing and beautyservice provided to them by fully

trained, qualified staff who not onlycare how their clients look but alsohow they feel.

“I believe all outside suppliersshould have knowledge of health andsafety, manual handling, COSHH andthe Safeguarding of VulnerableAdults/

“We also work in pairs, which allowscare home staff to continue their ownwork in the nursing units.

Mike Stevens, registered managerof Weald Hall residential home,added: “Jenny and her team havebeen coming to our home for over ayear. They go out of their way to getto know the residents and what theywant.

“We are a dementia home so thetraining Jenny’s team have in dealingwith this client group is veryimportant to us, giving our residentsspecial time and pampering.”

36 18/1/11 17:10 Page 1

37CARINGNEWS

Healthcare group websitewins plain English awardINTERNATIONAL healthcare groupBupa has been awarded a PlainEnglish Campaign web award for itssite, bupa.co.uk.

These awards are presented to sitesthat achieve simplicity in publicinformation and Bupa’s site, whichhas factsheets on medical conditionsranging from angina to yellow fever,as well as information on insuranceand care homes, was praised forbeing written in clear, understand-able language.

Chrissie Maher, founder of the PlainEnglish Campaign, said: “Gettingolder might make you wiser, but itdoesn’t make it any easier to under-stand a pile of jargon and gobbledy-gook.

“When I’m not firing on all cylin-ders, the last thing I need is more

stress when I need help. “The Bupa website comes very

close to ticking all the boxes for ourown Internet Crystal Mark and thejudging panel was comfortable withusing it.”

All Bupa’s information is written byprofessional health writers andapproved by medical experts.

Dr Layla McCay, assistant medicaldirector for Bupa, said: “We aredelighted that Bupa.co.uk has wonthis award.

“We have worked hard to ensureour website is easy to read and navi-gate and we are pleased the PlainEnglish Campaign has recognisedour efforts to make sure anyone whovisits our website can find what theyneed quickly and that we explaincomplex health care issues simply.”

New scheme helps residents log inA CARE home near Stockport hasbeen using a new scheme to help res-idents enjoy the benefits of comput-ing.

The team at Abbeyfield High LaneHouse have introduced the ‘alex’operating system to give residentsthe chance to make the most ofbroadband by learning the basics ofcomputing such as e-mailing andsurfing the internet. It was hopedthat this would increase contact withclose relatives, improve their accessto advice services such as Age UK

and to current news and shoppingservices. The project is still in its earlystages and volunteers with IT experi-ence are regularly visiting the hometo help residents get familiar with thesystem.

Bernie Rowlands, volunteer, said:“The alex system is very easy to useand was designed for people with noprevious knowledge of computing. Itgives all the benefits of conventionalpersonal computers without the has-sle of learning usually associatedwith it.”

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