Two local carers have reached the final of the National Care Awards 2008. Care UK staff Heather Joseph and Reginald Nnachetam are each down to the final four in their categories, having been nominated by the Elmstead House Home Manager, Diane Maddaford, and the home’s Administrator, Raden Mauremootoo.

Heather is a finalist for the Care Innovator award, which celebrates “a forward-thinking individual in a care home.” Reginald is a finalist for the Care Newcomer award, which is for “an exceptional new member of staff”.

Elmstead House is a modern, purpose-built nursing home in Hendon, London, providing nursing care for older people with dementia. The homely environment has been carefully designed to offer both comfort and security to residents and their families.

Heather, a Wembley resident has worked at Elmstead House as an administrator since it opened 11 years ago, and in that time has made the Admin Office the hub of the home, developing new ideas and projects for the benefit of both residents and staff. Such ideas include the creation of a cinema room, the installation of a flat screen TV in the reception area to provide information for residents and relatives, and the development of a games room for residents, relatives and staff.

Heather said: “I am overwhelmed to be shortlisted and feel proud that the care I provide to residents has been recognised by the judges. If I do win, it will be one of the proudest moments of my life and it will show other administrators that they can be innovative and creative in their job, and every job in the care home is important, not just those providing personal care.”

Reginald, from Cricklewood, joined Elmstead House over Christmas 2007, and the residents have greatly enjoyed his patience and care over the course of the year. He always goes the extra mile with the residents, whether it is taking them for walks outside, playing games at birthday parties or escorting residents to the local shops.

“I feel overjoyed to have reached the final. It gives me so much job satisfaction and encouragement to do even more. If I do win, it will be a very proud moment not just for me but for Care UK as a company, and I will feel confident about my future in mental health nursing with Care UK.”  

The National Care Awards Gala Night, when the winners will be announced, will take place on Saturday 29th November, at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel and will be hosted by Tony Robinson.

An innovative new care home, run by Care UK, has been officially opened by HRH The Countess of Wessex in Chelsea. Ellesmere House works in partnership with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to provide residential care for older people, and offers a unique approach to care, which enables residents to stay as active and independent as possible.

The innovative approach taken by staff at Ellesmere House is called Activity Based Care (ABC) and is simply a move away from residential care as 'doing for' towards a more creative, adaptable and beneficial 'doing with' approach. Each resident is supported to succeed with extra help during a huge range of daily tasks, often reflecting their own life history or work experiences, from maintaining a flower garden to helping with jobs they would normally do in their own home.

Ellesmere House is a beautiful environment, with a lot of bright open spaces, and the state of the art building includes courtyards and contemplation gardens, with opportunities for residents to enjoy their own space, as well as lounges and recreational areas for group activities.

The team at Ellesmere House includes hostesses, who provide a concierge service including organising hair appointments or trips to the theatre, but will also help residents with organising birthday or Christmas presents for friends and relatives, and will simply spend time with the residents, chatting, playing board games, reading or flower arranging and many other activities

Ellesmere House was recently awarded a two star rating from the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the highest rating a new home can receive on its first inspection, when it received an unannounced inspection earlier this year. Inspectors spoke to residents who commented that the home was “like a 5 star hotel with care thrown in”.

Tony Hosking, Managing Director of Residential Care Services at Care UK said:
"Care UK are extremely proud that our care home, Ellesmere House, is being officially opened by HRH the Countess of Wessex, and we have enjoyed showing her round the exciting new facilities which our residents enjoy. Care UK’s Activity Based Care approach means that residents stay independent and active for longer, enabling them to lead fulfilling lives."

Therese Laurent, home manager at Ellesmere House, said:
"I am delighted that the Countess of Wessex took the time to visit Ellesmere House to talk to residents and staff and to officially open the home. Our staff works hard to ensure that residents receive the individual care and attention they need, and it is very exciting to have a VIP to officially open the home."

Cllr Fiona Buxton, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: 
"We are thrilled with the outcome of the council’s partnership with Care UK and that Ellesmere House has been so successful in the few months that it has been operating. We look forward to the good work of the staff there continuing, to provide the highest standards of care to residents."

Philippa has been part of the Care UK team for 13 years, starting as a care worker and progressing to branch manager, regional manager and now development director, a post she has held since 2004.

She has taken an active interest in the Government's agenda linked to the Green paper (Independence, Wellbeing and Choice) and the White Paper (Our Health, Our Care, Our Say). As a result of this, she has looked at ways in which home care can improve and develop to meet the objectives outlined in both Papers.

Philippa has spent the last year developing a model of care devoted to meeting outcomes and developing the skills of staff at Care UK. She has been working with a number of Local Authorities and PCTs to look at ways in which they can commission outcome based services. This includes new models of contracting which will achieve efficiency savings, thus allowing the Local Authority to provide services to people who would have fallen outside the service provision criteria.

She has developed a number of other services including Continuing Care, which has allowed packages of care with a high volume of nursing care to move towards social care, with social care staff being trained to carry out tasks previously done by healthcare professionals. This has proved to be more cost-efficient to the commissioning PCT and enables the outcome-based model to be put in place - ultimately giving the individual more choice in how they receive their care.

Philippa also provides consultancy options to Local Authorities and PCTs.

The Ceretas Home Care Innovator Award was given to Philippa because she had demonstrated a clear commitment and enthusiasm to the development of outcome-based services. The award recognised that commitment and enthusiasm, as well as her hands on experience, her understanding of outcome-based care from the service user's perspective, and her strategic work with local authorities to implement her vision for outcome-based services.

Philippa commented: "I am absolutely thrilled to have received this award, not only for myself but for my colleagues, and the many Care UK service users whose lives are being transformed by our approach to outcome-based care. We have to modernise the way in which homecare is delivered and commissioned going forward to enable sustainability and quality of service with the service user always at the centre. It just needs us all to think "outside of the box", to find creative solutions which will secure the long term future for homecare without excluding people who really need care."

Roger Booker, Managing Director of Care UK's Community Care Services Division, added: "We are delighted that Philippa has won such a prestigious award. It stands testament to her commitment and vision, and her determination to make outcome-based care work for each service user, their local authority and for us as a care provider. She and her team have done some amazing work over the past year, and this award is indicative of that."

Maidenhead's Clara Court - a 76-bed care home commissioned by the council and developed by the Housing Solutions Group, will offer high standards of accommodation for the older people of the Royal Borough. It is anticipated that the first residents will be admitted in the early autumn.

Cllr Pam Proctor, the council's lead member for social services, said she was confident that the partnership between the Royal Borough, Care UK and the Housing Solutions Group would provide high quality care and support services to meet the specialist health and social care needs of the Royal Borough's older people for many years to come.

Cllr Proctor added: "When the council embarked on this exciting new project we had a vision to give vulnerable older people access to the highest possible quality of accommodation and care. The Housing Solutions Group is delivering a flagship building and Care UK will bring their vast experience to the provision of care for residents. Together, they will add up to a centre of excellence that we can all be proud of."

For Care UK, development director Richard Pearman said: "We are delighted to be working with the Royal Borough and the Housing Solutions Group. Clara Court is a very impressive care home and will be an invaluable resource for the older people of the borough in the future."

The contract with Care UK, an experienced provider of 2,500 care home places across the country, is for a 10-year period.

The Orchard Centre is based at Care UK's Appleby House Care Home in Epsom is open 24 hours a day seven days a week. The centre provides activity-focused care and support for people aged 50 or over in a safe and stress-free environment, giving their carers a much welcome break whenever it is needed.

The aim of the Orchard Centre is to provide a service that enables people to remain living in their own homes while receiving the support that they and their carers need.

The team of staff are fully trained in the delivery of activity-focused care and can offer a specialist service for people with dementia.

The night service offers carers and their family members peace of mind that their relative will receive the best possible practical and emotional support in the evening and during the night hours. This part of the Orchard Centre service is particularly suitable for people who are prone to wandering or who do not always sleep during the night. There is a range of activities provided by staff and light meals and snacks are available, including breakfast.

Care UK Development Director, Richard Pearman, commented "We know that a well-planned and properly implemented activity programme can enhance cognitive abilities and slow the progress of dementia, leading to improvements in life quality."

He added: "We recognise that this is a 24/7 undertaking and that is inevitably puts pressure on those who care for people with dementia and memory impairment. That is why we have designed the Orchard Centre to provide support for carers and their loved ones, so that carers can take a break, happy in the knowledge that their loved ones are receiving good care. We hope that the innovation shown here will lead to similar projects elsewhere."

The centre can accept referrals from social services departments as well as self-funding clients. Once the client has been assessed they can use the centre as and when required for a minimum of a 4-hour stay to a maximum 12-hour stay. For further information, please contact the Orchard Centre on 01372 730092.

If you are interested in developing a similar service in your area please contact Richard Pearman on 01206 517254 or email richard.pearman@careuk.com