Springhill Care Newsletter April 2015

Springhill through

Ann’s eyes

Ann Whitaker, 50, was born with cerebral palsy. Aged just three months,

her parents were advised to ‘put her in a home’ because she would never be

able to walk or talk.

Defying this advice, along with similar repeated by many specialists during the early years of her life, Ann led an active lifestyle throughout her childhood, enjoying

swimming, horse riding, hydrotherapy, speech therapy and physiotherapy. Encouraged by her parents who wanted her to lead the fullest life possible, Ann’s

independent nature shone through and she grew into a bright young woman.

During her teenage years, Ann discovered the Alexander Technique, a treatment

which aids relaxation and confidence building. She also made progress with regards to her speech which became clearer.

After making the decision to move into independent accommodation, Ann

eventually settled at Springhill. During her time here, she has made great improvements with regards to her mobility, now able to walk well with minimum

assistance.

A lively presence around the place, Ann always gets involved in the activities and

goings on around the home, making lots of friends along the way. Ann has now written an account of her life at Springhill and what it means to her to have her

independence.

Ann has asked us to share her story.

Cont...

Ann’s story

“I have lived at Springhill Care Home for three years and am now going

into my fourth, and I have no regrets. All the staff treat me like an adult and with full respect. The first time I visited Springhill I somehow knew that I could make this my home for the rest of my life. For the first time I was treated with respect, and it wasn’t long before I began to feel like a person in my own right.

“As time went on I began to put my full trust in staff and began to communicate with them so I could help them to understand what I wanted. If they could not understand me the first time,

they would ask me to repeat.”

“I have a large bedroom with plenty of space and my own bathroom which gives me complete privacy. One thing I noticed straight away was when a member of staff entered my bedroom they always knocked first to give me notice. The staff are so kind and helpful and if you ever need anything doing, they always try to get the job done within the same day.”

“During the week we have activities every afternoon, like crafts and music. Entertainers come in once or twice a month to entertain us. All

the residents at Springhill have got used to me and I try to visit them daily. We also have different church groups coming in on a regular basis. It was through Celia who brings communion every week that I got to know the people from the parish. Last year I got invited to go to Lourdes with them and had a wonderful time. Because of this I have made some good friends.”

“In December I celebrated my 50th birthday and the staff were so good

to throw me a party. I invited my family and friends and they all said what a wonderful warm greeting you receive as soon as you walk through the door at Springhill.”

“I think one of the main things I have learnt is how to approach staff by myself, at one time I would have asked my father to ask if I wanted anything doing, but now I feel confident asking myself.”

“I am totally satisfied and love living here at Springhill.”

Meet Susan...

Susan Hosker has been working for Affinity Supporting People for 11 years. She started as a support worker for

Affinity Supporting People and was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed the diversity of her new role, supporting people to live their lives to the full.

Susan then moved onto another one of our services in

Huncoat and not long after, she was promoted to Team Leader, where she continued to work for another six years.

In 2014 Susan was shortlisted as a Frontline Leader finalist in the National Learning

Disability 2014 Awards and attended a gala dinner in Birmingham celebrating and honouring those in the Learning disability sector.

As the service expanded, Susan showed interest in our administrator role and became part

of the admin team in December 2014 and Susan is really enjoying her new role and time in the office.

Susan has been married to Malcom for 23 years and they have one daughter, Natalie, who is 21. They have lived in Bacup for 10 years and enjoy going out for meals and watching

movies.

Eyes down for Riversway

residents

Marianne was the lucky winner when

we took a trip to a local bingo hall recently in the pursuit of a full house.

Peggy, Olive, Brian and his wife Pat also joined in the fun, but with her dabber at

the ready it was Marianne who went home

the victor, with winnings of £10.

The Riversway residents love a good game

of bingo and it was a fun afternoon as always.

Hopefully Marianne will be able to keep up her winning streak next time.

A day in the life of Colin

At Riversway our residents are always keen to get out-and-about, especially

when the weather is nice.

Recently Colin, a popular member of the Riversway family, spent the day enjoying the sunshine with a three mile walk by the River.

He enjoyed ice cream, petting the dogs he met on his walk, talking to fishermen and

admiring the views.

In the afternoon he still found the time to

entertain the other guests, and we’d like to thank him for the tireless energy and

positive attitude he displays, bringing a smile

to all our faces.

Platinum party for Peggy and Stanley

A card from the Queen topped the special

celebrations at Springhill when resident

Margaret Dawson marked an incredible

milestone, her platinum wedding anniversary.

Peggy - as she’s known around Springhill -

married Stanley Dawson in Blackburn Registry

Office on March 6 in 1945, during the final

months of the Second World War.

The happy couple were joined by family and friends at

Springhill for a gathering to honour their wonderful

achievement, where they were presented with a beautiful

bouquet of flowers and a cake to celebrate 70 years together.

There was even a message of congratulations from the

Queen, with a card arriving on the day from Buckingham

Palace offering the couple best wishes on their milestone.

Happy anniversary Peggy and Stanley from everyone at

Springhill. We’re so pleased to have been able to share in

your special celebrations.

Thank you to St Peter’s for

a lovely musical treat A visit from the children of St Peter’s Primary

School in Accrington was music to the

residents and staff of Springhill’s ears

recently, as they provided a morning of

songs.

Accompanied by their talented musicians, the

children filled the air with wonderful melodies

and harmonies, which was thoroughly

enjoyed by all. It’s nice to spend time in the company of younger generations,

which always puts a smile on everyone’s face.

Thank you to St Peter’s for a lovely musical treat, we look forward to welcoming

you back sometime soon.

In the midst of life Springhill Care Home has a long and established history of holistic care, and its emphasis on spiritual support is at the heart of the lives of many of our residents.

For those who have found meaning in spirituality, Springhill offers many opportunities to continue this area of life. We are fortunate to have the support of

local ministers, who continue to visit those who have been members of their church communities and we celebrate services across the Christian spectrum each week

within The Sanctuary, our area of the home dedicated to prayer and reflection.

The work we do at Springhill inevitably means we experience death, and so it is our

priority to ensure a person’s final journey is marked with compassion and professionalism for the person and their family.

On March 12 we held an evening at Springhill hosted by one of our local Church of England ministers, who gathered together local families of those recently bereaved,

as well as professionals within local funeral services, the hospice movement and

local chaplains.

It was a moving evening, where people were able to share their experiences of loss

and grief. Despite the sadness, there was a great sense of support and togetherness, along with a celebration of the lives of those no longer with us.

As the evening drew to a close, everyone was invited to visit The Sanctuary and our memorial area, a place where we can pause for reflection and remember the lives

of those who have gone before us.

Losing a loved one can be one of the most challenging times in life, and the phrase

‘in the midst of life, we are in death’ reminds us that although death comes to us all, it’s good to know we can take comfort knowing memories live on in the hearts

of family and friends.

At the Heart of Social Care Care and support for the people

who are the most vulnerable in our society should be provided by

well trained and professional workers, who deliver high quality

services across a range of needs.

Sadly, information in the public arena

often highlights all that is failing within these services.

To deliver the standard of service we

have come to expect requires a great deal of investment – both in resources

and people – to ensure care is consistent, person-centred and meets

the requirements of the Care Quality Commission and other agencies

responsible for the commissioning of services.

Whilst there are many training

opportunities for staff who work in the

care sector, the vast majority of this cost has to be met by care home

owners. The needs of people with dementia, end of life care, mobility

and mental health concerns require staff to have specialist skills to equip

them to meet these demands. The additional need for these skills are

often not addressed because of the costs required to provide them.

Centre of learning In response, the Springhill Care Group

has developed a Learning Centre which is facilitated by a Nurse

Educator. All our staff are recruited

through a process of person-centred values. Each individual recruited who

shares these values can be successfully trained to provide safe,

compassionate and skilled support.

Each person receives initial training in a dedicated suite where learning is

face-to-face and interactive. Lifelong learning continues through a

programme of supervision and coaching.

Increasingly aware of the changing times and challenges for our staff,

each person has an individual learning plan and is encouraged to develop

their skills and talents through our learning pathway, providing genuine

opportunities for career progression.

All our support staff achieve Diploma qualifications in specialised areas of

care. Those wishing to progress are identified, through learning and

development, into substantive

positions of responsibility, demonstrating a professional pathway

which is the envy of the sector.

At the heart of our services Many of our clients come to Springhill

after a prolonged stay in hospital and

have many complex needs which include enteral (assisted) feeding,

catheter and stoma care, and, increasingly, end of life care.

These areas of acute need require

specialism and knowledge as clients have become used to having an array

of doctors, specialist nurses and other health professionals available to

support them during their stay in hospital. It is vital that the client

continues to have knowledgeable as well as compassionate support when

transferring to a care facility.

At Springhill, people and their learning

and development are at the heart of our services. Student nurses from the

University of Central Lancashire and the University of Cumbria spend three

monthly placements with us, sharing best practice and evidence-based

learning, assisting in our approach towards modern research within a

dynamic care environment. Many of the student nurses, after

qualifying, apply for a nursing role at Springhill.

We also welcome foundation degree

learners and other student placements

throughout the year, continuing to

attract to the sector those who wish to pursue a rewarding professional

career. One of our local colleges has described our apprenticeship

programme as ‘the most outstanding in the area.’

Springhill is proudly about to embark

on its latest challenge to the nationwide nursing shortage by

undertaking a programme of learning for a group of staff to become

Assistant Practitioners – a new

innovation which will equip some of our senior support staff to work

alongside qualified nurses, sharing in many of their roles.

Recently appraised by Investors in People, who described Springhill Care

as demonstrating ‘inspirational leadership’ in the care sector, we are

preparing to launch a Springhill

Leadership qualification which will be accredited by the Institute of

Leadership and Management this Spring, cascading this exciting

development to external care managers in the autumn.

As the need increases for specialised

and complex support, Springhill Care is at the forefront of learning –

dedicated to ensuring an environment of knowledge and compassionate

commitment to all who choose to use our services.

Birch Green goes bananas for tropical

treats

A glass was raised to health and wellbeing recently at Birch Green, as we embarked upon nutrition and hydration week.

What better excuse was there to throw a Hawaiian party, known as a ‘luau’, where a host of delicious and healthy drinks were on offer. It’s so important to take

care of yourself from the inside - and there’s plenty of fun to be had doing so.

Residents kicked back, relaxed and enjoyed tropical fruit smoothies, including banana and strawberry, passion fruit and mango, and banana and pear – not to forget the requested accompaniments of coconut macaroons and coconut ice

cream that our residents love!

It was just like being in Hawaii – staff members even dressed up in rather fetching outfits of grass skirts and floral garlands.

Aloha from all at Birch Green.

Jenny’s healthy hints keep staff in

top condition

Birch Green staff were treated to a visit from Jenny Broom from the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust recently, who came with plenty of advice and ideas on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Jenny also carried out a number of checks to make sure our team

are kept in tip-top shape. Staff had their blood pressure, height and weight checked, and were reminded about the importance of eating a healthy balanced diet and getting enough exercise.

It’s highly important for our team to keep in the best possible health, and staff welfare is always a priority here at Birch Green.

Jenny will be back to visit us soon to see how everyone is getting on, and we are looking forward to seeing her again.

Dementia author makes return visit

Ian Donaghy, a renowned author and

campaigner in dementia, returned to support Birch Green’s staff recently.

Ian held a second training session at a local

community centre, which was this time joined

by Asda’s local community liaison officer, Sharon – a great supporter of Birch Green – and the family member of one of our

residents.

The staff joining the class, which included relevant topics such as person-centred care and effective communication, were new to Ian’s training and were keen to get

involved.

Everyone involved had a great time and learnt a lot from Ian, who is the award-winning director of Training for Carers, and author of the popular book Dear

Dementia: The Laughter and Tears.

We’re very lucky to have established a great relationship with Ian, and we were delighted to involve others in the training sessions too – something we’re keen to

build on and do more of.

GOOD LUCK

TO...

Robin Eddleston from Springhill Care Home, finalist in the Dementia Carer of the Year category, one of our teams

from Affinity Supporting People up for the Care Team award, and Jan Wilkins, General Manager of Riversway

Nursing Home in Bristol, finalist in the Registered Manager of the Year category.

Photos from around the group from our

social media pages

We value your feedback

Whether residents, their families and friends or our staff members, we like

to hear what you have to say about the way we work, and importantly, act

upon your comments or concerns.

Many people already provide us with valuable comments through letters, e-mails

and cards which we are proud to receive, and we have also been

encouraging people to add comments to

the www.carehome.co.uk website – a ‘Trip Advisor’ for the care

home sector or through NHS Choices.

We have also used regular one-off surveys, focus groups and meetings to gather

feedback on what is working well and what can be improved.

Recently The Care Quality Commission (CQC)

introduced a new inspection process which will

collect survey data from residents, relatives and

staff and social and healthcare professionals prior

to an inspection visit (Visit the CQC website for

further details).

Due to this new process being introduced, we are formalising the way we collect

information and have worked in partnership with an independent company to

develop surveys relating to each of our homes which will be available online.

There are a number of ways to access these surveys – on-line or by printing them

off, and our staff members will have a hand held tablet available to enable people

to fill in the questionnaire at their leisure.

We would appreciate your help and we will encourage people to fill these

surveys in at any point in time.

These surveys are not intended to replace a simple conversation, so don’t forget,

our managers also welcome comments and suggestions in person. Any concerns or

issues that require immediate attention, please raise with the general manager or a

senior team member.

Sign up for our next e-newsletter If you would like to receive this newsletter by email, please send your email

address to info@springhillcare.com or ask at reception for further information.

We need your help...

We need your help with stories for our social media pages, website’s and local press. If anyone has anything they would like to share, please contact Christine

Stevens on the details below.

Also we would like to ask all our staff and relatives, who engage in social media, to like & share our Facebook pages and to follow us on twitter, so you can see what’s

been happening / what’s going on in each of our homes – spread the word!! You will find all our social media details.

Thank you

Affinity Supporting People – www.facebook.com/affinitysupportingpeople

Birch Green Care Home – www.facebook.com/birchgreencarehome

Riversway Nursing Home – www.facebook.com/riverswaycarehome

Springhill Care Group – www.facebook.com/springhillcaregroup

Springhill Care Home – www.facebook.com/springhillcarehome

TWITTER - @Springhill_Care / @AffnitySupport

© Springhill Care

This newsletter is from Springhill Care Group Limited.

Registered Office:

11 Cannon Street

Accrington, Lancashire BB5 1NJ

T: 01254 304500 F: 01254 304531 E: info@springhillcare.com W: www.springhillcare.com