Results 2020
Below are shown the results from the 2020 Care Home Awards.
Care UK is one of the largest providers of residential care for older people in the UK. With over 120 services providing care and support for nearly 7,000 residents Care UK is proud to be driving the UK’s largest new build development programme, with 12 new homes due to open their doors by the end of 2021
Avery Healthcare provides residential, dementia, nursing, step down and respite care through 56 care homes in England, and operates four Hawthorns independent living retirement communities. In 2019 it delivered on financial performance, secured additional investment and made innovations in care and resident services. It opened two new care services and continued to invest in stock acquired in previous years. A crop of Outstanding ratings from the CQC has capped off a strong year of contribution to the sector.
The Parklands Care Homes Group serves eight locations in Moray and Highland, with a new care home opening soon in Fortrose and construction of a care hub in Inverness due to begin this year. Parklands is one of the largest independent care groups in the region, providing care for around 300 residents and employing almost 600 staff. In an area where care capacity has not kept pace with a fast- growing elderly population, Parklands is spearheading a multi-million-pound investment that will ensure that more older people can continue to live in their local community – creating around 200 additional employment opportunities in the process.
Cornerstone Healthcare Group is focused solely on caring for people with challenging behaviours associated with complex neurological, physical and mental health needs. Typically, residents have been in the mental health system for the majority of their lives but now their primary condition is a degenerative neurological one, which means the majority of homes cannot accommodate their needs and give them the quality of life they deserve. Cornerstone Healthcare provides people with a real home – in most cases, for the first time in their lives – where they will enjoy their remaining years with dignity.
Finalists: Canford Healthcare, CHD Living, Orchard Care Homes, Rotherwood Healthcare and Strong Life Care
Clare Court stands in a modest residential area in Birmingham and is a care home responding to, embracing, and enhancing the cultural diversity of its residents, staff group and community. It provides modern care as an integral part of an inclusive society. The demographic trend in the UK now reflects greater diversity and operators are tasked with providing suitable later life experiences for a range of peoples, cultures and faiths, where going into care need not mean giving up everything that has defined a person’s life, thus far. Clare Court aims to lead the way in this respect.
St George’s often works with residents who have failed placements in other care settings, taking some of the most challenging cases in the county. It’s fair to say that if they didn’t come to St George’s Park they would likely be sectioned or institutionalised. At St George’s staff do not medicate to resolve behaviour instead they investigate, take a step back and try different approaches, all while talking with the Local Authority and families. The staff never lose sight of the fact that, while they need to be task-orientated to ensure the correct and timely delivery of care, these are people’s lives that they are touching and helping to make more comfortable. To that end, every aspect of a resident’s life at St George’s is reviewed and assessed to ensure staff are helping, not hindering.
At Skylark House, every colleague supports the residents, helping them to enjoy each day to the full. Residents are free to do what they want and are encouraged to be independent. They play an active part in home life and make the most of the superb facilities, including the cinema, café and pub. Strong on social and leisure aspects, the Lifestyle team at Skylark House organises an array of activities, outings and entertainment, from film afternoons and flower arranging, to shopping trips and musical performances. There’s also a strong commitment to enabling residents to fulfil their dreams. In the words of one resident: “We’re surrounded by love – just really well looked after.”
Finalists: Broadbridge Park, Mercia Grange and The Albert Suites
Nearly shut down 5 years ago, The Close is now one of the best rated care homes in the country. Different, innovative and fun, it is a loving home that delivers care to their own special standards. Open, transparent and inclusive, The Close inspires and leads in new technologies and process and is ready to share them with the industry. The Close way is fast becoming short hand for “best practice”. From food service to activities, The Close leads the way and the team’s passion seems unbounded. For staff and residents, every day is more exciting than the last, with new developments ideas and practices designed for one purpose, to make the lives of those that work and live at The Close even better.
The award-winning staff at Loveday Chelsea Court Place are trained to the very highest level to ensure that each member of the team is cared for in a way that they would wish to be. As a result, the team provides the very best experiences and compassionate care to ensure the health, wellbeing and happiness of each resident is optimised to the highest level, ensuring every day is meaningful and lived well.
Finalist: Rowallan House
Chawley Grove Care Home provides residential, dementia and nursing care within a luxury setting. In line with the care team’s mission to ‘cultivate a relaxing, warm environment’, the home features bright, spacious bedrooms complete with en-suite facilities, as well as a beauty salon, bar, café, a cinema, and a private dining suite. The home is defined by its provision of person-centred care, focusing on the wellbeing, comfort and empowerment of residents. Less than a year after opening, Hamberley Care Homes announced in January 2020 that Chawley Grove had achieved a 9.9/10 rating on carehome.co.uk.
Rated ‘Outstanding’ overall by the Care Quality Commission in June 2019, Mercia Grange was the first Care UK new-build home to achieve this rating at its first inspection. It has Outstanding ratings for both “effective” and “well-led”.
The home is led by Home Manager, Shirley Gibbs. Shirley and her team are dedicated to the ‘exceptional’ in everything – from the impressive level of personalised care that they deliver, to the way colleagues are supported to succeed, and to how residents are encouraged to play a part in home life.
One resident’s family members said: “Every home should be fitted out to the standard of Hulton House.” It is an outstanding example of a home specialising in dementia care and on its opening day sold three beds! It features some ingenious themed interactive areas that are designed to look amazing and engage residents and some stunning interiors. Hulton Hose incorporates new technology, is well received by all who visit and is already part of the local community. Everyone comes away saying the same thing: “When can I move in?”
Finalists: Broadbridge Park, Harrier Lodge, Lynemore Care Home, Mercia Grange, Portobello Place and Roden Hall
I can hear the sounds of delight vibrating around Lewes! Sixteen nurses work at Valerie Manor. During the 15-month eligibility period for the Care Home Awards, the nursing team only had a total of 20 days sickness and no shifts covered by agency staff. Two nurses left during that period and three joined the team from the waiting list that Valerie Manor enjoys. The dedication and hard work of the nursing team is commendable and in the words of founder, Zoë Fry: “I am so proud of each and every one our nurses and winning the Best Nursing Care category in 2020 would mean the world to them all.
Finalists: Gwen Waldord House, Highbury New Park, Loveday Chelsea Court Place, Tall Trees and The Albert Suites
Everyone at Cheviot Court has the same goal: ‘Supporting residents to enjoy every day to the full, with the best of care’. The newest colleague has been at the home for two years – some have worked there for more than ten – so colleagues and residents develop close bonds. The team is extremely proactive – sourcing new training so that they can develop their skills in areas such as end of life care. They also strive to reduce the use of antipsychotic medication.
Located in Battersea Place retirement village, opposite the tranquillity of Battersea Park, The Albert Suites specialises in providing long- and short-term nursing, physio rehabilitation, convalescence, post- operative and palliative care. Residents benefit from hotel-inspired facilities including chauffeured transport, restaurant, lounge, 24-hour self-service pantry, private terrace, physio gym and indoor pool.
Finalists: Canford Healthcare, Kitnocks House & South Africa Lodge, Loveday Chelsea Court Place, Orchard Care Homes, Paisley Court, and St George’s Park
Whittle Hall conducted an evaluation study to see if an activity before a mealtime can improve the health and wellbeing of people living with dementia. The results suggest it improves weight, nutrition and the dining experience. It also improves socialisation, motor skills and interaction too. Activity before mealtime is one of the most exciting things to have been discovered by L&M in the last year that benefits every resident.
Finalists: Avery Healthcare, Dorset House, Encore Oakdale, Lennox House, Loveday Chelsea Court Place, Pear Tree Court, St George’s Park, Sandfields, The Close Care Home and The Dell Care Home
“Namaste” is an Indian greeting that means ‘to honour the spirit within’. The Namaste Care programme
that was piloted in 2019 at Care UK – and of which Whitefarm Lodge was a part – was designed to enable people with advanced dementia to feel loved and recognised as individuals. Colleagues at Whitefarm Lodge have trained to be Namaste Care Practitioners and held an hour-long session with five residents up to five times a week as part of the six-month pilot. Since the end of the pilot, more colleagues have been trained so that more residents can join the sessions.
To demonstrate value to its established Wellbeing and Activity model, in 2019, Avery Healthcare developed and launched a detailed and evidenced-based Wellbeing Measurement Tool. This clearly shows the progress of individual residents, against measures agreed with them, and is a fundamental part of truly person-centred care. The comprehensive tool covers all factors of mind, body and soul; the measure is first completed when a resident is admitted to a home, with staff trained to undertake it three-monthly thereafter, to demonstrate the Well-being improvements, and that residents are indeed living happier and more fulfilling lives, measured against their own criteria.
Finalist: Parkfield House
Strong Life Care has recently successfully implemented an initiative called “Recruit with the Resident” allowing residents to be involved in the interview process for new staff candidates. Ultimately, it’s the resident’s home and it is the residents that potential candidates will be supporting. The initiative has been very effective for Strong Life Care because residents can ask the candidate questions about their past experience, why they want to work in care and their reasons for wanting a role in this particular home. The candidates are also afforded the opportunity to ask residents questions about their experience at the care home and what they would like to see from new staff that may be different from what existing staff currently do for them.
Quality Audit Lead at South Africa Lodge and Kitnocks House, Aaron Ballinger, wanted to develop an empathy training experience for staff, tailored to the specific behavioural needs of the homes’ residents. He put together his own ‘In My Shoes’ dementia experience kit, which is not only extremely cost effective compared to commercially available models, but also gives him the scope to develop it for use in other training areas. One such are is manual handling, where staff will experience being hoisted while wearing the kit and experience the sensations that residents feel.
Finalists: Avery Healthcare, Care UK, Pelham House and Rowallan House
Care UK is passionate about the health and wellbeing of residents and colleagues, so, in summer 2019, the organisation came together behind their first national fundraiser, Ride800. This not only raised £45,000 for three important charities, but brought together over 10,000 colleagues and over 7,000 residents to focus on the importance of movement and exercise in promoting health and wellbeing. The initiative culminated in three Care UK directors completing a grueling 800-mile cycle ride from the most Southerly of their care homes in Dorset, to the most Northerly in Aberdeen, visiting 26 homes along the way.
Finalist: Caring Homes
Parklands’ care homes play an important role in the communities they serve, providing high quality care for their residents, but also bringing people and communities closer together. Throughout 2019, social events were held to promote awareness about dementia, provide support for those living with the condition, as well as those who care for them, and bridge the generational gap. In addition, Parklands launched a multi-media campaign to capture the oral testimony of older people and celebrate the places that mattered most to them. Residents were also invited to share their life tips with the younger generation.
Lammas House is a Sanctuary Care home in Coventry. There manager, Rukmi Silva, and her team care for 23 residents, many of who live with dementia in this Outstanding care home. Communication is central to every aspect of care at the home, enabling staff to enrich the lives of their residents.
Finalists: Avery Healthcare, Pelham House, Rotherwood Healthcare and Tor-na-Dee
Since joining Care UK’s Muriel Street in January 2019, Lifestyle Lead and Dementia Champion, Fieona Connolly, has transformed the frequency and quality of the activities, entertainment and outings that residents enjoy. As well as growing strong and varied links with the local community, Fieona has revitalised parts of the home to provide areas for meaningful occupation. Every decision at the home is now resident-led. As a result, residents feel empowered, relatives have peace of mind, and colleagues are enjoying supporting residents to live meaningful lives.
Finalists: Chetwynd House, Dorset House, Loveday Chelsea Court Place, Mowat Court, Muriel Street, Pelham House, Skylark House and The Close Care Home
Sanctuary Care’s bespoke care planning app ‘kradle’ replaces paper-based care plans, enabling staff to electronically plan, track and measure care delivered to residents. Staff make use of iPhones to update residents’ care plans at the point of care, enabling them to record accurate information securely and efficiently and giving them more time to spend with residents. Senior staff also use laptops to view and review full care plans as well as to access the management dashboard, which provides an overview, as well as highlighting any overdue actions.
Finalists: Collingwood Court, The Close Care Home and The Dell Care Home
A small, multiskilled team of Jon, Cat, Daniel and Adam is the dream team of care home facilities and maintenance at The Close. Available to support the residents and service every day of the year, the team is skilled in all manner of facilities management and truly a central part of The Close Care Home’s success as an outstanding care home. No issue is too small, and the foresight and thought of The Close’s Angels is caring and responsive.
Finalist: Echelforde
The benefits that fresh air and the great outdoors have on the health and wellbeing of older people living with dementia are widely recognised. The gardens at Tor-na- Dee care home show what can be achieved when you invest vision, time, energy, grants and the goodwill of colleagues, residents, relatives, friends and groups. Tor-na-Dee’s gardens bring joy, calm, meaningful activity and fun to residents and to the community as a whole.
Finalists: Chantry Court, Paisley Court, Pelham House and Priscilla Wakefield House with Magicare
Millers Grange is Care UK’s new, purpose-built care home in Witney, Oxfordshire. It officially opened in July 2019 and has been built to a design in keeping with local, vernacular architecture, using local Cotswold stone.
The contemporary interior meets latest dementia-friendly design standards, both in terms of lighting, signage and wall/floor coverings, and also in providing areas for meaningful occupation and social activities. Outside, raised flowerbeds, a bar area, a circular pathway, and a range of seating areas provide opportunities for fresh air, relaxation and purposeful activity.
Finalists: Chantry Court, Hulton House, Portobello House, Roden Hall and Tanworth Court
Mobile Care Monitoring is the most widely used digital care system in the UK, and most widely referred software within social care. Over 1,600 care homes use Mobile Care Monitoring with 94% rated Good or Outstanding by CQC.
Mobile Care Monitoring is the first, and in many respects still the only fully mobile, fit for purpose evidence of care system for residential social care. The app-based, icon-driven system saves every carer three days per month on paperwork with care interactions evidenced as they happen, achieving the company’s aim of giving staff more time to spend with residents and improving the quality of care for residents.
Finalists: Adaptive IT Solutions, Netli
Tunstall’s Carecom Nurse Call system moves beyond traditional, fixed callpoints to a flexible system better suited to the demands of modern care delivery, enabling care to be person-centred, rather than room-centred. Wireless receivers interact with smart pendants and a carers’ app to enable greater insight and a timely response to events, resulting in more efficient care delivery and better resident outcomes.
Bidfood works behind the scenes delivering food to around 5,400 UK care homes. The Bidfood care home team is passionate about delivering service excellence to care customers by adding real value, making their lives easier and helping them to grow. Customers clearly value the team’s passion; as shown by the healthcare customer satisfaction rating which has increased to an overall 97% excellent/good, up 2% against last year. So, well done to Bidfood.
Download the 2020 Winners Book
