It’s very easy to announce that a care home is family friendly, but what does that mean? Historically, care homes and nursing homes followed the hospital model of rigid visiting times. This in turn meant that families may not have been considered to be intrinsic in the planning of care pathways or, in fact, in the individual’s life inside a care environment. Today, things are changing for the better but there is always more work to be done. Apple House care homes embrace an ethos of inclusion. Families and loved ones have a hugely crucial role to play and, as …
What is stress? At the most basic level, stress is our body’s response to pressures from a situation or life event. Some common features of things that can make us feel stress include experiencing something new or unexpected, something that threatens your feeling of self, or feeling you have little control over a situation. [Mental Health Foundation] In the following article, Jayne Jackson, registered manager at Apple House care home, writes an open and very insightful reflection on how stress plans can and do have a profoundly positive impact for a gentleman she supports: Our care plans are person centred and very individual to …
We are very proud to be finalists in 7 categories for the 2019 National Learning Disabilities Awards. Today we want to showcase one of our finalists, Rebecca Blackmore. Finalist for The Frontline Leader Award Rebecca Blackmore: Here are some of the things that our manager Sharron and the team have to say about Bex: Rebecca who is known as Bex started working in our company in 2014. Caring, compassionate and focused on helping and supporting people to be the best they can possibly be. One of her strengths is also her cooking ability. Utilising this skill Bex is able to support …
A heartfelt blog post by Pam, support worker at Summerwood care home: I was thinking about what to talk about on our company blog. I could have written something funny or about an interest that I have. But instead I thought I would share something. I have a brother who is four years older than me who has a learning disability. Since I was a little girl I have always been very protective towards him. I have worked in care for over 30 years now, and so I have seen almost all there is to see from the care provider’s …
It’s very easy to announce that a care home is family friendly, but what does that mean? Historically, care homes and nursing homes followed the hospital model of rigid visiting times. This in turn meant that families may not have been considered to be intrinsic in the planning of care pathways or, in fact, in the individual’s life inside a care environment. Today, things are changing for the better but there is always more work to be done. Apple House care homes embrace an ethos of inclusion. Families and loved ones have a hugely crucial role to play and, as …
Ms. Andrea Sutcliffe, CQC Chief Inspector, tweeted us today to say, “Many contratulations. Please pass on my best wishes to your team and everyone you support.” Ms. Sutcliffe’s tweet followed a CQC national press release today announcing Summerwood care home’s ‘Outstanding’ rating, the highest rating possible. Following the press release, Apple House Ltd were delighted to be contacted by local press taking up this good news story in an age when, all too often, the care sector is in the spotlight for more negative reasons. Apple House will be holding a celebratory party at Summerwood next month. Please follow us …
Following CQC’s national press release today, Apple House Ltd is very proud to announce that we have been awarded an ‘Outstanding’ rating for our Summerwood care home, New Milton, Hampshire. We are delighted that CQC’s report has reflected the ‘can do’ culture which is one of the driving forces behind what we do. It’s a wonderful way for the people we support and all of our Summerwood team to have their home and achievements recognised and commended by CQC, who we see as such a positive national regulator. The rating is a culmination of the company-wide philosophy of delivering person …
“Staff [in care homes] should do all within their power to make access easy for family carers and utilise their expert knowledge and their love.” —John’s Campaign We posted an article right here on our blog back in March 2017, about John’s Campaign, about our reasons for signing up to it, the importance of really welcoming families and friends of residents in residential care. Not doing so as visitors, but as an intrinsic part of the wider team that encompasses the individual themselves, care staff, and the circle of family and friends who often know the individual in a far …
April 2016 saw the introduction of The National Living Wage (NLW). We ask: How is this impacting on the cost and therefore the provision of sleep duties in adult social care settings? “Paying for sleep-ins at an hourly rate means that the sector is faced with a real and potentially overwhelming funding crisis.” — Mencap, July 2017 Apple House, as a responsible employer, has been paying its sleep duty staff the NLW since its introduction. This had a huge impact on our staffing budget. We, like most providers, see scant if any increases in fees in spite of the introduction …
