Taking to the skies to celebrate a milestone…

Apple House care home were thrilled to facilitate a milestone birthday wish for one of its residents recently! When Mr G hit the wonderful age of seventy it was his wish to have a helicopter ride.  Mr G is no stranger to such exhilarating and daredevil antics–we previously watched in awe as he took to the skies again, this time piloting a small airplane.  We also watched from the water’s edge as he water-skied like a pro. We asked Mr G what he could possibly plan for his 71st birthday next year: “Parachute jump,” he replied! We have no doubt …

Busy Summer!

The weather might have changed, the sun retreated (as it seems to do in August!), but we’re still in full summer mode at Apple House care homes. We’ll be updating you soon with what we’ve been doing and our plans already underway for an exciting autumn. The coming weeks will see residents taking to the high seas on a catamaran, dance classes to rival Strictly Come Dancing, and waving bon voyage to those setting off on holiday. …

CQC Chief Inspector Congratulates Us!

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 …

Summerwood is rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC

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 …

Launch of ‘Quality Matters.’

Over 100 people representing organisations and national adult social care stakeholders joined the CQC  to mark the launch of the Quality Matters commitment. As it says in the document, ‘The quality of adult social care matters. It matters because people who use services should be able to expect person centred care that is safe, effective, caring and responsive. This care should be supported by good leadership and sustained by good use of resources.’ The document sets out a shared commitment to high-quality, person centred adult social care. It has been produced to make a difference in care services by working …

Have your cake and eat it…

Our team called to request cakes this morning. They wanted them now, and they wanted them delivered! So we did! 😉  #HappyTeam #FeedMe #MakingDreamsComeTrue …

Congratulations! You’re a star!

Congratulations and very well done to two team members at Redcroft care home! Tom and Mandy have both achieved their Level Three Diploma in Health and Social Care (loud round of applause!) Skills For Care state: “Skills for Care strongly believes that, when delivered well, these qualifications will provide a capable, confident and skilled workforce. These qualifications will support workers to deliver compassionate care based on strong values and ensure dignity is experienced by all those who need care and support and their carers.” [Read their report HERE] We very proud of both Tom and Mandy and look forward to …

John’s Campaign: The “Third Force” in Residential Care

“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 …

Social Care: Sleepwalking Into A Crisis?

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 …

Venus Women in Business Awards…

We are exceptionally proud of our own Romaine, Director of Operations, who today went through to the semi-finals of Venus Women in Business Awards! In not one but TWO categories! Now a semi-finalist for Director of The Year and the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards, Romaine will progress to the next stage in September.  Jane Montrose, Managing Director, won the Inspirational Woman Award in 2013 and says, “Winning this wonderful award meant so much to me, and I wish Romaine all the luck in the world as she’s a winner to her team already.” Romaine lived in Peru where she established …