Care home staff and residents at centre of recruitment campaign

Care home residents and staff in North Yorkshire have spoken out in support of a recruitment campaign urging people to “make a difference on your doorstep”.

Make Care Matter has been launched by North Yorkshire County Council with the aims of tackling a critical shortfall in workers and changing perceptions of the sector which is enduring a major challenge to attract and retain staff.

There are around 1,000 jobs available across the county and those who rely on and work in care have now come together to provide a boost for the campaign.

Nick Moxon, who has cerebral palsy and is a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s Claro Road care home in Harrogate, is one of several people featuring in TV adverts from this week. He told a press conference today:

“Our carers at Claro Road are like family – they pick us up when we are feeling down and keep us smiling.

“The care sector needs a shot in the arm so hopefully by launching this campaign and playing our part this will be the start of a turning point in the way the care sector is perceived.”

Mr Moxon’s carer Jade Bullock added:

“I have created a caring bond with customers here at Disability Action Yorkshire and this is something people will not understand until they have experienced it for themselves.

“There is satisfaction in this job you won’t find anywhere else.”

Read more:

The county council says people of all ages and backgrounds can work in care and that the need for more people to join the sector has never been greater.

It is also calling on national government to review the status of the social care workforce.

The council’s corporate director for health and adult services, Richard Webb, said the care profession needed to be recognised on the same level as the NHS to help attract new recruits.

Mr Webb said:

“We are asking the wider community to see care through the eyes of people who use services and those who work in the sector.

“We want you to understand how vital it is and see a different picture.

“There are opportunities for everyone in every community. Please come join us and give it a try.”

To find out more about job opportunities go to www.makecarematter.co.uk

Boroughbridge care home turned into Graceland for Elvis-themed day

Residents at Boroughbridge Manor care home were all shook up this weekend when their home was turned into Graceland for an Elvis-themed day.

To honour what would have been the king of rock and roll’s 86th birthday on Saturday, staff and residents enjoyed a day of music, fun and dancing.

Residents found out some interesting facts about Elvis that they hadn’t heard before, watched a short biography about the singer and listened to some of Elvis’ hits.

Nancy, a resident, said:

“I loved Elvis growing up. Listening to all his old hits has brought back so many memories.  We’ve all had a brilliant time reminiscing about our dance hall days!”

General manager Neil Todd said:

“Lots of our residents are big Elvis fans and love his music. We’ve had a fantastic day listening to all his hits, finding out about his early life and what influenced him and watching old Elvis movies, he was such an incredible talent.

“This afternoon we had an Elvis quiz, it is amazing how many songs he recorded. We all surprised ourselves by how many we remembered!”

Read More:

 

Questions remain as closure of Ripon care home looms

Questions still surround the closure of a Ripon care home more than two months after the care group which runs the home announced the decision.

Skell Lodge, which is owned by the Maria Mallaband Care Group (MMCG), operates from a listed Victorian building on South Crescent.

MMCG told the Stray Ferret in October that the building would “shortly no longer meet appropriate building regulations” so it would need to move residents out before the end of the year.

The Stray Ferret has asked MMCG a number of times what the problem with the building is and whether it would it possible to remedy the problem. We did not receive an answer.

A spokesperson for the care group has, however, since said:

“We can confirm that all residents have found alternative accommodation.

“We have worked hard with the team at Skell Lodge, and our partners locally to ensure residents and their families have been supported and have received the help needed during this difficult period of adjustment.

“It is expected that all residents will be settled into their new homes in time for Christmas.”

Read more:

We have spoken to two staff members and the family of a former resident. They all raised concerns about how staff and residents have been treated. They also said they were not aware of any problems with the building.

A spokesperson from the CQC said:

“We are aware that the provider Skell Lodge in Ripon has taken the decision to close the service at the end of this year.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and liaising with North Yorkshire County Council to ensure that people are moved safely to alternative services that are appropriate to their needs.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire County Council said:

“The future of the residents and the staff is our paramount concern.

“We continue to work with the care provider and the CQC and with residents and their families to try to ensure the smoothest possible transition for people.”

Join Team North Yorkshire – become a care professional and make a difference

This article is sponsored by North Yorkshire County Council.

People of all ages and all backgrounds work as care professionals in North Yorkshire – so come and join the team and make a difference to people’s lives.

That’s the message this week as the county’s social care leaders send out an appeal for people to join a profession which offers a rewarding lifetime career.

All sorts of people across the county have made this life-changing step into the care profession, from builders and retail workers to accountants, young graduates and parents wanting flexible but rewarding work.

Flavia Nyambira, a North Yorkshire care and support worker said:

“Being a care professional is something I am so proud of. Every day in the job is different and at the end of every day I always feel I have made a difference.”

Flavia has worked for the last four years helping people who have come out of hospital or experienced a physical or mental difficulty, to get back on their own feet in their own home. 

She came into the care profession after 11 years working in the British Army as a postal and courier service operator in Germany. When Flavia was posted back to North Yorkshire with her soldier husband and their three children, she started to look for work that she could fit around her family. 

She added:

“I absolutely loved being a care worker from day one and in this job I am supported and given every opportunity to do the work to the best of my ability.” 

Flavia was taken on under the County Council’s apprenticeship scheme and is currently working to complete her NVQ level 3, which will give her the qualification to become a team leader.  

“I don’t just have a job, I have a career and I am learning while I am working.”

Flavia is given one day a week to complete her studies and is considering going on to become a social worker in the long term. 

She said:

“I thought about going to university to study to be a social worker but I didn’t want to come out with a debt. With this job, I could apply to be supported to gain my social work qualification. 

“The rewards of being in the care profession are huge. I support people with care and encouragement and the right equipment to regain confidence to do things for themselves again.  It’s so great to see the look of happiness on their faces when they can get back their independence.  

“Everybody we care for has a story to tell and it’s good to be a listening ear when they are going through a difficult situation.  

“I support people of all ages. You always have that satisfaction knowing every day that you have done something worthwhile for somebody.” 

Across the county, North Yorkshire has 20,000 people working in the care sector, from the 13,000 care and support workers in 500 organisations providing services in residential care and people’s homes through to social workers, project managers and administrators. On any given day, there are at least 1,000 jobs available across the county.

 

Join Team North Yorkshire – become a care professional and make a difference. You can find out more and apply for jobs across the care sector directly at www.makecarematter.co.uk

Man charged with sex offences at Harrogate district care home

A Durham man has been charged with a string of sexual offences while working at a Harrogate district care home.

Carl McQuilliam-Jenkins, 48, appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning accused of six offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

He is accused of sexual activity with a mentally disordered female while working as a care worker.

The charges allege that Mr McQuilliam-Jenkins knew or could reasonably be expected to have known that the woman had such a disorder and he engaged in various sexual activities while involved in her care.

Read More: 

The care home cannot be named for legal reasons.

Mr McQuilliam-Jenkins appeared before magistrates and spoke only to confirm his name before the case was referred to York Crown Court.

He was released on conditional bail and will appear before crown court on October 18.

Couple tie the knot at Knaresborough care home

Katie Pickering, a carer at Manor House care home in Knaresborough, wanted to share her special day with the residents.

The new Mrs Pickering and her husband Phil actually had their ‘official’ wedding in early August, but decided to hold an additional blessing at the care home so the residents could join in the fun.

Mrs Pickering said:

“Part of working in care is understanding that it’s like you’re part of a second family. So it felt fitting to celebrate and share the day with them as well as our other family.

“One resident even said ‘I hope you’re partner is ready to meet all these new aunties’, and the residents have been with me from the get go wanting to know all the details about our wedding plans.”

The Pickerings’ wedding was originally scheduled for August last year but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. But when they finally tied the knot in August this year, it was the big wedding they’d dreamed of.

And they didn’t hold back for the care home blessing either, which featured everything you would expect from a wedding. Around 30 residents attended the ceremony and after party, with cake, decorations. Mrs Pickering’s colleagues Ali Morgan and Jo Meredith were bridesmaids.

Read More: 

The ceremony was performed by Reverend Garry Hinchcliffe, who regularly visits the care home in his role as the local priest.

“I’ve never done a wedding or a blessing in a care home before, so it’s a first for me. I come here every month to take a service, so I was delighted to be asked to do this blessing service today.

Brenda Raynes, a resident at Manor House, said she was excited about the big day:

“None of us could go to Katie’s official wedding because we’re residents in a care home and not allowed out!

“We’ve been shut inside and not able to do anything for two years while it’s been covid, but now we can have visitors and do things, its made it a big event for us. So we’ve all got dressed up and put our best frocks on, and come down.”

500 staff at North Yorkshire care homes could leave due to compulsory vaccinations

About 500 care workers in North Yorkshire could be forced out of their jobs when compulsory vaccines come into force in November.

Many care homes are already struggling to recruit staff and this is set to exacerbate the problem, with 5.5% of the workforce set to lose their jobs.

From November 11, it will become a legal requirement for all staff working in care homes to be fully vaccinated against covid – unless they are exempt – in order to protect elderly and vulnerable residents most at risk from the virus.

Health officials in North Yorkshire say they are supportive of this but are calling for the rules to be applied also to NHS staff to prevent a wave of care workers quitting their jobs to join the health sector.

Speaking at a meeting last week, Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for adult services and health integration at North Yorkshire County Council, said: 

“If nothing changes, quite simply there will be around 500 people currently working in North Yorkshire’s care sector who will no longer be able to do so.

“It will be illegal to employ them and that would be a terrible shame.

“This is a consequence which needs to be avoided so we are lobbying government at the moment.

“That said, I am a full supporter of mandatory vaccinations and it does disappoint me that there are so many people working in the sector who are refusing to be vaccinated.”

There are currently 8,967 care staff working in North Yorkshire, both at the county council and at private companies.

Of those, a total of 494 have refused vaccines, representing 5.5% of the workforce.

Read more:

Health officials have insisted they are making progress on bringing these numbers down, but the looming November 11 deadline comes at a time when the sector is also facing surging demand and serious recruitment issues with around 1,000 jobs currently vacant.

Cllr Harrison said: 

“It is fair to say that the workforce in adult care has quite simply started to evaporate in recent weeks. Even this month we have seen a 70 per cent drop in applications for vacant positions.”

The staffing situation has also led to warnings from the Independent Care Group, which represents independent care homes, that an army of volunteers could be needed to avoid a “winter meltdown” in staff numbers.

Mike Padgham, chair of the non-profit organisation, which provides care services in North Yorkshire and York, said: 

“The staffing crisis is now so bad that providers are battling day-to-day to cover shifts both in homes and in looking after people in their own home.

“Many say it is the worst they have known in more than 30 years and so we need urgent action now before the added pressures of winter turn this into a total meltdown.”

Mr Padgham has also previously spoken of his “dismay” over compulsory vaccines, saying the government is creating another barrier to recruitment and “forcing people to do something against their will”.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid last month urged care workers to book their vaccine appointments as soon as possible with the “grace period” ending on 11 November.

How many, or how few, staff choose to do so could well determine how well care homes cope in the coming months.

Five of the 10 care homes with most covid deaths in Harrogate district

A breakdown of covid deaths for each care home in North Yorkshire has revealed five of the 10 worst affected are in the Harrogate district.

The new figures released by the Care Quality Commission, which regulates care homes, revealed 18 care homes in the county reported a total of 515 resident deaths during the course of the pandemic.

Health officials said the results “bring into stark relief the ravages” of the virus.

Five of the 10 care homes worst affected during the pandemic were in the Harrogate district. These included three in Harrogate, one in Knaresborough and another in Scotton.

Top 10 worst affected care homes in North Yorkshire:

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“Every death from covid during the course of this terrible pandemic has been one death too many.”

“The death toll in care homes over the last 20 months, published by the Care Quality Commission, brings into stark relief the ravages of covid and the price we have paid as a society and that we continue to pay.

“All the families and friends who have lost loved ones to the virus are very much in our hearts and in our thoughts.”

Read more:

Care home managers must inform the CQC when one of their residents dies. From April last year they also had to say whether covid was believed to be a factor in the person’s death.

The newly published data is based on these notifications.

No link between care standards and deaths

The CQC said in its report that it has not found a link between standards of care and the number of deaths – something local health officials have also stressed.

The social care watchdog said contributing factors included the levels of covid in the local community and the age and health of the residents.

The struggle for PPE and hospital patients being discharged into homes without getting tested were also thought to contributors to the virus spreading quickly.

And although it is now widely available, testing was said to be a “critical” issue at the start of the outbreak with some test kits taking up to 20 days to be delivered to North Yorkshire care homes.

Mr Webb praised social care staff for their “heroic efforts” during the pandemic:

“Staff have worked heroically to contain the virus as best they could. We are grateful to staff in care homes as well as our own authorities who showed courage and bravery in doing all they could to protect our residents, working tirelessly during such a difficult period.

“We will never know, if we had not taken swift action supported by colleagues in the care sector in those early days, how many more would have died.”

Boroughbridge care home residents cheer on England heroes

Residents and staff at Boroughbridge Manor care home enjoyed watching last night’s Euro 2020 final, despite the heartbreaking result for England fans.

Throughout the tournament, the home has been decked out with flags and residents have been enjoying all the action.

The residents would remember the last time England reached a major final in 1966 and everyone at the home appreciated seeing Gareth Southgate’s men make their way through the tournament, especially after a tough year with covid restrictions.

Staff put on football-inspired snacks for the residents whilst they watched the games together.

Krzysztof Bialczyk, general manager, said:

“We have loved watching the Euros, we have watched pretty much all the matches – lots of our residents are footie fans.  It has been fantastic to be able to cheer on all the home sides and especially England, we did amazingly well to get to the final.”

Thomas, a resident at Boroughbridge Manor, said:

“Although we didn’t win tonight, it has been a brilliant few weeks of football.  The lads did us proud and made it all the way to the final, they played their hearts out.  At least we haven’t got long to wait until the World Cup next year!”

Read more:

 

Harrogate district joins national thank you to NHS

Residents and staff at a care home in Harrogate raised flags yesterday to say thank you to NHS staff, care workers and other front-line workers.

After showing their support, the residents at Larchfield Manor residential home on Leadhall Grove observed a two-minute silence and a rendition of The Last Post.

They later raised a toast to those who have helped others during the pandemic and enjoyed a celebratory afternoon tea.

The activities were held to mark the UK’s first-ever national Thank You Day on Sunday, which was created to recognise those who have helped the country during covid.

Read more:

Yesterday also saw the bells of Ripon Cathedral ring out to say thank you.

The team of bell ringers, which included retired and current NHS employees, sounded the bells 73 times on what was the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the NHS.