in the know: issue 20 in the know - perthyn€¦ · telehealth – often referred to as remote...

In the know: www.perthyn.org.ukIssue 20 Winter 2014/2015

Hello everyone and welcome to our latest newsletter.

I know you will all be aware of the events that took place a few years ago at the Winterbourne View care home in Gloucestershire. In the years since the horrendous abuse suffered by people with a learning disability a lot has been said about closing such large outdated institutions. However, in many respects despite some progress, there is still disappointment at the lack of government action.

Perthyn remains committed to campaigning both locally and nationally, so that people with a learning disability do not have to be sent far away from their family and local community and that they have the right to be able to choose to live in a normal home like anyone else.

Within our organisation we must continue to be vigilant in ensuring that people are not subject to any sort of abuse from anyone. We will continue to invest in appropriate training for staff and in ensuring that our monitoring and whistle blowing processes are robust and up to date. We must all strive to make Perthyn a positive example as to

how people should be supported with dignity and respect.

The teams in which you all work may well shortly be having a night out or a Christmas meal and I know that you will also be supporting the people you work with to enjoy the festive season. The Trustees and Senior Management Team are well aware of the tremendous work that staff do day in day out and at this time of the year it is good to remember that this is too something to celebrate.

On behalf of our Trustees and the SMT, thank you for all your endeavours over the last twelve months and I trust that you will enjoy this time of year in whatever way you to choose to celebrate it.

Regards, Chris Bennett (on behalf of the Trustees and Executive Management Team)

Chief Executive Update£

Contents: Never too old to have fun!Penycoed Mansion Coffee Morning!! - Dignity in Care Assistive Technology - Angela Houtby’s Big Heart! Curry Club - Q & A - Forthcoming Pay Day’s

In the knowPerthyn Belonging

In October I went on my holiday to Cheddar Wood lodges in Cheddar, Somerset. The wooden lodge I stayed in was beautiful and much to my delight I had a king size bed to sleep in. The weather was good to us and I enjoyed my days out visiting Bristol Zoo, Cheddar Gorge and a shopping trip to Bath, including a visit to the Roman Baths. The most enjoyable part of my holiday was Bristol Zoo, especially the lions. After my holiday I celebrated my 70th Birthday. I arrived at my party in style in a limousine and enjoyed celebrating with family and friends.

Never too old to have fun!

Bristol ZooShopping trip

Roman BathsCheddar Gorge

In the know: www.perthyn.org.uk

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Pamela Thomas from Liberty Drive in Northampton


Penycoed Mansion Coffee Morning!!Penycoed held a McMillan Coffee and cake fundraiser organised by Jonathan Morgan.

“The event was very successful. Individuals family, friends and other’s involved were invited to the event. All staff and residents were invited to attend and to enter the cake making competition.

A fruit bouquet was awarded to the winning cake (Mrs Mitchel) presented to her partner Gareth Mitchel in her absence. The event was organised by Jonathan Morgan and held in Penycoed Mansion on Friday 26th September 2014.

Over £200 was raised throughout the day for the McMillan Charity.

Many thanks go out to all those that made cakes, attended the charity fund raiser and to all that gave generously to such a worthy cause.”

Over £200 was raised throughout the day for the McMillan Charity.

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Every one of us at some time or another will use the term “dignity”. When it is used in the context of social care, what are we talking about?

The Dignity in Care campaign was launched in November 2006, and is hosted by the Social Care Institute for Excellence, and aims to put dignity and respect at the heart of all care services. The campaign’s core values are about having dignity in our thoughts, minds and actions, changing the culture of care services and placing a greater emphasis on improving the quality of care and the experience of people who use our services.

Perthyn is committed to ensuring that everyone we support is treated with dignity and has signed up to the ten point dignity challenge. As a reminder for us all, here is a brief summary of the things we can do to promote this.

1. Zero tolerance to all forms of abuse

This means:• Makerespectfordignityimportantto

everyone in the organisation• Providecareandsupportinasafe

environment that is free from abuse.• Recognisethatabusecantakemany

forms including physical, psychological,

emotional,financialandsexual,andextendto neglect or ageism.

2. Support people with the same respect as you would want for yourself or a member of your family

This means:• Careforpeopleinacourteousand

considerate manner, ensuring time is taken to get to know people.

• Helppeoplereceivingservicestoparticipate as partners in decision-making about the care and support they receive.

• Encourageandsupportpeopletotakeresponsibility for managing their care themselves (with care staff and other information and support services when needed).

3. Treat each person as an individual by offering personalised services

This means:• Makesureyourattitudeandbehaviour

help to preserve each person’s identity and individuality.

• Tailorservicestoeachindividual,makingthem personalised not standardised.

• Taketimetogettoknowthepersonusingtheserviceandfindouthowformallyor informally they would prefer to be addressed.

Dignity in Care

In the know: www.perthyn.org.ukIn the know: www.perthyn.org.uk

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4. Enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control

This means:• Helppeoplewhouseservicestomakea

positive contribution to daily life and be involved in decisions about their personal care.

• Treatpeoplewhouseservicesaspartnerswith whom you negotiate and agree their care and support.

• Enablepeopletohavethemaximumpossible choice and control over the services they receive.

5. Listen and support people who want to express their needs and wants

This means:• Provideclearinformationsopeoplecan

make informed choices about their care• Beopentotheopinionsofpeoplewhouse

services and encourage them to participate in planning their care

• Providesupportandadvocacysopeoplewithcommunicationdifficultiesorcognitiveimpairment can have their say.

6. Respect peoples right to privacy

This means:• Ensurethatpeoplehaveaccesstopersonal

space when they need it.• Respectareasofsensitivitywhichrelate

to modesty, gender, culture or religion and basic manners.

• Providecareandsupportinawaythatensures people are not made to feel embarrassed.

7. Ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution

This means:• Givepeopletheinformationandadvicethey

need.• Supportpeopletoraisetheirconcernsand

complaints with the appropriate person.• Provideopportunitiesforpeopletoaccess

an advocate.• Respectconcernsandcomplaintsand

answer them in a timely manner.

8. Engage with family members and carers in care partners

This means:• Welcomerelativesandcarersandenable

them to communicate as contributing partners.

• Keeprelativesandcarersfullyinformedandprovide them with timely information.

• Listentorelativesandcarersandencouragethemtocontributetothebenefitoftheperson receiving services.

9. Assistpeopletomaintainconfidenceanda positive self esteem

This means:• Providecareandsupportinawaythat

encourages people to participate as far as they feel able.

• Aimtodeveloptheself-confidenceofthe person using the service and actively promote health and wellbeing.

• Provideadequatesupportwitheatinganddrinking.

• Encouragepeopletomaintainarespectablepersonal appearance – and do the same.

10. Act to alleviate people’s loneliness and isolation

This means:• Offerpeopleenjoyable,stimulatingand

challenging activities that are compatible with their individual interests, needs and abilities.

• Encouragepeopletomaintaincontactwiththe outside community.

• Helppeoplewhouseservicestofeelvaluedas members of the community.

“In the know: www.perthyn.org.uk

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Assistive technology includes a wide-range of supportive but unobtrusive services and equipment,ranging from personal alarms for elderly people, to seizuremonitors,tomoresophisticatedfingerprintrecognition systems that allow you to open the door without keys. It can also include computer software, hand held devices or video call systems that increase social interaction and family contact.

Advantages of Assistive Technology:Assistivetechnologydoesn‘tneedtobeexpensiveor complicated. It does, however, require a shift in attitude towards the individuals we support, transferring the focus from someone’s disabilities totheirabilities.Whilethetechnologymighthaveoriginated in elderly care with the basic aim of offering monitoring and reassurance, allowing staff to “listen in”, it has developed into offering more choice andcontrol.Whatpieceofequipment,forexample,does someone need to help them make choices or live more independently? Can they hit a button? A non-verbal disabled person can use touch screen technologytoexpresstheirfeelings-dotheywantto watch television or listen to music?

Somebasicassistivetechnologydefinitions:Telehealth – often referred to as remote patient monitoring - refers to the use of various point of care technologies to monitor a patient’s physiological statusandhealthconditions.Whencombinedwith personalised health education within a chronic diseasemanagementprogramme,itcansignificantlyimprove an individual’s health and quality of life. Typically, it involves electronic sensors or equipment that monitors vital health signs remotely from home or while on the move. Readings are automatically transmitted to an appropriately trained person who can monitor the health vital signs and make decisions about potential interventions in real time, without the patient needing to attend a clinic.

Telecare - a service that enables people, especially older and more vulnerable individuals, to live independently and securely in their own home. It includes services that incorporate personal and environmental sensors in the home, and remotely, that enable people to remain safe and independent in their own home for longer. 24 hour monitoring ensures that should an event occur, the information is acted upon immediately and the most appropriate response put in train.

Assistive - or personalised - technology - the gadgets and equipment selected to meet someone’s daily needs, whether at home, out and about in the community or at work.It is often called personalised technology because it is not about the technology, but the people andhow providers can enhance their lives. Solutions can include anything from telecare equipment andenvironmental controls, to mobile technology and communication aids.

Assistive TechnologyAssistive Technology is any product or service designed to enable independence for disabled and older people. Another commonly used explanationis“anydeviceorsystemthatallowsindividualstoperformtasks that they would otherwise be unable to do, or increases the ease and safety with which tasks can be performed”.

“In the know: www.perthyn.org.uk

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Thebenefitsofassistivetechnology:Whilecomputerisedservicesanddevicescannotbe used in isolation or always be relied upon as a substitute for traditional human support, there are a numberofbenefitstoatechnologyembracingsocialcare approach. Technology can:

• increasechoice,controlandindependence• supportpeopleofdifferentagesandabilities,

often through relatively simple methods• helppersonal,healthandsocialcarebudgetsto

providemoresupportintimesoffinancial constraint• beemployedinavarietyofcaresettings,

including community living and residential care• supporttheroleofcarersandstaff,encouraging

their enabling role and often freeing them to concentrate on other tasks• helpcommissionersandprovidersinrunningcost

effective services

The barriers to greater use of assistive technology:It is telling that the barriers to assistive technology outlinedinaDepartmentofHealth(DH)paperseveral years ago appear still to be current:

“The opportunities for assistive technology service providers to develop new services that meet the needs of the individual are substantial, but there are challenges, including previously low levels of investment in many assistive technology services, the lack of care pathway commissioning for these services and the lack of awareness of assistive technology on the part of the public. At the same time, technological advances, coupled with some forward thinking research funding programmes, make the delivery of innovative assistive technology services at scale a real possibility.” (From DH Research and Development Work Relating to Assistive Technology 2010 – 201114).

So, despite the clear potential of assistive technology it has not been comprehensively embraced by the social care sector. The dual benefitsofreducedcostsandmorepersonalisedsupport are crucial given ongoing budgetary constraints and our ageing population, yet its use in our sector has been relatively slow to develop and become embedded in everyday practice. This is despite the fact it has been used in health and housing-relatedsettings,forexample,tosupportolder people for several years. Assistive technology’s potential has yet to be reached.

One reason for the slow take up may rest with some mindsets. Firstly, providers or staff who viewthemselves as traditional “caregivers” might fear technology will replace physical care and that“social aspect” of social care will be lost as the use of technology increases. There is real potential forpersonalised healthcare and personal health budgets to allow investment in technology and supportin a community living or home setting, but it requires cultural change within the wider workforce and in particular a challenge to the medical model of care.

In addition, there may be concerns that a technology-based approach undermines risk management(staffmayfear,forexample,thatleaving people “alone” with technology support compromisestheirsafety).Lastly,technologythat supports independence can also be used to monitor movements (a global positioning system, forexample,willalertyouifachildmovesoutofadefinedarea),raisingethicalconcernsamongproviders and commissioners alike.

Assistive technology’s role in modern social care:Assistive technology does not replace human contactorcaregiving.However,itisflexibleenoughto suit a wide range of people with varying abilities and needs and can be used in different care settings, from residential placements to community living. It is unobtrusive and increases independence.

Technology can play a vital role in modern social care, complementing and enhancing traditional human care and support and contributing to increased independence of vulnerable people. Put simply, technology is part of our modern landscape. Weuseitforwork,leisure,athomeandonthemove. It makes our lives easier. People with life-long disabilities or age related conditions should share thatexperience,benefittingfromtheadvantagesthat tailor-made technological support can bring.


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AngelaHoutby

For the last couple of years Angela HoutbyfromPortlandplace,NottinghamhasdoneashoeboxforSamaritan’s Purse called Operation Christmas Child.TheseBoxesgoallovertheworldtochildrenthat have nothing for Christmas and in some cases never received a gift in their lives, and in many cases have no family.

Angela heard about this in church one Sunday morning and said to staff I would like to do a shoeboxforthechildren,thisyearwhenshewas going to youth club she saw the same leafletfromlastyearandstraightawaysaid

she wanted to do one again this year, so over thenextfewweeksAngelausedherpersonalspendstogetthingsfortheshoeboxshemadethelistofwhatshewantedtoputintheboxfromtheleaflet,andwouldtalkabouthowluckyshe was and how those children have nothing for Christmas.

Angela was always very insistent the gifts for the shoeboxcameoutofherownpersonalspendsthat she has daily and used the money that her mum and sister would give her when she went round to visit. Angela has really enjoyed doing theshoeboxappealonceagainthisyear.

Angela Houtby’s Big Heart!


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The basic premise is very simple. If you love curry and love social care, then you’re in. There are no more requirements than that. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you know about socialcare,whereyourexperiencecomes from, whether you consider yourselfanexpertoranovice.Thisisquite simply curry and chat.

So far supported, by a Twitter account (https://twitter.com/socialcarecurry) a networkof700peoplehasbuiltup.Whatstarted with one small gathering of nine in Birmingham in July, was followed by more than 200 people coming together internationally in September. The key ingredient is that the network organises itself.Localgatheringsaresupportedbyvolunteer hosts who take responsibility for booking the curry house, meeting and greeting on the day and ensuring the bill is paid at the end of the night.

Hopefully,comingtogetherovercurrywillenablepeopletoshareexperiences,ideas and views about social care. Doubtless that will mean different things to each person, but ultimately we hope it supports people to build their resilience and connectivity, and that in turn will

have a positive impact on practice.Whynotjoinoursocialcarecommunity?Becoming a member of the Guardian Social Care Network means you get sent email updates on policy and best practice inthesector,aswellasexclusiveoffers.You can sign up for free at:

https://register.theguardian.com/social-care/

Curry ClubEarlier this year a chance conversation on Twitter led to the most unusual of networks forming, the Social Care Curry Club.

Questions & Answers: www.perthyn.org.uk

Q&AMatthew Perrott Assistant Support ManagerThe best thing about my job is… Sharing life experiences with others; meeting new and interesting people.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? The skills of a mechanic would be handy, and cheaper than visiting the garage.

My favourite meal is… Curry. Definitely.

If you could have two famous people to dinner, who would they be? Pope Saint John Paul II. Peter Kreeft.

If you could choose a super power, what would it be and why? The power of flight…to save on fuel costs.

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Frances Jones Senior HR AdvisorThe best thing about my job is… The people

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Proper DIY

My favourite meal is… Seafood

If you could have two famous people to dinner, who would they be? Stephen Fry and Eddie Izzard

If you could choose a super power, what would it be and why? Does Wolverine have the power to heal? I’d like that one.

What chores do you absolutely hate doing?All of them – there’s so many other things I’d rather be doing!

Favourite song Loads – don’t prefer one specific type of music – love James Taylor and Tamla Motown, really don’t like rap or heavy metal, but I have a thing for Down Down by Status Quo (none of their other stuff though) as it takes me back to being 19!

What is your ideal holiday location and why? America – so much to see and do from New York to the Grand Canyon.

Favourite film Sense and Sensibility starring Emma Thompson.

Top tips for doing the job well… I’m still trying to figure that one out!

Questions & Answers: www.perthyn.org.uk

Q&A11

Allan ClarkAssistant Support ManagerThe best thing about my job is… Seeing the guys happy in their home !

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? I would learn to sing and smash the xfactor

My favourite meal is… Anything with prawns !

If you could have two famous people to dinner, who would they be? Roy Keane and Patrick Viera, to talk about their clashes !

If you could choose a super power, what would it be and why? I’d have miracle growth as when God was handing out height I was doing keep ups with a football!

What chores do you absolutely hate doing?Washing up as can’t reach the sink!

Favourite songs Dance with my father again! As one day I will!

What is your ideal holiday location and why? Gran Canaria ! Hot, nice beer and isn’t too expensive.

Favourite film Good fellas

Top tips for doing the job well... Keep smiling

What chores do you absolutely hate doing?Flushing the cess pit.

Favourite song Ghost of Perdition (Opeth)/McGoohan’s Blues (Roy Harper).

What is your ideal holiday location and why? Rome. For the beauty, majesty, history and food.

Favourite film The Scarlet and the Black.

Top tips for doing the job well… Put the other person first. Don’t take things personally.


If you have any comments, suggestions or articles please send them to the address below. If you are sending photo’s please send them as Jpegs.

[email protected] Or by mail to:KeliWalters,PerthynVivianCourt,LlysFelinNewydd,PhoenixWaySwansea SA7 9FG


Enhanced rates for Christmas and New Years (ExNHSStaff,pleaseseeAgendaforChange)

From Christmas Eve 3pm until Christmas Day 7am Double TimeFrom Christmas Day 7am until Christmas Day 11pm Triple TimeFrom Christmas Day 11pm until Boxing Day 11pm Double TimeFrom New Years Eve 3pm until New Years Day 11pm Double

All sleep-ins paid during the Christmas and New Years period are paid at £25.56 per sleep.

£Forthcoming Pay Day’sTuesday 23rd December Basic pay for December Overtime 18th October to 14th November 2014

Monday 26th January Basic pay for January Overtime 15th November to 19th December 2014

Thursday 26th February Basic pay for February Overtime 20th December to 16th January 2015 (All Christmas/New year shifts are included in this period)

Thursday 26th March Basic pay for March Overtime 17th January to 20th February 2015

To all staff members: Please can you ensure that you write your staff number on documents submitted to Payroll/HR Thank you.

2015 1 January Thursday New Year’s Day 3 April Friday Good Friday6 April Monday EasterMonday4 May Monday EarlyMaybankholiday25 May Monday Spring bank holiday31 August Monday Summer bank holiday25 December Friday Christmas Day28 December Monday BoxingDay(substituteday)2016 1 January Friday New Year’s Day

bank holiday days 2015

Level 5 Diploma in Health & Social Care (Adults)Angela John, Rhian Bolgiani, Matthew Perrott

Qualification Achievements:

in the know: issue 20 in the know - perthyn€¦ · telehealth – often referred to as remote...

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