avante news - spring/summer 2013

High Tea at Bridgewood

Manor8

Annual Stars Awards

Page 10

Perrygrove, included on the Eden Alternative registry

Spring is here at Avante!

Avante NewsSpring/Summer 2013 www.avantepartnership.org.uk

2

www.avantepartnership.org.uk

If you would like to receive the next edition of Avante News as an E edition

please log on to www.avantepartnership.org.uk and subscribe to our news letter

– Governance and Quality Standards, including Clinical Standards. This will provide clarity of purpose, recognising the support needs of our services.

From April, the name of the Directorate will change from ‘Practice Development’ to ‘Governance and Quality Standards’. Importantly, several job titles within the Directorate in addition to mine, will change. Richard Macintyre will become the Head of Care and Welfare and Sophie Murray will become the Head of Nutrition and Hydration, these reflecting the changes within the new CQC framework. I know both Richard and Sophie along with other colleagues in the Directorate will continue to maintain the positive work already being achieved.

As part of Avante’s three year dementia strategy, one of our objectives was to develop a Dementia Advisory Panel, made up of professionals and experts by experience; to share ‘best practice’ and to support the development of future dementia services.This objective has been achieved with the panel meeting three times a year,

most recently in late April. The last meeting focused on the role of our Admiral Nurse; Care Assessment and Technology, highlighting how progress in technology can support not only people living with dementia, but support staff with record keeping.

Currently the advisory panel has 7 members; as the role of the panel gathers pace Avante will expand it’s membership. If you are interested in joining the panel, or know someone who may have the required expertise, please feel free to contact me – [email protected]

May I take this opportunity on behalf of Avante’s management to thank everyone for their involvement and support in producing this summer edition newsletter. Happy reading!

Kind regards

Jacqueline MorrisDirector of Governance and Quality Standards

3

Caroline has joined Avante Partnership’s Property and Business Development Team as Marketing Manager. Having just moved back to Kent from Scotland,

Having left school at sixteen Janys followed family tradition and went into banking and joined Nat West in the West End of London.

Diane was born in Kent and after college moved to London where she started her HR career in the hotel and hospitality industry

Lyn was born in Buckinghamshire and moved to Essex when she was 8 years old to complete her education.

Belinda began her career in the care industry 15 years ago as a relief Sheltered Scheme Manager for Tonbridge

Gary was born in London and spent his primary school years in Australia.

Most of his working life has been in the

for several years before moving back to Kent to start a family. Once returning to work after having her son Diane continued her HR career in private sector companies before moving into the public sector which included Kent Police for 6 years and prior to joining Avante Partnership, Kent Fire & Rescue Service. Diane’s hobbies include cooking, DIY, reading -and shopping!!!

care sector. Indeed, he worked as a Care Assistant at Barnetts when it was owned and operated by Kent County Council and which now, of course, is one of our homes! After a varied career which included working in KCC’s area finance and contracting sections, Gary became an Inspector with Inspection and Registration in 2000 and regulated care services throughout the various incarnations of NCSC, CSCI and CQC.

and Malling Housing Association. In more recent years she has worked as a Registered Residential Home Manager and Area Manager Residential for a private sector company.

Belinda has an NVQ 4 in both Health and Social Care and the Registered Manager Award. She would like to study for a Diploma in Dementia, an area that is close to her heart.

Janys quickly realised this was far too stuffy a career path for her and left to join Tesco. After a brief stint in the cash office to use those bank skills, she was given the opportunity to train in HR and that was the start of her 24 year career in HR. This has included roles with other retailers, both high street and independent, to the Biotech and Pharmaceutical industry and more recently in supported living for adults with learning disabilities.

where she worked as Group Marketing Manger for Highlands and Islands Airports Caroline is reacquainting herself with marketing colleagues within the area. Her previous marketing roles have included working for Eurotunnel, P&O Ferries, Leukaemia Research Fund and DMB and B advertising agency. Caroline is married, and enjoys anything to do with travel, motor sports, historical sites and walking.

On leaving school she married and had 5 children. When her 3rd child reached 6 months old she worked as an Auxiliary Nurse at her local NHS hospital.Lyn went from there to a private domiciliary care provider as a carer and worked her way through the ranks to become a registered manager at a Kent branch. She was then lucky enough to be offered a new challenge as Operations Manager at Avante Care and Support.

New business team

Established 1990. Avante Partnership

A Company Limited by Guarantee(Registration No. 2565021, England)A Registered Charity(Registered No.1002727)

Registered office: De Gelsey House, 1 Jubilee Way, Faversham, Kent ME13 8GD

Tel: 01795 597400 Fax: 01795 597419Email: [email protected]: www.avantepartnership.org.uk

Kaylea Jemmett joined Avante Partnership in April 2010 as part of a scheme called ‘The future jobs fund’ through Kent County Council. She started her role as a Trainee Administrator working with

the team in the Community Support department, which she found very interesting.

It is not for the organisation or any individual within it to have a view on the

results of the General Election on May 6th and the momentous events that have taken place since, with the formation of the

country’s first coalition government in 70 years. However, like almost every part of our society, Avante Partnership is feeling the effects of the coalition government’s key policies and their efforts to reduce the deficit.

The financial challenges faced by our local authority partners in particular are significant, and we understand the need for us to play our part in supporting them to meet their cost reduction targets. At the same time, we remain totally committed to ensuring that we not only continue to provide the highest quality services possible, but strive to improve the quality of our services. In order to achieve this we are asking ourselves tough questions about what we do, how we do it and whether we can do it more efficiently. We remain very ambitious for the organisation, the people we care for and support and our wonderful staff who work so hard to achieve the results and outcomes that we want. Yes, we make mistakes and we do not get it right every time, but when things don’t go as well as we would like, we are quick to acknowledge our mistake and commit to learning lessons and working hard to ensure that we get it right in the future. That being said, I am very pleased to say that we get it right much more often than we get it wrong.

For many, the highlight of the summer should have been England returning from the World Cup clutching that gold trophy. As we know, it didn’t quite work out like that. The team didn’t gel and too many players under performed. Perhaps Fabio Capello should have taken a leaf out of the Avante Partnership book and popped into Amherst Court, our newest 112 bed residential care home in Chatham for some advice about teamwork, commitment to excellence and achieving the goals you set for yourself. Fabio only had a squad of 23 footballers to think about, whilst my colleagues Tracey Jones and Geoff Ward led a team of literally hundreds of people to achieve what is a fantastic result.

Congratulations and ‘thank you’ to everybody who has worked so hard to deliver a great new care home.

As ever, I hope you enjoy reading this new look edition of Avante News.

Cedric Frederick - Chief Executive

As a charity, Avante Partnership is ‘apolitical’ in that we operate outside of politics, working for the benefit of our service users with whichever political party is in control at a national, regional or local level.

More recently Kaylea has been working alongside the Chief Executive’s PA, Karen Flynn, where she has been learning about the organisation as a whole. One of Kaylea’s many tasks was to help with this edition of Avante News which she has really enjoyed.

Working with:

Members of:• National Housing Federation

• The National Care Forum

• Kent Community Care Association

• IAHSA

Cedric FrederickChief Executive

Caroline WilliamsMarketing Manager

Belinda WatsonOperations Manager

Gary BartlettRegulation Manager

Diane RogersOperational HR Manager

Janys NessHR Manager

Carmel StevensonOperational Manager

Working with:

3















New business team

















Working with:




• IAHSA








3















New business team

















Working with:




• IAHSA








organisation is ‘Fit for Purpose’ and ‘Fit for the Future’ we have concluded a review of what, since November 2010, has been known to everyone as the Practice Development Directorate. The Directorate remains committed to working with care Home Managers and other senior managers across the organisation to support our ambition to continuously improve our services, as a result, my Directorate will be split into two distinct work streams

Welcome to the summer edition of

Avante News, the content of this newsletter shows just how busy everyone within Avante has been during the past few months.

I was asked if I would like to write the introduction for the next newsletter, so thought I’d take this opportunity to update you all with two pieces of news relating to my Directorate.

In April, continuing the theme to ensure our

Jacqueline MorrisDirector of Governance and Quality Standards

33















New business team

















Working with:




• IAHSA








We are pleased to announce a fourth Avante Care & Support home has been included in the exclusive Eden Alternative Registry of care homes. Perrygrove care home, Rectory Field, Charlton, passed stringent assessment to be included in the registry; an industry-recognised mark of care quality.

Well done to all at PerrygroveEden UK, who evaluated the wellbeing of the residents

and staff during a recent visit, said that Perrygrove has achieved its objectives. The staff’s dedication to person-

centred care can be seen throughout the home with a strong emphasis on Perrygrove’s Philosophy of Care, to address the issues of helplessness, loneliness and boredom. Perrygrove provides 24-hour care and support for people living with dementia.

The Eden Alternative is based on the core belief that ageing should be a continued stage of development and growth, rather than a period of decline.

4

Community Engagement News

Volunteer Numbers grow

Over the past year the number of volunteers within Avante services has grown to a total of 91 from 54 the year before, not counting our 13 Trustees, who

give many hours of their time and expertise as volunteers, with overall responsibility for the direction of Avante Partnership.

This year our volunteers were part of the Avante Stars Award evening in April and each volunteer present received a certificate of appreciation after enjoying the excellent dinner and entertainment.

PartnershipsASDA Superstores have been generous to our residents at Amherst Court and Parkview, where their local ASDA store has donated funds, gifts, Easter Eggs and other goodies. This forms part of ASDA Community Life Programme to contribute to the life of the local community around each store.

Dementia UK’s ‘Time for a Cuppa’ campaign in March was celebrated by 6 Avante care homes and at the Head Office in Faversham, where a total of £695 was raised for the work of Dementia UK’s Admiral Nurses who give vital support to those living with dementia and their carers. Abundant tea and cakes, entertainment with music, quizzes, games and a variety of activities combined to provide both fun and funds.

Time for a Cuppa

5

Serving the community at Weybourne

Another wonderful example of school partnership is happening regularly at Weybourne in Abbey Wood, where a group of children come and engage in various

projects, such as gardening, painting murals in the corridors, playing games with residents and raising money too. The children ensure each resident receives a birthday card and a gift on their birthday too.

Weybourne was also the venue, at the end of April, of some very professional entertainment, again generously provided by the Not Forgotten Association. Mickie and his friends sang and danced, played the violin, and delighted their audience for more than an hour with songs and tunes from days gone by, many from wartime including part of a famous speech by Winston Churchill.

Several residents were brought to their feet and swept around the dance floor; the dining room had become a respectable nightclub for the afternoon, as Mickie serenaded some of the ladies and some gentlemen received their peck on the cheek from the singer in the shimmering dress.

A new partnership is developing between Hevercourt Care Home in Gravesend and Cobham Hall School, just a few miles away. Emma, Samirah and Noemie, pictured

here with Susan Illott, brought some international colour to the St George’s Day celebration in April, when the residents participated in a day filled with Spring, some very English music, a variety of hats, meals and refreshments.

The 3 girls are volunteering their time one afternoon every week as part of their International Baccalaureate studies and service in the community, which is part of the school’s ethos. Under Susan’s guidance they are learning about dementia and engaging with residents in various ways of benefit to both.

Volunteering Partnership at Hevercourt

6

A night at the balletRecently at Riverdale Court we were lucky enough to go and see The Secret Garden ballet at London’s Peacock theatre. This was performed by the London’s Children’s Ballet. Everyone enjoyed the show and bought a programme to remember their lovely trip to the Ballet.

Riverdale Court news

Party timeWe at Riverdale Court do not need a reason to have a party, whether its rain or shine the residents enjoy a good old sing song, with help from the staff there’s always a reason to smile and have fun.

Night at the dogsThe residents at Riverdale Court had a flutter at Crayford dogs too, thanks to staff who volunteered on their day off to take them out for a morning of fun. Everyone was a winner!

It’s been a busy beginning of the year at Riverdale Court. In March one of our residents celebrated her Diamond wedding anniversary and a party was held for the happy couple and

their friends and family. Sylvia and Peter had a lovely time and celebrated by receiving a card from the Queen and dancing the Anniversary Waltz.

In April Katie (Kit) celebrated her 100th Birthday. Her family and friends enjoyed celebrating with a glass of Champagne and joined in wishing Kit many more birthdays to come. Kit enjoyed showing off her telegram from the Queen and also a telegram from the tax office.

Sylvia & Peter’s Diamond Wedding Celebrations

Happy 100th Birthday!

7

For me, as someone working in Human Resources (HR), social care is the best sector to be working in because it’s rewarding and I feel good about it. It isn’t necessarily

about what we do in HR everyday that makes me feel good, it’s the people I work with across the organisation and, most importantly, the work undertaken by all our colleagues who every day deliver valuable services to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Like all of you, I know social care work isn’t without its challenges. Everyday the Newspapers, TV, Radio and Internet tell us that society expects vulnerable people to be well

It’s stating the obvious to say that a safe working environment is important to all of us, but it doesn’t happen by itself and therefore our H&S Advisor, Craig Crockford, is revitalising our management of H&S. Over recent months, we have increased the level of H&S inspections and training that has been undertaken in workplaces. Our H&S Committee members have received accredited H&S training so they can support us

HR newssupported, cared for and protected. So this means we in HR must strive to deliver the best we can to support you to deliver great services.

We have to always respond to the challenges we face and in doing so HR has been going through a period of change. Recently, two HR colleagues left us to work in the Manufacturing sector and so we are recruiting a different mix of skills to strengthen our team. We think this will fit well with our relatively new Health & Safety (H&S) and Learning & Development specialists and I would like to tell you a little about what they do for all of us in Avante.

all to manage workplace hazards and risks. Along with this and behind the scenes, Craig is working with colleagues every day to improve our H&S management systems in a process of continuous improvement for the good of those who use our services, all of us as employees and anyone else who visits our premises.

Knowledge and skills are key to delivering great services and

Catherine Thomasson and Nicole Shilling are supporting the vital area of Learning and Development. Catherines work focuses on supporting managers to identify staff training needs and collating and analysing training data, so we have a clear picture about where we are and what we need to do to improve skills levels across the board. To complement this, Nicole’s work revolves around the delivery of training, whether by supporting other training providers or individual trainers, or by personally delivering bespoke training and coaching as required.

For all of us across Avante, the work is important; the work is challenging, but we are all part of a big team with each of us having our part to play in continuously developing and improving our service delivery to vulnerable people.

Best wishesDerek LindarsDirector of Human Resources

Learning and Development

Health & Safety

8

Avante Community Support is proud of its strong workforce of carers and continually invests in new training and support to ensure their carers are trained to the highest level. Avante Community Support introduced an award scheme to help recognise and thank carers who have gone that “extra mile” with their work. Each month a carer is recognised as ‘Carer of the month’ and is awarded a £15 Love to Shop voucher and a certificate. Pictured are just some of the carers of the month since the scheme began.

Well done to you all!

Turkey Mill OfficeWe have appointed 4 x new Senior Care Workers at our Turkey Mill office – congratulations to them all!

Bexley OfficeAvril has worked with the organisation for 28 years and began her career as a Care Worker and has progressed through the company to become one of our valued Field Care Supervisors. Avril works in a team of 3, managing in excess of 170 care workers. Avril has gained her NVQ 4 in Leadership and Management in Social Care.

In her new role Avril, working closely with her team, ensures the smooth running of the field and her role includes undertaking spot checks, supervisions, appraisals and preparing new care plans and risk assessments for new and existing service users.

Carer of the month awards

Staff at Avante Community Support getting behind the National Red Nose Day

Amanda Penn, Carol Knight, Glynis Sharp, Tracy James

New field Care Supervisor – Avril Clarke

Daphne Harrison

Carole Knight

Donna Mann

9

I receive up to 150 emails a day! Some are from people who just want me to know that they’re doing the right thing (can I ban the cc button?), many are the email equivalent of junk

mail and some are the usual work related stuff, but once in a while I get an email out of the blue that just grabs my attention! And so it was with an email from one of our community carers. It started with ‘I know you are aware of some of the issues in the community at the moment and would like to invite you to shadow me…’… It then went on ‘…This would give you chance to get a feel for the community side of things and also meet some of our lovely clients. I look forward to hearing from you’.

Now, in my defence, I’ve been out with our community carers before. I’ve even worked a shadow shift in one of our residential care homes and regularly spend time in our homes and services, so whilst not suggesting that that makes me an expert, I feel that I’ve developed a good understanding (by CEO standards!) of the services we provide and the lot of a carer. Presumptuous of me? Err…maybe a bit!

Anyway we met at 7.00am and the carer, who from now on I’ll call B politely declined my invitation to drive saying that she knew her round and it would be easier if she drove. I took one look at her very small car and wondered, with my dodgy back and knees what fun lay ahead folding myself in half to get in and out of her car several times during the day! As we set off to our first call, I asked B what the plan was for the day ahead. ‘Oh, just a normal day’ she said. ‘We’ve got calls through ‘til about 12.30 to 1.00, then a break. Then we’ll meet again at around 4.30, and continue until around 9.30 or so’. Before I could contain myself, I let out an involuntary ‘you’re kidding right’? Without taking her eyes off the road she said in a tone of voice that clearly suggested she was thinking that after 5 minutes she’d made a huge mistake inviting her whingeing CEO to shadow her, she said ‘Nope, just a normal day’! The rest of the short journey to our first call continued in embarrassed (mine!) silence.

I won’t go through all of the calls we made during the day and evening in detail, but I can tell you I was gobsmacked at the sheer diversity of support needs in the community that a single carer, and three of her ‘double hander’ colleagues worked with during the course of what was a ‘normal’ day. Normal maybe, but certainly no two days seem to be the same. During the day we (can I say ‘we’?) supported an elderly gentleman who was funny and engaging, but not as funny or engaging as his wife! We then went on to support a woman with physical disabilities, an elderly gentleman with a significant visual impairment whose good humour and ability to laugh at himself humbled me to a point of self reflection that forced me to stop and just think! We made three calls in the day to one lady who was able to describe to me how important to her B’s calls had become. Her powerful personal testimony left me in no doubt that our carers in many instances become a significant part of the clients ‘family’ with a level of trust and reliance that must be difficult at times to cope with, but they do! We supported others too, all of whom were clearly special to B.

The families without exception wanted me to understand how much they appreciated the care and support provided by our staff and wanted me to know that they were all doing a great job.

By 8.30pm, I was starting to flag, but B was still going strong! How? By then, I was struggling to understand B’s ability to

A Day to Remember!remain cheerful and positive during every call, and her ability to initiate and maintain conversations and chat with every client throughout each call! How did she remember all of those little details about clients and their families and friends? Heaven knows. How was she seemingly able to read the mood of each client and effortlessly and intuitively adjust her approach to each? I have no idea! B seemed to encourage, cajole, chastise (in a very nice way) and support at the right time, every time! I bet my SMT colleagues wish I had that skill!

Our last call of the day was the third visit of the day to one particular lady and was a ‘put to bed’ call and it seemed a fitting end to our day. As I folded myself in half to get into her car one last time, I allowed myself a quiet moment of self congratulation! I’d made it through the day. No, I hadn’t done a lot. I’d cleaned windows, dusted, washed up, supported someone to make breakfast and even made fruit salad. I’d talked to families and clients, I’d made copious notes with questions to ask colleagues, and I had learnt so much. I’ve always believed in our carers and their commitment to their clients and families, but to be frank, after a day in the company of B and her colleagues, I was in awe of them all and felt humbled and a little angry that society does not seem to realise what an amazing job these people do and how without them hundreds of thousands of people up and down the country could not survive in their homes and communities. As we chatted in the car, B refused to accept that what I had witnessed was special, it was just her doing her job; a job she loved, and she made the point that I could have gone out with any carer on any day and would have seen and heard the same things. You know, I believed her. Her final observation as I moaned about my sore back was that she’d be doing it all again the next day and was looking forward to it. You know, I believed her even more.

The next day I sent B a ‘thank you’ email and received the following response, ‘Thank you too for taking the time to come and see how we work in the community. All the clients said how nice and most of all approachable you were. Hope you enjoyed your glass of wine and I bet you slept well!!’

You know what B? I had two glasses of wine and slept like a baby!

Cedric Frederick, CEO

10

On Thursday 25th April 2013, Avante Partnership held their Annual Stars Awards at Gillingham Football Club, Priestfield Stadium. The Stars Awards are held for staff that have been recognised for going that ‘extra mile’ within their work and are looked at as being an Avante Star for 2013.

AVANTE PARTNERSHIP ANNUAL STARS AWARDS

Avante Care and Support Care Worker of the Year 1. Christine Parsons, Barton Court

2. Tamsin Dixon, Honeyfield

3. Wendy Ford, Pilgrims View

Avante Partnership Colleague of the Year 1. Susan Price, Perrygrove

2. Elaine Cox, Payroll at HO

3. Nick Bennett, IT at HO

Avante Community Support Care Worker of the Year 1. Petra Foster 2. Jeanette Baker 3. Dawn Phipps

Avante Care and Support Hotel Services Worker of the Year 1. Suzy Payne, Court Regis

2. Elaine Harris, Amherst Court

3. Maureen Smith, Honeyfield

Stepahead Support Keyworker of the Year Joint 1st: Kelly Coombes, Steve Page, Phil Jordan

Avante Partnership Manager of the Year 1. Dawn Dwyer, Community Support

2. Lesley Edwards, Amherst Court

3. Andrew Holden, Finance at HO

Avante Partnership Supporter of the Year 1. Tim Harris, Practice Development at HO

2. Jeanette Spooner, Willows Day Centre at Court Regis

3. Rachel Miles, HR at HO

The Mountbatten Award 2012

Winner: Court Regis The Mountbatten Award 2013 was presented by Lady Northbourne for “Above and Beyond – Creativity at its best” for the team, group of staff or individual that turned an idea into reality, nominated by the Manager of the Service.

Avante Partnership values their staff and believe “We are our people”. The Stars Awards have been held every year for the last three years to say a thank you to their

highly committed work force.

This year volunteers of Avante Partnership were also recognised for their hard work and time that they so generously dedicate to our services on a regular basis.

This year’s host of the Stars Awards 2013 was Heart FM DJ James Heming.

Below are the award, winners and runners up on the night

11

Two twinkling stars!During the evening of the Stars awards, Award winner Susan Price had another celebration of her own. A few miles away, her first Grand Daughter Sloane was entering the world weighing in at 6lbs 2ozs. What a great double celebration for all of the family well done!

12

Every Wednesday between 4.00pm and 6.00pm Community Impact host a drop in for girls aged 11-16. The group provide a safe environment after school where girls can visit and enjoy craft making whilst making new friendships and sharing their thoughts. The girls share their skills and learn traditional skills such as sewing, knitting , painting, jewellery making, baking and so on.

Every week the group offer the choice of activities and the girls choose what they would like to do.

Pick and Paint a Pot with Community ImpactDuring February half term break, young people and their families attended an activity at the pick and paint a pot centre in Cliftonville. This was very well attended and families were able to meet, socialise and spend time together, whilst creating their own pieces of decorated pottery. This activity is always a popular one that has been asked for again at the last Project Council meeting. Community Impact have booked another session for the May half term break.

Community Impact News

At the beginning of 2013 Stepahead Support combined with the Urban Art Workshop organised a number of sessions of Urban Art. The classes were facilitated by local artist Mark Willis who has a number of years experience in the field.These classes gave the opportunity for young people to release their creative side in a safe environment, with expert support on hand if needed. Each young person started and finished their piece in the sessions and took great pride in their efforts. It was great to see the young people engage in the process, that took a lot of concentration and effort and it was noted by Mark that a few young people seemed to have a special talent!

Due to demand from the young people, we have organised another two sessions for the young people to attend and improve their skills.

Ben Bowles, Social Work Student

Urban Art Workshop

13

WELCOME

Mediation service

Our approach

• Our approach is person centred and solution focused

• Children, young people, parents and carers are fully integrated players actively involved in their support

• Support is tailored to meet individual and family needs

• Using a holistic approach Stepahead Support looks to engage the whole community around the young person and parents/carers including their extended family and peers

• We are committed to working with other agencies to achieve the best outcomes for families

We use transformative and facilitative mediation models

• Facilitative mediation enables family members to analyse their situation and find their own mutually agreeable solutions

• Transformative mediation is based on empowerment and recognition then encourages greater understanding of each other’s needs and views

Access to the service is via the Common Assessment Framework in each district.

Stepahead Support has been commissioned by Kent County Council to deliver a Kent Wide Mediation Service supporting vulnerable families to make lasting improvements to the quality and functioning of their relationships.

The service provides families with person centred interventions that confront areas of difficulty and conflict. Enabling families to identify strengths, improve communication, well-being and build greater resilience to address challenges they may face in the future.

14

Anne Child, Head of Pharmaceutical Care and Clinical standards with Avante Partnership, has been appointed to also support the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Anne, who joined Avante in October 2012, is a Pharmacist specialising in the study of care home medication management and dementia. She supports the CQC as a Specialist Advisor to the Care Quality Commission, at a time when its role is being expanded to include GP and other primary medical services. The Commission checks and reports on over 18,000 care homes and is responsible for monitoring all domiciliary care services in England, ensuring they meet the required standards of care and welfare. Avante Partnership is a leading provider of dementia-based care homes and domiciliary care services for older people and people with a physical or learning disability in Kent and South East London.

Staff from across the services exhibited at the two day Kent Choices 4U event at the Detling showground, using an extremely creative and interactive stand for visitors to take part and try, including a bed and bed hoist, quiz and ‘understanding dementia’ training sessions’ facilitated by Frances Lake.

Avante staff choose to exhibit at Choices4U

This year the focus was on Avante Care and Support and Avante Community Support, inviting visitors to look at caring as a career.

The two day event was a great success with many young people asking questions about caring as a career.

Special thanks for staff teams from Court Regis and Amherst Court for supporting and taking part in the event and coordinating transport for the bed and hoist – this was a

fantastic pull for the public to get involved and allowed our staff to have a hands on approach when talking about moving and handling.

Anne Child said, “It is a real honour to be asked to help the Commission. The work they do in checking, monitoring and reporting on the delivery of care and health services in England is vital. They have a key role in ensuring standards are maintained in over 18,000 care homes and are responsible for monitoring all domiciliary care services in England, I believe my experience with Avante and the industry-leading work we do in the field of care for those with dementia will allow me to play my full part in the Commission’s work.”

15

Fancy a drink?April 2013 saw the grand opening of the new ‘Haven Snug’ bar at Bridge Haven, where residents can pop along for a drink and catch up with other residents in the home.

A wild day outResidents at Bridge Haven have been taking advantage of the ‘pay once visit free for the rest of the year’ entry ticket at the local Zoo. Staff and residents have made Howletts Zoo a regular day trip out. The residents not only enjoy visiting the animals but also smelling all the blossom on the trees that surround the Zoo.

Bridge HavenGardening, snuggery opening and trips to the zoo!

One of our family members speaking about her experience using the flexible respite service ‘My Time’ at Bridge Haven for her mother.

I became a full time carer for my 83 year old mum with dementia. Although it was a privilege to spend time with such a lovely lady, it was incredibly draining due to her condition.

I initially found respite at a local day centre where I was able to take mum for a few hours most days. The staff were very caring but sadly due to mum’s dementia she was unable to interact with the other attendees. I decided she needed somewhere to go where she could receive more dementia focused attention, and I found that at Bridge Haven. Bridge Haven provide a short term respite service called My Time, which is a fantastic, flexible approach to respite care. It is flexible in that I could leave mum there for anything from 2 hours to 24 hours according to our needs.

Don’t just believe what we have to say about

The activities that Bridge Haven provide are extensive. Mum got her hair and nails done, she received reflexology and hand massages, as well as lots of trips out, which she loved. The staff are incredibly welcoming and supportive, both to me and to mum. They showed her great respect and patience, good humour and cheerfulness, something that I sometimes found hard to maintain because of the pressures of caring for her full time.

After a few months of mum attending on a day basis I had to return to work, which meant that mum’s stay at Bridge Haven extended to weekly stays whilst I worked. Mum came home when I didn’t work. The fact that mum had had such a positive experience during her attendance, previously meant that her transition to longer stays was much easier for her and a lifeline for me. Bridge Haven’s flexible approach to respite care made it possible for me to consider returning to work, happy in the knowledge that mum was receiving really good care and stimulation, which is so important for her well being.

I am so grateful to all the staff at Bridge Haven for their kindness and support, giving both me and mum a better quality of life.

A Fletcher

16

A wish came true for an Amherst Court care home resident, and ended with a 500-mile trip for her sister’s birthday and a very special Royal souvenir.Marjorie was delighted when Activities Coordinator, Dawn Christopher, pulled the wish from the Wishing Well, at Amherst Court. The wish, among many placed in the well by residents and their families, read, “I would like to visit my sister Susie in Exeter, who I have not seen for ten years”.Arrangements were made for the 500-mile round trip, to coincide with Susie’s birthday, which was a further surprise for Marjorie, and Marjorie set about her journey with two staff members.

Dawn Christopher, Activities Coordinator said, “After a long but enjoyable journey, we arrived at Marjorie’s sister’s house; it was obvious they were delighted to see each other again after 10 years. Marjorie presented her sister with a birthday cake, the candle on the cake was lit and Susie was asked to make a wish. She promptly said “I wish this day never ends”.Susie invited the carers to look around her garden and gave them a cutting from a plant called Mertyl, to take back to Chatham for Marjorie. The plant, which is a symbol of love, was grown from a cutting taken from the wedding bouquet of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Princess Victoria.

Susie said, “Queen Victoria grew the plant at her home Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, and after the wedding, the Princess’s Lady-in-Waiting asked the Queen if she could take a piece of the Mertyl to grow. The cutting grew and after a time, further cuttings were taken, one of which was passed to me by a friend, who was also a friend of the Lady-in-Waiting’s family.”

Mertyl is a symbol of love, and has been used at every Royal Wedding since, including last year when Kate Middleton married Prince William, with Mertyl stems from the same Osborne stock in her bouquet.

After a great time visiting her sister, Marjorie was delighted to take this very special gift back to Amherst Court.

Royal Connection started with a wish

On 20th April Amherst Court took three residents to the Riverside Country park to join in the English Festival. The sun was shining and the sky a clear blue with just a few white fluffy clouds. This was the backdrop for the day out!

Phyllis Morrison ( a practical joker) with an old time Policeman - Phyllis said “only time I have met a Policeman and not been told to slow down !”

Trying on a Queens crown - one size fits all :)

Phyllis honing her skills with a mace, much to the amusement of the weapon owner.

‘The dedicated staff that you have at Amherst court are fantastic, well done to them all. Many thanks from all the family’.

‘A first class provider can’t fault it

Mum has been at Amherst court nearly 2 years now, and she is very happy the staff are 1st class, the rooms are lovely and cleanliness is very good’.

‘This is a well run establishment providing specialist care for clients living with dementia.’

‘The 1st good impression came when I popped in, without an appointment, and was given a full and infromative tour of the home’

‘After looking at several dementia care homes, we looked around Amherst Court and came outside and decided straightaway this was the home for Dad.

This is just a snippet of what the family members from Amherst Court have posted to www.goodcareguide.co.uk

17

Avante Care and Support are proud of the day care and respite services that can be found within many of its care homes across Kent and SE London. The day care

centres within the homes are safe and secure environments with both organised and spontaneous activities, influenced by ‘our’ Philosophy of Care. The day centres offer the opportunity for service users to integrate with new people and encourages new friendships to be formed.

Meet Jeannette Spooner, Day Care Officer at the Willows day care centre, Court Regis, talking about the activities that have been taking place at the Willows,

‘Well the sun has popped out for us all to see briefly mind, but even still staff and service users have started preparing for summer at the centre. Last week our service users planted out the hanging baskets so the plants could start to become established and I was given a shopping list from the service users so that they can start work out in the garden,

1 May Day celebrations. Residents and staff dance around the May Pole

2 An afternoon at the ballet, beautifully performed by Patsy Taylor & Susan Illott

3 Peggy Simms enjoying the ballet and being part of the orchestra

4 Unique entertainment. Wonderful afternoon of sing and dancing with these flirty singers

Surfing the web!This is Marion from Keats suite at Northbourne Court, she is often found sitting behind a computer screen surfing the web or emailing her daughter. Marion is nearly 95 years old and has a great interest in the Internet and being able to communicate to her daughter via email. Team Leader Naomi Maxim regularly sits with Marion whilst she is surfing the web and picks up a few computer tips from Marion along the way!

Also a big well done to the Willow day care centre for winning £50 Love to Shop vouchers for taking part in the suite naming competition for Puddingstone Grange.

Gardening in the Willows!1x 2” brush1x1” brush1x tin teak stain1x pack sandpaper-mixed (coarse, medium and fine)1x bottle brush cleaner1x bottle teak oilA rag for cleaning when finishedAnd last but not least plenty of tea for the workers!So off I went shopping with my list and then the work commenced on the garden furniture. We are optimistic that we will have a summer. at some point….even for a day or two………maybe!!

Jeanette

£10£10£10£10£10

Pilgrims View

1 2

34

Fred Beake, John Trower, Keith Beevis and Otto Van Zutphen worked hard at sanding and preparing the wood ready for treating with oil and stain.

18

Activities Coordinator Julia said “Bridgewood Manor were kind enough to invite staff and residents to the hotel for the afternoon to enjoy a selection of tea and cakes. It has been great for the residents to take time out in a new environment spending time with each other and meeting new people from other homes in the group.”

During the afternoon residents took place in activities including reminiscent games and singing old songs.

One resident Peggy said, “I’ve really enjoyed coming out to the hotel today, it’s been such fun”

Residents enjoy a High Tea at Bridgewood ManorOn Monday 13th May residents and staff from Amherst Court, Chatham and Pilgrims View, Snodland, gathered together at Bridgewood Manor hotel, Chatham to enjoy a High Tea fit for royalty. The homes plan regular events to entertain and stimulate their residents to provide different experiences helping to eradicate loneliness, helplessness and boredom in people living with dementia.

20

Weybourne was delighted to receive another cheque from St. Pauls Academy for £150.00. This was raised as part of the massive Charity Raising effort made by all of the staff and children at the school.

This has been one of several gifts of money to the home and the benefit of the residents.

It should be said that the school supports a wide range of other National Charities such as

Cancer Support – Clean Water and many more, too many to mention here. In all they have raised £86,000.00p. What a tremendous effort.

The students from the school come to the home here weekly and engage with the residents in various activities, much to the pleasure of the residents. Terry Heslington, Home Manager, Weybourne

A Big ‘THANK YOU’ to St. Pauls Academyfrom all theResidents & Staff of Weybourne.

St. Pauls Academy raise £150.00 for charity

21

This month Court Regis has seen the introduction of ‘Bright Shadow’, a theatre group who specialise in activities for people with dementia, set along certain themes such as the

beach or Chinese New Year.

There have been welcome returns this month, firstly for Fred who has been reunited with his service medals from his time in the RAF which saw him serve in North Africa and Italy. He’s even been interviewed by the press about their return.

It’s good news for Violet too, she has just been reunited with paintings that she did nearly twenty years ago. They were found in a local charity shop that Violet supported and now hang in our visitor’s room where she is often found sitting with a cuppa.

And finally, several residents headed to Chatham’s Brook Theatre for a special matinee screening of the classic musical, ‘Singing in the Rain.’ Needless to say Violet and Jean sang along to every word.

The Court Regis Monthly

We’ve definitely been in the party mood this month, firstly celebrating our Debbie’s 50th where staff and residents all helped prepare a surprise party for her.

Our residents have not been letting this weather get them down either, battling all conditions to do their shopping, visit friends and get out for the odd coffee, ensuring to greet every drunken snowman they saw on the way. Wrap up warm ladies!

The party atmosphere continues as our Annie celebrated her 101st at the beginning of the month and for the third time in a year (yes, really) she has been front page news! Here she is pictured in the local paper with her trademark pint of Stout!

Residents found themselves celebrating (in the pub again) Malcolm from The Three Hats, who raised over £500 for Court Regis thanks to his Quiz Night. All money raised this year will be going towards a holiday for our residents this summer.

22

I am really pleased to be writing my first article as there has been lots of activity in the field of Nutrition and Hydration in recent months. Firstly one of the Head Cooks won an award

at the Star Awards this year (well done to Suzi Payne from Court Regis). I have been lucky enough to sample her food and be witness to her calm kitchen with her can-do-attitude staff members. I don’t know how she remains so humble and unaware of her skills but this is quite typical of the Cooks that I have the pleasure of working with. They have been on quite a journey and are very much part of a strong team to inject some new and improved nutritional tasty recipes in to the mix.

We had our Smoothie Challenges in the homes in March as part of National Nutrition Week, resulting in some fun and some fabulous taste testing as well as deciding which smoothies to make regular additions to the menus. Look out for tasting the smoothies if you visit the homes!

Using the residents feedback, I have been working with the Cooks as well as a Chef and a Home Economist to put together the recipes for the menus for Spring and Summer. It is impossible not to feel hungry when tweaking recipes like Homemade Scotch Eggs, delicious Coconut and Lime Curry and Beetroot and Orange Salad. The firm favourites still remain in the menus too such as Fish and Chips, Meatloaf and Steak and Kidney Pudding, but they have strong contenders for favourites now as we have taken the best of the best recipes to make them even tastier.

I thought I would share 1 of our top suppers with you, Summer Fish Cakes that as a Nutritionist I am really impressed with too.

Summer FishcakesRecipe Makes 4

Preparation method

1. Peel and Cook the potatoes until cooked but firm. Drain and leave to cool

2. Poach the salmon fillets for 6 minutes until cooked through and drain

3. Mix all ingredients together

4. Dust each cake with flour and dip in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs, making sure they’re well-coated. Chill for 20 minutes or until needed.

5. To cook, heat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Fry the fishcakes in a little oil and butter until lightly coloured on both sides, then cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes until thoroughly heated through.

200g salmon•Milk to cover salmon for •poaching200g potatoes •2 tsp fresh chopped dill •½ small egg•

¼ cup dried breadcrumbs •OR polenta flour2 anchovy fillets•1 tsp Dijon mustard•1 tsp Turmeric•

Ingredients

Health and WellbeingHealth Benefits in these recipes

SalmonThis fish is an oily fish and it is rich in Omega 3 which is an essential fatty acid. Omega 3 is important for brain health as well as cell functioning. Salmon is milder that some of the oily fish so has proved really popular in the menus.

TurmericWhilst mild in flavour, this spice has been hailed a super food by some as it has been linked with a number of health properties including digestive function support, immune support including anti inflammatory properties. As we age we naturally become more inclined towards inflammation and so it is more important to support in this area.

With the summer upon us and in line with Hydration Week, we also have a number of hydration events coming to the homes and we are currently updating water coolers to plumb in to all of the homes. I shall update you on them next time…

Sophie MurrayHead of Health and Wellbeing

OVERVIEW

OF O

UR SERVIC

ES

Pro

ud

tob

e o

ne o

fth

e la

rgest

socia

l care

p

rovid

ers in

th

e So

uth

East

Avante Partnership

was established in 1990 and is a not for profit charitable organisation

and one of the largest Social Care providers in the South East.

Avante Partnership is a large, complex, intergenerational organisation,

so in order to simplify our various service offerings w

e have structured the organisation into separate business units, creating a virtual group structure. Through this structure, w

e believe we are best placed to

respond to the particular needs of each of our customer and Service

User groups, com

missioners and the com

munities in w

hich we w

ork.

Avante C

omm

unity Supportis a long established and am

bitious charity that primarily supports

people with high quality dom

iciliary care in Kent, Bexley and Greenw

ich, but also supports children, young people and fam

ilies with learning

disabilities.

Avante C

are and Supporthas 14 care hom

es specialising in dementia care across Kent and

South East London and 1 care home in W

oolwich specialising in m

ental healthcare. The team

of well trained staff and volunteers across the

business exceeds 1800 people, with the quality of our services assured

by Investor in People and ISO9001 accreditations.

Stepahead Supporthelps young people w

ho are finding life’s problems difficult to

overcome. Support is provided for young people living at hom

e, in foster care, leaving care, w

ho are homeless, in council or private

accomm

odation. The services we provide include one-to-one

confidential support, advice and help, group workshops, m

ediation services and special outdoor events for fun and friendship.O

ur approach is person centred, tailoring support to individual need. W

e look to engage the whole com

munity around an individual, including

their family and friends as appropriate.

My Tim

eis a short term

respite service for people living with dem

entia, whilst

offering support for the carer. The new service can be booked and paid

for online at ww

w.avantemytim

e.org.uk to suit the times and needs of the

client and carer.

Ava

nte serves the comm

unity by p

roviding

support tha

t puts p

eople fi

rst

avante news - spring/summer 2013

Documents

edition of avante news

dementia advisory panel

pace avante

avante newsspringsummer

panel meeting

years old

kent police

support needs