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A thought on kindness during Mental Health Awareness Week

As we reach the third month of lockdown, it is becoming clear that many of the challenges we have faced since March will be with us for some time. Alongside the sustained loss of things we enjoy – holidays, meals out with friends, trips to the cinema or to sporting events – many of us are also suffering from loneliness, isolation, and nervousness about income and job security. As we emerge from this health crisis into a period of social and economic uncertainty, we have a greater sense of our own fragility. The pandemic will have an enduring impact on us all.

There are no magical cures. But we have defences. What has always struck me as so special about our business is the difference we make to people’s lives – pandemic or no pandemic. What drives me are the recollections of seeing the smile on the face of someone we care for as their care assistant comes in through the door. Or that grateful look at the end of a call – that brief pat on the arm or lingering clasp of hands. Kindness is our business and we have the kindest workforce in the world. I write letters regularly to thank care assistants and branch teams for being remarkable – for showing deeply humbling levels of dedication, care and skill. One care assistant has voluntarily gone into 12 weeks of isolation, losing physical contact with her young kids to protect those she cares for, and taking on end-of-life care on her days off to minimise the risk of cross-infection. She is not alone. For me all this is deeply impactful. For many at the frontline it is just what they do. I only wish I could better convey how special they are.

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” Mother Teresa’s words resonate even more now. Our business is an unending flow of acts and words of kindness across 50,000 hours of care a day. This pandemic has stolen away many important things from our normal lives, leaving us feeling hollow. But that hollow makes the echoes of kindness louder, and more meaningful. With our acts of kindness, we not only help those whose needs are greatest, but we also fight back. Just maybe we can emerge from this period as a better, kinder and more appreciative society.

Meanwhile, amidst the echoes, please hear my own “thank you,” spoken in awe and admiration.

 

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Stories from the front line #4

Each week, we receive dozens of stories from care workers and managers across the country as they battle to provide the best care and support possible amid this crisis. These stories are remarkable – like the people behind them. Many of them are uplifting. Here are just a few of our colleagues’ heroic, kind and increasingly widely-appreciated efforts.

Will coronavirus bring care workers the recognition they deserve?

“Recognition has been a long time coming. There is not enough of it, and it’s not consistent. But if one good thing is going to come out of this crisis, it will be that care workers get the recognition that they deserve.”

Those are the words of Lynne Hewitt, regional manager, Scotland. She is far from alone in hoping that this pandemic will leave behind some positive changes in how society views and values the work that care workers do. It has taken a once-in-a-generation pandemic of unprecedented scale for citizens to look up and appreciate care workers’ work – and that is a sad reflection of where priorities lay.

But many, many more citizens are now aware of, and showing their gratitude for, the work that happens across our communities – day in, day out, year in, year out, pandemic or no pandemic.

You have all read about – and perhaps experienced – instances of spontaneous (or indeed coordinated) applause for care workers and health workers. Many of you have talked about how you or colleagues have been ushered to the front of supermarket queues, offered lifts, gifts, and food for yourselves and your clients. Joanne Robinson, branch manager in North Ormesby, sent this picture of care worker Debbie Dabb receiving a basket of goodies from Pound Stretcher. The gift was for the care staff (it included two little boxes of gloves!) But – care workers being the people they are – the team divided it up into ten mini-hampers that were distributed to customers in Pennyman House. “We drew flat numbers and delivered them this afternoon,” said Jo.

Many care workers say they feel more appreciated by their customers, too, during this difficult time. “We are getting a lot of ‘thank yous’”, reports Hannah Marsh, regional manager, Midlands. “People are being more understanding – for instance, when a care worker is late – and more grateful,” she says. Grumpy customers have become less so, as the full burden on care workers becomes clearer to everyone. “Care workers have always been seen as a low-rank in society.  Now they’re being seen for what they are – so important,” says Hannah.

In Wales, an 102-year old customer in Ebbw Vale went outside in her wheelchair, alongside her daughters, ringing a bell and proclaiming “clap for our care workers!” during the planned 8pm applause on 26 March, recalls branch manager Samantha Price.

Will this show of support for front-line care workers, nurses and others continue, post-COVID-19, when non-key workers are allowed back to their desks?

It’s easy to believe it won’t. It’s easy to believe that care workers will again be forgotten, once the public’s attention has shifted back to their own jobs, commutes and concerns, and news bulletins move off coronavirus.

Yet the scale and nature of this pandemic might just enable more lasting change. There may not be as much clapping in the street, but this virus could trigger a re-think among many people – including youngsters – seeking impactful employment. Scott Higgins-Wright, regional manager in Cannock, hopes that one silver lining in this cloud is “that social care is seen as a career, and that it meets an important societal need.”

Some managers are reporting spikes in recruitment as people line up to help. “It’s hard to keep on top of the candidate screening,” says Kim Nicholson in Biggleswade. Recruitment is “through the roof. That has never happened in our industry,” she says. DBS checks are coming back next-day – also unheard of. “They know we need them fast,” says Kim.

Sarah Thomas, regional director, South, interviewed one candidate whose planned university research project had been postponed, and who wanted to “give something back” during the current pandemic. Another young woman planning to study human rights law at Cardiff University was likewise passionate about doing something hands-on.

It’s not the same picture across the board; other branches report cancellations and no-shows – including as potential new hires get scared.

But the fact that young people like those Sarah has recruited are rolling up their sleeves is a huge positive. They may not be intending to spend the entire career as care workers. But their experiences will shape their own, and their friends’, awareness of the care worker role and its crucial importance in society.

Care workers themselves also have a role in ensuring they earn the respect they deserve. They must be even prouder of what they do. They must take confidence from their role in this outbreak, and shout louder. There are far too many care workers who say “I’m just a care worker”, recounts Hannah. Just a care worker?

 

If you have a story please let us know: Covid19response@candchealthcare.co.uk

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City & County’s #Run5kmForNHS

Over the last 10 days, City & County team members across the UK have been donning their finest lycra, breaking out the sweat bands, dusting off their running shoes and stretching, perspiring, panting, heaving and pounding the pavements, all in a bid to raise funds in support of NHS workers.

The goal? To run 5km, donate £5 and then nominate 5 other team members to do the same. And, of course, reap any bragging rights if achieved in record time.

So far, the team have cracked £1000 in donations and are a little bit fitter for it. Good deeds deserve good rewards!

Our latest finishers are Neil Griffiths, Hayfa Saad, Zoe Hughes, Richard Hobson, Lindsay Smith, Caroline Barrow, Lisa Brown, Emma Sword, Carol Brown, Cath Stobbs, Michelle Lloyd and Antony Goulding

The fastest run has been from Richard Hobson at 21:49. Show off.

City & County CEO, James Thornburn, has also pledged to match funds raised up to £2,500 giving City & County a total target of £5K to aim for.

Well done to all and keep those kilometres ticking over. It’s for an extremely good cause.

If you would like to contribute to the NHS fund, please donate here.

#run5KforNHS&SocialCare

 

   

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Stories From The Frontline #3

Each week, we receive dozens of stories from care workers and managers across the country as they battle to provide the best care and support possible amid this crisis. These stories are remarkable – like the people behind them. Many of them are uplifting. Here are just a few of our colleagues’ heroic, kind and increasingly widely-appreciated efforts.

Caring for the care workers

Front-line care workers continue to deliver the best service possible in extremely challenging circumstances. For some, that means potential exposure to the virus. One care worker in Cannock sat outside a sick patient’s window, talking to him, for four hours while he waited for paramedics, reports regional manager Scott Higgins-Wright. Regional manager Tracy Asbery also sat with frightened patients as they prepared to be taken to hospital, reports Sarah Thomas, regional director, South.

As care workers deal with both their own, and others’ fear, those care workers need looking after, too. A handful, including Tracy, have become sick themselves and are self-isolating. Many of those still on duty are extending their work-days (and nights), foregoing rest, continuing their rounds through eerily empty towns, villages and communities. They rarely see colleagues or family. “It feels like the calm before the storm,” says Samantha Bond, regional manager, Northern Ireland and Blackpool. “It’s weird, because we’re driving around, doing the fire-fighting, and there’s no-one else on the road.”

Managers like Samantha are doing their utmost to keep their care workers safe, to stay in touch and to boost morale. “I send messages to them every day to say how proud I am,” says Hannah Ford, extra-care branch manager in Salford. “That keeps them going.” Lynne Hewitt, regional manager Scotland, has split her branch teams in two, ensuring that if one group does go off sick, the branch office can remain open. “It’s so I can assure the care workers that they won’t be on their own,” she explains. “There will always be someone there.”

Samantha Price, branch manager at Ebbw Vale, runs daily team calls on Zoom to keep spirits up. The team updates Facebook pages with nuggets of useful information for each other and for other care workers, such as lists of garages offering free MOTs. “On a Friday, we take print-screens of the Zoom call, with our thumbs up, and post it on the care workers’ page to say ‘thank you for this week’. It’s so important to stay in touch as care workers go about their work, Samantha insists; especially now as “we don’t see them as much.”

Mel Flanagan, branch manager in York, has packaged up carbolic soap and hand-towels in air-tight bags for each of her care workers to carry on their rounds with them, in case there are no clean washing facilities at clients’ houses. “It is for the care workers’ use only, and means they don’t have to rely on those providing it, especially when in lock-down.”

 

A lot more needs to be done. “Everyone is scared; everyone wants a face-mask. There is anger,” says regional director Sarah Thomas. There is also more work than usual to assuage concerned family-members, alongside the clients themselves. “We’re having to deal with partners…putting in extra visits because of how they are feeling,” adds Sarah.

Some of Samantha Price’s care workers are FaceTime-ing family members, during their care visit, to reassure them that their loved-one is okay. “We don’t normally do that,” says Samantha, but the practice evolved naturally, from care workers’ “exceptional” instincts, she reports. (The same selfless instincts led care workers Della and Teresa, after their double-handed run, to queue up for two hours to collect a customer’s medicines, allowing the family to take a step back.)

City and County Group staff throughout the country are going the extra mile, drawing on their instincts, expertise, networks and relationships to keep things going, often against the odds.

The public is trying to help, too. Many have sent in stories of spontaneous applause, letters from school-children, donated goods, hand-embroidered face-masks, and much more.

Care workers in Alison Phillip’s team in Redhill, Surrey, regularly make up little bags of soap, flannels and shampoo to take to clients – even during normal times. When Alison realised that clients were going to struggle for daily shopping and essentials, she appealed to her community through Facebook and has since been inundated with products, including toiletries, food-stuffs and more, reports Sarah Thomas. Feltham shops and garages are offering to deliver, for free, whatever care workers and clients need to keep going. With similar generosity from local schools, who delivered leftover food when they shut down, toiletries from local cosmetics firms, and even toilet-paper from neighbours, “the training room is now like a little shop, with items that can easily be distributed when needed,” Sarah says. “We no longer have to worry about the shopping calls we do, since, if needed, we, can make up a large bag from what we have.”

An Asda worker in Monk Cross lifted Mel out of her gloom. “I honestly felt lost, as we are all facing an unknown quantity, and ultimately putting ourselves in the line of fire,” she recalls. But then one day, as she perused the empty shelves in Asda, a store worker stopped her. After establishing that she worked alongside the NHS, he shook her hand “with such intensity, looked me straight in the eyes and said how proud he was of all of us for the work we were doing,” says Mel. For her, “the humanity of this one man erased those fears and made me realise that actually, people to care. People do appreciate us. People do acknowledge our skills and determination.”

If you have a story please let us know: Covid19response@candchealthcare.co.uk

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Stories from the front line #2

Each week, we receive dozens of stories from care workers and managers across the country as they battle to provide the best care and support possible amid this crisis. These stories are remarkable – like the people behind them. Many of them are uplifting. Here are just a few of our colleagues’ heroic, kind and increasingly widely-appreciated efforts.

Front line workers take the initiative …

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary behaviours. And we’re seeing that, up and down the UK, in the generosity, sacrifices and resourcefulness of our care workers, managers and of the wider community. Care workers are risking their health and giving up family unity and holiday time in order to carry on looking after clients. They are, without fail, “putting the service users first,” says Hannah Marsh, regional manager, Midlands. Their mindset is that “if we get it, we’re young and fit enough to fight it off,” says Hannah. Her message echoes similar stories of bravery from across the country.

Hannah Ford, extra care manager in the Salford area, manages 350 clients across six care schemes – including 25 people with high needs. Without fail, “staff are going above and beyond,” she says, coming in early, staying late, doing additional calls and extra shopping trips out of hours. At Bourke Gardens, in Manchester, two clients with confirmed COVID-19 are in hospital, six are in isolation, and four staff are off. The rest are stepping up, including by helping deliver dozens of meals to Bourke Gardens customers in their rooms, as the restaurant has shut down.

The nationwide shortage of masks and protective equipment is placing additional stress on care workers and managers at precisely the time they are needed the most. “One of our clients had symptoms, but we couldn’t go in, it was awful,” recalls Hannah Ford. The urgent need drove her to join a local managers’ network in Salford to appeal for help. It worked: a local care home offered 100 masks, which Hannah collected and distributed to help make up the shortfall.

In Leith, Scotland regional manager Lynne Hewitt ordered 30 face masks from enterprising local citizen Conal Kelly, who had begun making them from home. “He was giving them away to help local health and social care groups,” she reports. Lynne’s team – like all the others across the nation – need more face masks.  But for now, “it’s enough to keep those care workers who are at-risk out there,” she says. Not a single care worker on Lynne’s team has refused to make a visit because of fear of contagion. “They have a bond” with those they are taking care of, Lynne reports.

There was further fierce community spirit from the Leith gin distillery, which has re-purposed its operations to produce hand-sanitizer. “They are giving the hand-sanitizer out in lovely glass gin bottles, because that is all they have got,” says Lynne. Lynne procured five-for-a-pound small plastic bottles at Pound Land which she fills up for her care workers, telling them to return when they need re-filling.

These enterprising, community-driven production lines are already vital in supporting the most vulnerable, and will continue to be. So will all the extraordinary extra miles that care workers and managers are putting in. “I’m working seven days a week from 6am, and still getting calls at midnight,” says Hannah Ford. She is not alone.

If you have a story please let us know: Covid19response@candchealthcare.co.uk

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Thank You, Carers by Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson, 92, is a customer of City & County and an avid poet. In saying thank you for the care he’s received, Frank sent us the following; a wonderful tribute to his carers. Thank you, Frank, for your beautiful words.

Thank you, carers

It is time that I say thank you
for what you’ve done for me.
A thousand days of caring;
ten hundred cups of tea.

And with the tea came kindness:
the call when you arrive.
That makes me glad to be here;
and pleased to be alive.

You listen to my stories
the people that I’ve known.
And now you see the ending
– for I am on my own.

And this is not a rare world.
It’s not a ‘dream come true’.
It just needs loving kindness
and that will come from you.

You tend my cuts and bruises
and try to keep me clean.
You bully me with kindness
for that’s what caring means.

You bring back life within me
give purpose to my years.
You help in my endurance,
and will not stand for tears.

You all have understanding
of what life needs to be.
You see it in each person
I know you do with me.

They were hard years that we’ve shared
with joy and misery.
And through it, you’ve all worked
to give life back to me.

Taking More Care

Remember us, your carers
you know we’re always here.
With love and understanding
and always without fear.

The world that we were used to
has vanished without trace.
And omitomi virus
now scares the human race.

We know that you are worried
and you know that we care.
And if you’re really fearful
just call and we’ll be there.

Your shopping is a doddle
we’ll get the things you need.
And you’ll need medication
and newsy stuff to read.

Remember that we care
and we are always here.
We will honour you with love
to take away that fear.

 

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Stories From The Front Line…

Each week, we receive dozens of stories from care workers and managers across the country as they battle to provide the best care and support possible amid this crisis. These stories are remarkable – like the people behind them. Many of them are uplifting. Here are just a few of our colleagues’ heroic, kind and increasingly widely-appreciated efforts.

 

“You need to stop clapping, because we’re clapping for you.” Those were the kind words spoken to care worker Jay as she joined the queue at Waitrose in St. Neots on Friday morning after her shift.  Jay had initially joined in the applause, as she waited to pick up supplies for one of her elderly customers. Then she saw people nodding at her blue uniform and badge. It was she, the star. She and the 13,000 other City & County care workers across the country, going well beyond the call of duty to look after, comfort and support many of the most vulnerable people in our society.

A security guard ushered Jay to the front of the line, to ensure she got what she needed. “I felt like royalty,” said Jay. “It was heart-warming.”

This is just one example of the dozens of stories of kindness, compassion and love that have been pouring in since the coronavirus outbreak began. Care workers and managers up and down the country, who already do so much, are pulling out the stops under very difficult conditions to ensure their service-users’ safety and happiness. And the public is behind them. Care worker Dawn in Bridlington got her own round of applause outside Morrisons – despite her protestations that she was only picking up some bits for herself, reports branch manager Kate Hamilton. Restaurant chains, local pubs and schools across the regions have donated food and supplies to care workers and branches; children in Ayr, Scotland, are writing letters to cheer up those living alone.

In normal times, 93-year old Marjorie celebrates her birthday with family, cake and singing. This year, the care workers, chef and managers at Oak Court sang for her from the garden, below her balcony, on behalf of the care worker community and of Marjorie’s family.

Kim Nicholson looks after six independent living schemes in the Leicester area – including Oak Court. She is also Jay’s manager. “I’ve been in this industry for 33 years, and to now be getting recognition for what we do…it’s overwhelming,” she says.

It is also long overdue, and extraordinarily well-deserved. Staff have cancelled annual leave in order to care; some have even sent their children away in order to continue to work.

“We are already so proud of our City & County care workers,” says Group CEO James Thorburn. “Today, in these far from normal times, we are prouder still. The world out there is hugely grateful for what our care workers are doing. I am convinced that gratitude will endure after the fear and panic subsides.”

 

The names and personal information of those we care for have been altered to protect privacy

If you have a story please let us know: Covid19response@candchealthcare.co.uk

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COVID-19 coronavirus and our care services

Updated: 29 September 2021

People that use our services and members of their families are naturally very concerned about the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The following information is intended to offer you and your loved ones reassurance about the things we are doing to keep our vulnerable service users safe.

Firstly, we wanted to tell you that we are monitoring the situation on a daily basis and that we are working with official agencies to both inform and act on the latest scientific and clinical advice.

As an experienced home care provider, we are well versed in putting in place contingency arrangements. We have to do so most years to combat unseasonable weather, transport difficulties etc. and the disruptions this can cause in our staffing levels and inaccessibility to areas badly affected as well as dealing with winter pressures on hospital beds and other care services.

Our main arrangements for preventing transmission of the virus are as follows:

  • Promotion of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among staff and service users.
  • Frequent and good handwashing technique by staff, using soap and warm running water. This is singularly the best way to avoid contamination and to prevent the spread of infection. Alcohol gels do not offer as much protection and should therefore only be used in circumstances where water and soap are not available.
  • Use of personal protective equipment, and in particular fluid-repellent surgical facemasks and disposable gloves and aprons (as they always have done for personal care).

The most important way you can help is by ensuring that the staff who come to visit you have ready access to wash their hands in your home with soap and warm water and clean towels to dry their hands.

How might your care be affected?

If we have not done so already, we may need to enact our normal contingency arrangements for care delivery and this means that we may be required to reorganise our available staff from their normal routines to redirect care on a priority needs basis. This means that we may have to;

  • Alter the time of your care so that the most critical medical care services are met first for those without any support networks and who are wholly dependent on the care that we provide.
  • Make a temporary change to your regular care worker.
  • Make arrangements with you to combine some care calls we normally provide to you, depending on your particular circumstances.
  • Contact you, your family or informal carers to make specific arrangements to support us to meet your care needs.
  • Use extra safety equipment and precautions if you should be unfortunate enough to contract the virus.

We are continuing to monitor the situation daily and in any event we will remain in contact with you to keep you informed of any actions that we may need to take. Our primary concern is making sure that your care is delivered safely. We hope that you will understand that where changes are required to maintain safety we will make these decisions with you in mind and in line with the very best advice.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do ring the local office and ask to speak to the manager.

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A new year, a new you!

The New Year offers as good a time as any to consider a new role, new challenges and new faces. Perhaps, all within an entirely new sector! For the gregarious and sociable who’ve a want to care and help people in need, too, becoming a care worker offers up that very chance. 

That’s where you, as someone considering care work, may be able to step in and offer support to people at their most vulnerable and in need of it. 

So, what does care work entail?

For the most part, care work involves dealing with a broad range of people, aiding and assisting those who may be elderly, disabled or, perhaps, a bit younger. People of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and circumstances will require care at some point in their lives, and part of what makes the job great are the wonderful characters you’ll come across. 

Care work involves a good measure of responsibility and diligence. From help around the house, like cooking light meals and cleaning, to assistance with personal care like bathing, dressing and going to the toilet, care work is varied and sometimes challenging. It requires patience and resolve but it’s ultimately rewarding in the positive impact on people in need. If you’re looking for a change in career that achieves just that, and you’re not afraid of some hard work, this might just be your calling. 

What will you need as a care assistant?

As a care assistant, you’ll need a number of key skills, some of which will be gained on the job through day-to-day experience, while other skills you’ll have already. These include being a strong communicator as well as good at listening with the issues you may face and deal with. You’ll need to be practical and hands-on while not being faint at heart. You will deal with bodily fluids, nudity and mess. Sometimes clients may be even be unwilling participants in their own care so you’ll also need to be able to keep your cool and handle stressful situations in a calm and collected manner. From time to time, they will come up while you’re on the job. 

But it’s not all worrisome. Carers often find they make real friends of the people they’re looking after, finding it that much more satisfying.

What type of care assistant roles are there?

As a care assistant, you will be uniquely placed to improve a person’s life and there are various types of care that City & County delivers across its companies. That may be live-in care where you’re residing on a client’s property, or domiciliary care where you’re making visits to a client’s home, sometimes multiple times a day. If you’re trained for it, a company like ICCM provides Complex Care services, tending to clients with more complicated health concerns.  

Each client will have a bespoke care plan, which you, as a care assistant, will help compile, manage and deliver.

You’ve made your decision to switch to care…where to next?

Well, now you can take a look at our jobs board to see which roles we have in your desired location. Training is included for those who are new to the sector whilst our care assistant enjoy plenty of support at a branch level. 

Good luck and Happy New Year!

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Welcoming the Human Support Group

Early November saw the purchase of the Human Support Group (HSG), which becomes the latest addition to the City and County family.

HSG is based in the Northwest of England, running thirty-five branches and Extra Care facilities and delivering complex care and reablement contracts alongside general home care.

HSG is an established and respected provider with a successful and experienced management team that shares our commitment to great quality care. We’re sure you’ll all join us in welcoming HSG on board!

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