Considerate coordination recognised at Sagecare

One of our Regional Managers, Milka Kimani, sent us a heartfelt thank you from a social worker and family of a service user. They particularly wanted to thank Jeannette Nouwimana, a London-based coordinator at Sagecare, for her response and quick thinking after the service user’s dementia deteriorated quickly.

The family wrote:

“We would like to thank you, personally, for your input and support with regards to our mum. With your experience and observations whilst coordinating the night care visit for mum and your input in making a positive decision, our mum is now in safe hands.

“It has been a really worrying and challenging time for me and my sister, and we can now at least have some peace of mind that mum is safe.

“Also we take the opportunity of thanking Sagecare carers for looking after our mum, and we really appreciate the care and love mum received from you all.

“Thanks you once again. Best wishes and stay safe.”

Despite all the challenges, the Sagecare team did an amazing job of keeping the service user safe at all times. Anne, the service user’s social worker added, “I would like to add my heartfelt thanks for keeping her safe and as happy as possible especially over the last few months. It has been much appreciated. I will be forwarding the family’s thanks to our commissioning team as well.”

Marking Remembrance Day at Leaholme

Tracy Asbery and Katy Smith sent us a section of photos showing the work that our London Care team had done to mark Remembrance Day at the Leaholme Extra Care scheme.

Staff decorated the scheme with poppies and served up a selection of red, white and blue-themed treats for the residents.

Appreciation for our team at Willow Barns

Our Comfort Call team at the Willow Barns extra care scheme in Stoke-on-Trent received some great feedback this week. Following a quick response to a night-time incident, the local housing team got in touch to pass on a compliment they’d received from the tenant involved:

“Just to let you know that we had a fantastic compliment from an apartment for last night. A tenant said that her husband fell out of bed and the night staff were there in a flash and were brilliant. She said that not only did they support hubby but they were very supportive with her also.

“So A great big well done from the housing team.”

Well done to everyone involved for the amazing support you delivered to this couple.

Flowers for dedicated Delia

Delia Boonziar, a member of our SCRT team in Wishaw, has been recognised by the Daily Record as a winner of their ‘Say it with Flowers’ award. Nominated by her friend Toni for going above and beyond in her role, Delia has made a huge impact in her local community over the past three years.

Toni says of Delia, “She gives her all to the company. She even came back from her holiday early to help us out. That’s the sort of person she is.

“Anything she can do, she will do it for you. She is a brilliant person, but she doesn’t get the recognition she deserves.”

Congratulations Delia, this award was certainly well-deserved. You can read the full Daily Record article here.

Debt management – four steps to reduce your debt

Getting out of debt isn’t easy and there are no quick fixes. It takes time, commitment and sacrifice, but it’s not complicated – it just takes four steps:

  1. Acknowledge the problem – admit that you have a problem and commit to fixing it.
  2. Stop debt spending – Lock up (or cut up) your credit cards.
  3. Make a spending plan – track your spending for a month.
  4. Pay off your debts – list your debts and chose one to pay off first.

For CCH employees, please take a look at the LifeWorks app or website to read the four-part series Four Steps to Reduce your Debt – where each step is broken down into manageable chunks.

Remember, there is no quick fix to overcoming serious debt problems, but if you stick with the plan, the benefits are well worth the effort.

New contract wins

Good news this week as we heard that Guardian Homecare has been successful in its bid to join the Flexible Purchasing System for Extra Care in Liverpool. Although this does not guarantee any direct award of business, it does put Guardian in the running to bid for Extra Care opportunities in Liverpool as well as Sefton, Knowsley and Wirral (and possibly St Helens).

Well done to the bid team and all those that contributed to putting the submission together.

Coming up: Alcohol Awareness Week – 16th to 22nd November

Next week is Alcohol Awareness Week, run by the charity Alcohol Change UK.

The annual campaign’s aim is to get people thinking and talking about alcohol and its effect on our lives and those around us, and to take actions to change our drinking behaviour for the better.

This year’s theme is Alcohol and Mental Health. In a year of extraordinary change and uncertainty, it offers us a chance to think about ways in which we may sometimes use alcohol to help us cope when we’re feeling low, anxious, stressed or worried. It also offers opportunities to highlight some of the more serious mental health problems that can go hand-in-hand with very heavy drinking.

Key facts:

  • 10.4 million adults are estimated to drink at harmful levels.
  • More than twenty people each day die as a result of the harm caused by alcohol.
  • Alcohol is a causal factor in more than 60 medical conditions including liver disease, high blood pressure, depression and seven types of cancer.
  • Around 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year and drinking too much too often can increase our risk.

Throughout next week, we will share resources and information regarding the links between alcohol and mental health along with signposting to help and support if you have concerns about your alcohol consumption or that of a loved one.