Snapshot Magazine - March Edition

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SNAPSHOT NEWSLETTER SPRING 2014 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Visiting The Big Issue A supported living client’s tour of the magazine’s London office Home Care Conference All that went on at our event in London TOP OF THE POPS AT NICKLEBY ROAD Find out on page five how our clients are reaching for the stars Your Sanctuary Supported Living, Home Care, Extra Care, Sanctuary365 and Retirement Living staff newsletter

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Transcript of Snapshot Magazine - March Edition

Page 1: Snapshot Magazine - March Edition

SNAPSHOTNEWSLETTERSPRING 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:Visiting The Big Issue

A supported living client’s tour of the magazine’sLondon office

Home CareConference

All that went on at our event in London

TOP OF THE POPS AT NICKLEBY ROAD

Find out on page five how our clients are reaching for the stars

Your Sanctuary Supported Living, Home Care, Extra Care, Sanctuary365 and Retirement Living staff newsletter

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A WELCOME FROM CHRISWelcome to Snapshot, the new staff newsletter for Sanctuary Supported Living (SSL), Extra Care, Home Care, Sanctuary365 and Retirement Living teams.

Snapshot has been developed as a newsletter for you to share good news and achievements with wider teams across the country.

Not only do I want us to celebrate how great we can be, I want us to learn from each other as this is crucial to the success of our operation.

So, please do make the most of the great opportunity to get in touch to share your pictures, stories and ideas. Since joining Sanctuary in February 2013, I have made it my mission to visit as many schemes and meet as many people as possible. On my travels, I have seen your excellent work, heard many inspiring stories and witnessed some really impressive results.

Recently, our Plymouth Domestic Abuse Services (PDAS), reached the finals of the National Housing Innovation Awards 2014 in the category of Innovative Supported/Sheltered Housing Scheme. I was proud to be able to join Katy and Jason, the PDAS Local Service Managers, for the awards night in London and wish them the best of luck for next year’s awards.

Sanctuary365, our national telecare service based in Chester, has also been launched. Congratulations to everyone involved in getting the service up and running and a warm welcome to staff who will be joining us as a result.

That’s it from me for now, but please read on, get involved and keep up the excellent work.

Kind regards,

Chris MundayManaging Director, SSL

NEWSLETTERSNAPSHOT

YOUR SPRING 2014 ISSUE OF

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GET IN TOUCHGot a story you would like to share? Contact the SSL Marketing and PR Team!

e: [email protected]: 01905 334380

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INSIDE3 A tour of The Big Issue office4 Help in India5 Nickleby Road clients pursue their dreams6 New carers service8 Welcome to CDHT9 Sport Relief fundraising10 OneSanctuary11 SSL restructure11 A new online forum12 Home Care conference

REGULAR FEATURES2 A welcome from Chris3 Sanctuary’s social networks 3 Diary dates

4 Corporate news7 Ten questions8 New staff9 Spotlight feature10 News in brief12 Above and beyond

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COVER

STORY

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A SNAPSHOT OF THE SOCIALNETWORKS

Meet our first Quest Leaders @oxoncarers @SancSL #middlesbrough

@ichcarers @dudleymbc. Join in. Help #carers

Carers Week @carersweek

@sancsl

linkedin.com/company/sanctuary-group

CONNECT WITH US

INTO THE BIG ISSUEA supported living resident who overcame a period of homelessness and mental illness has been given an exclusive insight into the work of The Big Issue, thanks to a partnership with Sanctuary.

Sean Sales, a resident at our Burnt Ash Hill scheme in Lee, London, visited the magazine’s offices in January where he learnt about its history and how it supports homeless people.

The 47-year-old was shown around the office by The Big Issue’s Digital Projects Editor Charles Howgego.

Together, the pair discussed the various ways to grab a reader’s attention and draw them into a story.

Sean, a keen writer, has recently finished writing a book of his own – the novel Dreamisphere, with elements inspired by his own life.

During the visit, he was able to quiz Charles on writing tips and said: “It was really eye-opening to see how The Big Issue, which is one of the first things people think of when they think of homelessness, is created, and to gain an insight into the workings of the industry.”

Sanctuary’s partnership includes a range of activities, including training and support for a vendor, and a staff engagement programme aimed at raising the profile of the magazine.

AN INSIGHT

Pictured top: SSL client Sean Sales with Charles Howgego, Digital Projects Editor at The Big Issue.

April 18 Good Friday20 Easter23 St George’s Day

May12 Mental Health Awareness Week18 Dementia Awareness Week

June9 Carers’ Week15 Fathers’ Day18 Autistic Pride Day28 Ramadan

DATES FOR THE DIARY

What do you have planned for these dates?

Thks Sanctuary Supported Living for great feedback on Abbevilles

lunch. Glad you enjoyed it & yes, pls recommend to others

First Step Trust @FirstStepTrust

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SSL has various social media presences including Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Check out a few of the latest tweets below:

Let us know what you have planned by dropping an email to [email protected]

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LENDING A HELPING HANDA Support Co-ordinator at our Retirement Living scheme in Poole spent his holiday

helping the less fortunate in India with a collection of donated money and goods.

Michael Scarboro, who works at Wimborne House, ventured with wife Sheralyn to the town of Candolim in Goa to give donated items and £200 raised from car boot sales to local people in need.

The couple’s third trip to the country saw them visit one of a number of schools run by charity Educator’s Trust India.

Children at the school are Dalits – people from what was traditionally referred to as the ‘untouchables’ caste – a section of Indian society born into poverty and historically segregated from others.

Michael said: “Our first trip to India in 2012 made such an impression – I remember speaking to a taxi driver who told us how if he believed that if he was good in this life, he would

be reincarnated to live in a ‘palace’ like us.

“I told him we only lived in a small flat, but when we got back home and turned the heating on to shake off the cold, we realised he was right – it’s the little things that make all the difference.”

A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT’S GOING ONSoon after securing Investors in People (IIP) status in October, SSL has enjoyed five separate contract wins in two months.

SSL has been awarded contracts in December and January for: home

support services in Sheffield, young people’s services in Surrey, housing-related support for older people in East Cambridgeshire, floating support for older people in Brent and a mental health and physical disability service in East Sussex.

Main picture: Some of the schoolchildren the couple visited in Candolim, India.

Last year, an IIP assessor visited eight locations and met with 80 members of staff, identifying several strengths in his report, including: clear vision and values, pride in providing a high-quality service and a strong sense of employee engagement.

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WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR

Two supported living tenants at our Nickleby Road scheme for adults with learning disabilities have been able to pursue their dreams with a little help from their support teams.

Damon Taylor, 41, has successfully completed a horse riding qualification, despite impairments to his sight, hearing and balance, while Wendy Fagg, 54, has written an original Christmas carol, which has been recorded to CD.

Damon has such restricted eyesight he can only see peripherally and lacks any forward vision. He uses a technique called ‘scanning’, in which he rapidly looks from side-to-side to create an impression of the area ahead. Despite this, the lifelong horse fan has taken a Grade Two Proficiency Test at his local branch of the Riding for the Disabled Association and is working towards his Grade Three qualification.

Damon said: “I enjoy horse riding because it gives me confidence and has taught me new skills, including how to ride properly and safely, and the road safety training has made me more aware of my surroundings in everyday life.

“Since starting the training, I’m more independent as I now know how to make sure I have the proper equipment and can travel to and from the centre myself. I’m also able to advise other people on how to ride with the skills I’ve picked up.”

Wendy’s musical success

Wendy, a keen music fan who has lived at Nickleby Road for almost two years, finished her fourth piece of music – a Christmas carol she wrote herself – at the end of 2013. Wendy prepares her songs alongside staff, and is encouraged throughout the process by her keyworker, James Grant.

James (pictured on the front cover with Wendy) said: “Wendy’s always been very proud of Nickleby Road and takes a real interest in the scheme’s activities, like our Christmas fundraiser.

“Wendy is a generous, lovely lady who has benefited from support. She has worked hard preparing these original pieces of music, especially this season’s Christmas carol, unhindered by her learning disability, and is so impressive.”

Pictured: Damon Taylor with a horse at the Runningwell Equestrian Centre.

This spring, we launched our Sanctuary365 telecare and assistive technology service.

The service is based in Chester and provides nationwide support to clients in their own homes.

We are also working with the Community Investment team in launching EyeCan, which will provide activities and experiences at our supported living schemes for people with visual impairments.

A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT’S GOING ON

TEAMS

COVERSTORY

More information about Sanctuary365 can be found at www.sanctuary365.co.uk 5

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NEW CARERS

SERVICE FOR STOCKTONUnpaid carers in Stockton are being given a helping hand with the launch of our new Stockton Carers Service, which has been commissioned on a three-year contract.

The service, which will initially be based at the Stockton Business Centre on Brunswick Street, provides support to people who care for friends, family or neighbours and is being funded by Stockton Council and the NHS Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Clinical Commissioning Group.

It includes advice on benefits, health and well-being, emotional support, access to respite care and training, while a weekly support group helps carers to get to know other people in the same position.

Wendy Collins, Local Service Manager, said: “Sanctuary Supported Living has a wealth of experience in supporting carers. We provide a similar service in Middlesbrough and run a number of support schemes in the north-east.

“Caring for a neighbour, friend or family member can be incredibly hard, but there is support available, whether it’s information, such as making sure you’re receiving all the benefits you’re entitled to, or

emotional support, we can help.

“We’ll also be raising the profile of the amazing work that carers in Stockton do to encourage others, who might not realise what help is on offer, to come forward.

“We would like to find these ‘hidden carers’ in Stockton and help to give them a voice, provide ongoing support and offer networking opportunities.”

Stockton Carers Service will be offering assistance to parents caring for children under the age of 18, or adults caring for other adults over the age of 18.

Stockton Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Health, Councillor Jim Beall, added: “Informal carers provide the backbone of care in our community. Our thousands of carers across the borough perform a truly remarkable role and we look forward to SSL delivering a range of high quality services on our behalf to help and support carers in all that they do.”

Pictured top: The service will help people like Viv Bonsteel care for her partner Ron.

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TEN

Tell us about your new role.

My role will ensure that processes are in place to support innovation, improvement and sustainment of high quality and attractive services across our supported, Retirement Living, Care, Extra Care and Home Care services.

What does a typical day involve?

I don’t have a typical day, to be honest. Every day is different. The variety is one of the things I enjoy about my job.

How did you come to work for Sanctuary?

I joined Sanctuary as part of the acquisition of Ashley Homes in 2006.

It’s good to be part of a successful organisation that, in the current climate, has a desire to grow its supported services portfolio and a desire to continue to provide a

range of services to the most vulnerable in our society.

Tell us one thing not many people know about you.

I’d love to come up with something exciting – but can’t! I did play trumpet in a brass band for a number of years.

In this edition, we talk to Tim Susans, Head of Quality, Improvement and Transformation at SSL.

QUESTIONS Where have you had your best holiday?

In the Dominican Republic in 2011.

It was the first time in a number of years that we and our three grown up children had been on holiday together. Spending that time

together in such an idyllic location was amazing.

If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy?

That’s easy – a Bugatti Veyron.

What do you do in your spare time?

I love music – listening and playing. I enjoy creating music on the computer.

I’m also engrossed in tracing my ancestry and my telescope and I have a keen interest in astronomy. All a bit geeky really – but I swear I am not a train spotter!

My latest enjoyment, though, is my new grandson Harry.

What do you like most about your job?

Other than the variety of my role, the fact that I work with many staff across our services who are devoted to, and successful in, bringing about positive change to the lives of vulnerable people that we work with.

What is your favourite film of all time?

I really enjoy legal and courtroom thrillers. So, for me, it’s got to be one of the forerunners of courtroom dramas – To Kill a Mockingbird.

What’s your proudest achievement, in work or in life?

Being a part of my children’s upbringing, and seeing them all grow into adults, makes me so

proud of each of them.

Tim

Dominican Republic

Bugatti Veyron

Barcelona

At Brighton & Hove Foyer

IN THE NEXT ISSUEWE TALK TO DONNA CULLEY, DIRECTOR OF

Down with the

trumpets

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A welcome tonew staff members

We would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone who has joined since January. Below is a snapshot of a few of our starters:

Katie Lewis Extra Care Manager

Gail ConlonCare Co-ordinator

Anna GorkowienkoTeam Leader

Helen McGuireTeam Leader

Cynthia MartineauBank Support Co-ordinator

Karen OxleySupport Co-ordinator

Ashley HoustonTeam Leader

Charlotte IrvingHead of Care

Nigel CheshireTraining Co-ordinator

Emma-Louise ParryCare Co-ordinator

Hann MacfoyExtra Care Manager

We wish you all the best in your new roles!

A WARM WELCOME TO CDHTChester and District Housing Trust’s (CDHT) Housing Support team has become part of SSL.

A warm welcome to the team of Housing Support Officers who will be covering around 1,600 Retirement Living properties in Cheshire.

Their role is to promote independent living within our schemes. They carry out daily safe and well visits, which help build relationships with residents.

Housing Support Officers also record

any key changes in support needs and follow up on actions agreed, while progressing towards residents’ goals and aspirations.

Duration and frequency of visits depend on the individual resident’s needs and additional support or longer visits can be provided, as required.

The team offers three different support packages, known as

‘Choices’. This creates a flexible service which can be adjusted when residents’ needs change, by increasing or decreasing the level of support.

The team also works closely with Sanctuary365 on the provision of a 24-hour alarm and monitoring service.

Main picture: The CDHT Housing Support team.

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new staff members

SP TLIGHT FEATURE

Physical Disabilities

Physical disabilities come in a range of forms, often with other support needs.

Schemes such as our Southwood House care home, in Northamptonshire, deliver a range of approaches for each individual’s need.

Clients are referred by local authorities when they reach a critical care need, meaning they require care and support to live in their home.

Care needs come from a range of conditions, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida and hydrocephalus (a build-up of fluid on the brain), resulting in severe impairments to mobility, vision, hearing, sensory perception and

learning disabilities, depending on the condition’s severity.

For care teams across SSL homes, a range of different care approaches are applied, including assisting clients with personal needs, such as administering medication and assistance with showering and getting dressed.

Other care considerations include sign language, access to large font materials and providing wheelchair-friendly access throughout buildings.

Above: A resident and Support Worker at our Shaftesbury Place care home in Cheltenham.

People with learning disabilities from across Birmingham took part in a classic sports day, organised by their SSL support workers.

Our Birmingham Floating Support service, which provides support for people with learning disabilities,

organised the event in aid of Sport Relief, as a way for clients and staff to get involved.

The event featured a skipping race and a traditional egg and spoon race, with clients given the opportunity to donate throughout the day.

Libby Darbyshire-Brown, Senior Project Worker, said: “This was a great chance for our clients to socialise with people of a similar background and make new friends, while also promoting a good cause in the form of Sport Relief.”

SPORT RELIEF

FUNDRAISING

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Above: Clients and staff at the end of the event

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NEWS IN BRIEFCLIMATE WEEKSupported living clients across our services have been raising the bar with music-themed art projects organised for Climate Week.

Staff at our schemes have been hard at work helping service users prepare entries for Sanctuary’s annual Climate Week art competition.

Pictured below: Lee-on-Solent resident Stephanie Rowe with a piece of artwork for Climate Week.

CHARITY TREKA Senior Support Worker at our Southwood House care home for people with learning and physical disabilities is trekking 26 miles across the countryside.

Michael Thacker will be tackling the Waendal Walk with his Siberian husky, Chelsea, on Sunday 11 May to raise money for a minibus for the home.

To find out how to donate, please email: [email protected]

Work is underway on the first phase of a programme to streamline several information systems across Sanctuary.

OneSanctuary is a project designed to replace a number of systems used by SSL including CIS (client details), Northgate (housing management), Sun (financial accounting) and iPOS (purchase orders) with a single system, SAP.

The first phase of OneSanctuary is due to go live in 2015 and plans are now being drawn up for training staff in using the systems that will be replaced in this first phase, which include the iPOS, Northgate and SUN systems.

Decisions are being made on the priority of which business areas are included in the next phases of the programme. Within SSL, we are championing the need for an effective care and support system as part of this.

More updates about OneSanctuary will follow throughout 2014 and we will use a variety of methods to share information on its progress with you.

Any queries can be answered by sending an email [email protected], by phone on 01905 335203 or

by visiting the OneSanctuary pages on Solis for more information.

ONE VISION

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Main picture: Paul Chadwick, Business Process Owner for Procurement, talks to Lauren Baker, Business Owner and Business Change Manager for Sanctuary Maintenance.

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NEW STRUCTURE FOR SSL

NEW ONLINE SPACE TO SHARE YOUR IDEASWe now have a new online space to share plans and best practice.

A new structure for Area Service Managers, Business Delivery Managers and Heads of Service has been introduced across the country.

Under the new model, separate business streams headed by John McGinley and Tim Susans are being replaced with a national structure, with regional areas headed up by three Heads of Service.

John will be heading up the South East, and is joined by Dave Shaw for the North and Sara Keetley for the South West.

Each Head of Service has a team of Area Service Managers and a Business Development Manager. The new regional management structure will work with their teams to drive service performance, build local relationships and increase profitability and income.

In addition to the operational team, there is a new post ‘Head of Service – Support and Development’ that will manage the central teams.

The new structure is available to view on Solis.

The SSL Innovation and Best Practice Forum has launched.

This offers supported living staff an online area to share documents; coordinate projects, calendars and schedules; discuss ideas and review

documents or proposals, as well as share information and keep in touch with others.

To access the forum via a Sanctuary terminal, visit: http://connect/sites/7/ssl-ibpf

NEWS IN BRIEFARTY IN BRIGHTON

Artwork depicting a series of Sussex sea and landscape backgrounds has been installed at our Sidney Tidy House Retirement Living scheme in Brighton.

The work was produced by clients of our North Road Resource Centre and Rough Sleepers Initiative, alongside young people from Brighton and Hove Foyer.

Pictured below: Residents, artists and staff joined by the then Mayor of Brighton & Hove.

NEW ARRIVALCongratulations to Worcester Home Care team leader Hilary Crump, who is celebrating her new arrival with partner Karl Ford.

Benjamin Stephen Ford, the couple’s first child, was born on February 16 2014, weighing five pounds, one-and-a-half ounces.

He was delivered at the couple’s home and has already met his great-great-aunt.

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Get your stories in!

ABOVE AND BEYONDTwo SSL schemes have been shortlisted for regional and national awards.

Our Plymouth Domestic Abuse Services (PDAS) reached the top four in the National Housing Innovations Awards category for Most Innovative Supported/Sheltered Housing Scheme.

Just a couple of months earlier, Pennefather Court, which cares for younger adults with learning disabilities, reached the top six in the Great South East Care Awards’ Care Team category.

PDAS travelled down to the Housing Innovation Awards in London at the start of February to attend the ceremony.

Jason Preece, PDAS Local Service Manager, said: “This is our first year entering a set of awards on such a large scale and we’re delighted we got the national recognition of reaching the shortlist.”

Wendy Porter, Pennefather Court Local Service Manager, travelled to the Great South East Care Awards evening in Brighton to support her team.

She said: “I’m immensely proud of my team for getting so far.

“They all put a lot of work into the care they provide at Pennefather Court and putting not just the needs of the residents at the top of their agenda, but their feedback as well.”

CONFERENCE 2013

Staff from Extra Care and Home Care across the country gathered for two days of workshops, activities and insight from sector experts.

Sanctuary365, Sanctuary Maintenance staff and the Community Investment team held workshops to discuss working practices and update teams on their latest developments.

An awards evening, held on the first night of the conference, recognised schemes that had gone the extra mile - with awards given including:

Best Performing Extra Care Scheme (winner: Dunboyne Court)

Best Performing Home Care Branch (winner: Cambridge)

National Customer Service Champion 2013 (winner: Grace Rowlands)

On the second day, drama group Vamos (pictured above) – which is currently working in partnership with Sanctuary – performed a drama production portraying life with dementia.

This was followed by a workshop examining traits of dementia, and how body language could be used and interpreted.

Last year, London’s West Ham United Hotel hosted Sanctuary Home Care’s first dedicated annual conference.

Drama group Vamos, which performs using masks, in their dementia-themed production.

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