Present:
Hendra Staff
V Burmingham -Owner (VB), G Burmingham (Owner), L Lewis -Care Manager (LL),
R Hawkins, M Head, G Locke (Lead Practitioners & Resident Key Workers)
Relatives:
Mr B Hughes, Mrs D Hughes, Mrs S Nicholas, Mrs L Henry, Mr M Lewis, Mrs C Lewis,
Miss L Joyce, Miss K Joyce
Resident:
Mrs J Stokes
Vince welcome everyone to the meeting, this being the first residents meeting since the pandemic started in March 2020.
As such the agenda would be definitely different from the norm and he hoped to reflect on the following three key areas.
- To reflect on the past 2 years
- To identify current events.
- Agree the way forward.
Reflect on the past 2 Years
VB thanked all family members and residents for their help and support during the past 2 years and stated that the gifts received by staff from residents and families were greatly appreciated.
Staff had also found it very humbling that during funeral restrictions staff were invited to a resident funeral often at the expense of family members and friends, this we hope typifies the close relationship between our staff and our residents and their families.
VB identified that in order to recognise the contribution of the homes staff during the pandemic special Hendra Hero badges had been commissioned and were currently being presented to all staff concerned.
VB and LL commented on the success of the home’s infection control and testing procedures, and identified that:
To date over 6,500 tests had been taken.
This resulted in 8 Positive Staff Tests and 3 Positive Resident Tests.
Most importantly No Lives Had Been Lost
Staff continue to test every day
644 tests had been taken in March 2022
VB identified that as well as addressing the challenges of the pandemic the home still had to remain compliant with all its statutory responsibilities.
VB identified that despite the restrictions the home’s Training Plan for 2021/22 was completed with over £20,000 invested in staff development. (This figure does not include the cost of staff wages when undertaking training).
VB stated he believed that the continued investment in the development of the home’s staff had been a significant factor in the home being able to operate without the use of agency staff throughout the pandemic.
This is a result of developing an enviable “Team Culture” where everyone consistently demonstrated high levels of commitment, flexibility, personal sacrifice, and professionalism to minimise any impact on the quality of service delivered.
Further example of a return of investment in staff development was the homes Mental Health First Aid programme which has been in operation for almost 5 years together with the decision to train senior and experienced staff to verify death thereby ensuring that our residents passed with dignity when access to doctors was limited during the pandemic.
In summary, VB praised the efforts of all staff for their achievements to date.
VB was also delighted to confirm that the home had been selected as the Best Employer in the prestigious Platinum category at the 2021 Investors in People Awards.
Current Events
VB provided feedback from the recent Resident and Relative Questionnaire which reviewed the following areas of service delivery:
- Safety – In relation to infection control measures.
- Care – Quality of care delivered during the pandemic.
- Responsiveness – In meeting family needs.
- Responsiveness – With regard to visiting arrangements
- Effectiveness – In maintaining service delivery.
- Leadership – During the pandemic.
From the 11 responses received the results were as follows:
| Criteria | Excellent | Good | Poor | No Rating |
| Safety – In relation to infection control measures. | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Care – Quality of care delivered during the pandemic | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Responsiveness – In meeting family needs. | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Responsiveness – With regard to visiting arrangements | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Effectiveness – In maintaining service delivery. | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership – During the pandemic. | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
VB thanked everyone who had contributed to the survey and identified that the future strategy with regard to visiting would be discussed later in the meeting.
VB then identified his frustration that the pre covid refurbishment programme had not been completed due to restrictions on tradesmen visiting the home. However, he was pleased to report that:
- The new fire alarm system had been installed to the latest specifications.
- Carpets had been ordered for the corridors and communal areas.
- Plans for developing and improving the garden area were being revisited
VB said he was pleased to inform the meeting that the home has the highest level of staff since the company was formed over 20 years ago. He also informed the meeting that the staff photo board will be updated when new uniforms arrive.
VB identified that the home was awaiting its long-overdue inspection, the last one being undertaken in October 2017.
However, the homes Fire Inspection had been completed last week, and with the exception of a few minor amendments, the homes fire safety plans and procedures were compliant.
VB also identified that the homes Environmental Health Inspection was due on Wednesday. Note: (Inspection completed on 6th April, 5 Star Rating retained).
VB then addressed the need to increase resident fees, he identified the pressures on the home were even greater than in previous years the most noticeable being:
- Increased staff costs.
- Increased Fuel Cost
- Increased Employer Costs
Whilst sorry about the increases, he hoped all residents and relatives would understand the reasons and stated that research had identified that our fees were the lowest in Ludlow and the only one currently with an OUTSTANDING rating
VB then identified how the home was looking at improving the keyworker system. In each of the homes Keyworkers were introduced, so that families could put a face to the name, especially important for those who have been admitted whilst staff are wearing masks.
Improved lines of communication were identified, to address the IT issues and LL provided a revised list of Keyworkers allocations which reflected the personal choices of residents and families.
Agree the way forward
Feedback from Residents Meeting
All residents were invited to attend the residents meeting held within the home. 9 residents joined to bring their ideas and point of view.
Residents spoke regarding how they have felt after the last 2 years of the pandemic. It was interesting to hear their views, some of the residents have lived at Hendra throughout the pandemic and others have moved in during the pandemic.
The feeling of all the residents was how grateful they were for the steps taken by the staff to keep them safe, especially when the staff locked in with them.
One resident felt that “At Hendra we work tightly with the regulations and prefers it that way as he feels safe when at home…” he also went on to say “… when were not in an outbreak he hasn’t felt restricted and has been able to use his mobility scooter and visit friends, staff have always been supportive…”
LL then discussed the options for visits and the way to move forward, one option was to section off the garden to facilitate garden visits.
All residents rejected this idea due to this is their outdoor area and they all use different areas of the garden and therefore enjoyed by those who wish to go outside. This they felt would be of no benefit to them.
LL discussed a proposed plan of moving forward on the 20th April 2022 the home’s 4th vaccine clinic is taking place at Hendra and how they felt about the visits progressing to room visits after the vaccines have been received, this they felt was a wise plan.
Residents also discussed the menus, and all agreed the food that they have received has been Marvellous and caters for all portion sizes and dietary conditions. They highlighted they are enjoying the crusty baguettes and lemon mousse pudding and suggested more traditional puddings to be included like semolina, rice pudding etc.
The activities plan has been received by all residents and feedback was positive.
Suggestions were also made when the weather gets better could the walking club restart, a garden party be planned and have a resident’s meeting each month.
These will be issued monthly and to look out for the next available date of the “points of view meetings”.
One resident identified that as the pandemic is still about could we possibly look at antibacterial hand wipes rather than the hand washbowl. LL thanked the resident for the suggestion and a great piece of feedback.
Visiting
After the discussion with the residents and looking at ways of moving forward, it has been decided that once the Vaccine clinic (due 20th April 2022) has taken place then we can relook at the visiting and offer a third option.
Door visits with no LFT required will still be available, the conservatory visits will also be available following the requirement of a negative LFT and an additional option of a resident’s room visit will be facilitated.
The realistic date for this will be 1st May 2022 to allow a week for the vaccine to take effect. Visits away from the home have always been an option providing the home isn’t in an outbreak situation, and these are still encouraged with support from families to assess any potential infection risks.
Activities
LL outlined the activities programme for the forthcoming month, a copy of which had been distributed to residents and relatives.
Blog
VB stressed one way in which the home communicates what is going on is the Blog page on the website.
The content had been questioned by one respondent to the recent survey. However, VB stated that the blog was read by the families of former residents and ensured that they still felt part of the home.
Feedback From the Floor
It was felt by the families that were in attendance that the proposed visiting arrangement was a sensible way for going forward.
Everyone agreed that we are all going to have to learn to live with Covid, and the quality of life compared to potential risk should always be balanced to provide an effective and safe service.
One resident who was able to join the meeting expressed her thanks to Hendra for ensuring the safety of residents, she was able to reassure all families and the staff that we have been restricted for the right reasons and she was happy with the way things were going.
The meeting ended at app 19.30 after which staff from the home were available to respond to specific questions raised by those present.