Latest News Articles from AveryHealthcare.co.uk

Avery Mews Charity Cycle

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14 year old Harrison Forster cycled 171 miles from Morecambe to Bridlington and raised £900 in sponsorship for Avery Mews Care Home residents. Harrison was accompanied by his father Richard Kelly and family friends Paul Binns, Mark Cooke and Richard Walker. A 7 support vehicle driven by Phil Hayward completed the entourage. Harrison’s family and friends supported him on the journey.

The teenager’s great grandmother Stella Long was Lady Mayoress of Dewsbury from 1973-1974. Stella, a resident at Avery Mews sadly passed away in March 2012. She lived at Avery Mews Care Home for almost 3 years.

Harrison said of his great grandmother, “Stella was great and she loved living here at Avery Mews. As a family we wanted to say thank you to the staff for caring for Stella and making her life at Avery Mews such a pleasure for her. She really did enjoy living here and made many friends. My cycle ride was great and so many family, friends plus the staff & residents at Avery Mews sponsored me. I am really proud to have raised so much money.”

Amanda Woolford, Manager at Avery Mews said, “What an inspirational young man Harrison is. What he has achieved is simply incredible. We are grateful for the generosity of all those who sponsored him. Through our residents committee we will decide how to spend the money but residents have already decided to make a donation to our local Alzheimer’s Society. Alzheimer’s is a condition which will affect more and more of us and with an ageing population it is important that we support further research in to the condition. Avery Mews Care Home is owned and managed by Avery Healthcare a UK leader in designing services for those living with dementia. We have introduced trailblazing initiatives not only in dementia care but across the business as a whole - raising standards across the industry. We are so grateful to, and proud of Harrison - he is an inspiration.”

Avery Mews Care Home is located on Railway Street, Heckmondwike. The home is looking to develop relationships with the local community. If you are a business or an individual and would like to become involved or learn more about Avery Mews Care Home please do call Amanda Woolford on 01924 403001 .

Army Builds Allotments at Leeming Bar

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Residents at Leeming Bar Grange Care Home are growing their own fruit and vegetables at the care homes new allotment.

Linda Donnellan-Beevers, Home Manager said, “We have waited many months to run the allotment so we are all extremely excited to be finally growing our own seasonal fruit and vegetables. Residents have already planted to grow tomatoes, cabbages, potatoes, peas and strawberries. We have installed a wheelchair ramp for our less abled residents so no one will miss out on this fantastic opportunity and the produce will be used in the meals prepared at the home”.

“Recreation and leisure is an important part of life at Leeming Bar Grange. Mental well-being is as important as physical good health so all our activities are designed to keep minds stimulated. We have a residents committee, the group meets regularly and plays a vital role in the planning of our leisure activities and as part of our weekly programme residents have decided we will spend several hours every week tending and maintaining the allotment. It is a fantastic group activity that everyone is excited about and keen to participate in.”

Leeming Bar Grange Care Home was recently compared to a 5 star hotel by North Yorkshire council when it undertook its Healthcare Inspection. The inspection, a scheme operated by the council to grade and review care delivered across the region reports directly to the CQC. Following the inspection the inspectors concluded that in regards to dementia care provision at Leeming Bar Grange, it could be used as an industry benchmark.

Leeming Bar Grange is owned and managed by Avery Healthcare, a reputable care provider and a leader in innovation and change within the care sector. All its homes, services and staff are excellent examples of how the business is at the very forefront of bringing about positive change in the industry. Having won awards for the design of its buildings and the innovation of care and services provided within its homes Avery’s homes are proudly changing perceptions of healthcare.

If you would like more information about Leeming Bar Grange you can call Linda Donnellan-Beevers on 01677 42559 4

Green Fingered Residents at Avery House

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The Garden Centre donated compost, plants and tools as part of its ‘Here We Grow’ community project.

Jenny Dawkins, Manager at Avery House Care Home, said, “We are thrilled to have had such a wonderful day and the generosity Dobbies has shown has been simply wonderful, donating not only plants and tools but their time too. It is very important that residents have a variety of recreation and leisure activities keeping them mentally active and it is also vitally important that we engage with the community - elderly people often feel isolated so we make a point of engaging with local schools, businesses and organisations.”

“A varied and interesting recreation programme makes so much difference to residents well-being. We have a ‘Resident’s Committee’, it meets regularly and runs the activities programme alongside staff, choosing and planning activities throughout the year.”

Avery House is owned and managed by Avery Healthcare, a reputable care provider and a leader in innovation and change within the care sector. All its homes, services and staff are excellent examples of how the business is at the very forefront of bringing about positive change in the industry. Having won awards for the design of its buildings and the innovation of care and services provided within its homes Avery’s homes are proudly changing perceptions of healthcare.

If your organisation is interested in finding out how it can participate in activities with Avery House residents please call Manager Jenny Dawkins on 01733 246840 .

Avery Healthcare Launches Youth Apprenticeship Scheme

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The scheme managed by Training and Staff Development Manager Shelley Tyas will be delivered in partnership with national training provider Qube Learning.

The scheme will last for two years and each apprentice will enter the programme on a ‘multi-skilled’ apprenticeship programme spending a period of time in each department where they will be mentored through a ‘buddy up’ system. The scheme falls under Avery’s Training and Development Programme. On a day-to-day basis it will be implemented under the careful governance of Home Managers and Department Managers. Wider support will come from a team of industry professionals who will offer regular assessments and mentoring, including Louise Thomalla (Programme Manager at Qube Learning) and Avery’s Shelley Tyas who will provide regular reviews to ensure all parties are receiving the training and support required.

After successful completion in each department a formal completion review will take place with their mentor which will be recorded in their training file and on completion of the apprenticeship, a formal review will take place between the home manager, mentor and apprentice to establish the area the apprentice would like to build their career.

Shelley Tyas, commented, “The beauty of this scheme is that it is multi layered and the benefits are far reaching. It allows young people who may be undecided as to where their future career lay, to enter a multi-disciplined scheme that includes training in hospitality, recreation & leisure, care, housekeeping and administration. Young people will be given the opportunity to identify where their skills lay and take their time deciding exactly the career path they would like to follow. If, at the end of the first phase, all parties are happy to proceed then the apprentice will move into their chosen area and undertake a level two diploma in that discipline. In regards to Home Managers and mentors, it provides a superb opportunity to expand their own skills too, a good mentor can be the making of a person and all our mentors will receive training in how best to support and develop both the personal and professional skills of their protégés. We hope other operators will take note and consider providing similar schemes.”

Louise Thomalla, Programme Manager at Qube Learning added, “There is much down-talking in terms of the opportunities offered to young people today which does not help them especially when approaching such a crucial time in their lives. Looking for work or trying to identify a future career is life changing and young people should have access to more support and wider choices. It’s not new ‘news’ that academia is not the right route for everyone and it’s proven that work placed training opportunities such as this helps fill the skills gap. Apprenticeship Schemes give young people the chance to prove they can add value to a business. We are in an intensely competitive job market where young people are competing with more experienced candidates for the same roles and this programme will give young people confidence, showing them where opportunities exist and provide much needed motivation.”

Avery Healthcare is well known for introducing trailblazing initiatives across all areas of the business. It has one of the strongest operations, clinical and development teams in the industry combining extensive experience of the sector. This initiative forms part of its Training & Development programme. It is committed to maintaining the high standards and innovation of services which it delivers to those in its care .

Avery Opens Luxury Care Home in Hanford, Stoke-On-Trent

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A luxury new care home in Hanford opened earlier this month creating 70 new jobs for local people. Hanford Court Care Home is located on the site that was The Bulls Head at the junction of Bankhouse Lane and New Inn Lane in the centre of Hanford. The site was bought and developed by UK care operator Avery Healthcare and brings a new dimension in care to the area. The home will be managed by award winning Home Manager Lorraine Ford. Lorraine won the prestigious Care Marketer Award 2010 at the Care Professionals Benevolence Fund Awards and brings many years experience to the luxury new home.

The luxury residential and dementia care home is a £3.5 million purpose built project and provides a variety of spacious room options across its 3 floors including single en-suite rooms opening on to a charming courtyard garden. Companion rooms have a sitting room and kitchen area – all rooms are generously sized. The ‘turreted’ building offers fabulous views across the town toward Stoke On Trent and the Staffordshire/Shropshire hills – residents can enjoy the seating area and experience the pleasure of watching the sun setting of a summers evening.

Hanford Court offers the very best in clinical care and support services, landscaped gardens, a hair salon & aromatherapy suite, hotel style dining and a varied leisure and recreation programme,

Home Manager Lorraine Ford said of the home, “We have already welcomed several residents to Hanford Court who are enjoying the community lifestyle which we offer. Avery has a superb reputation for delivering first class care and so new homes always generate a lot of interest. We ran a rigorous local recruitment programme and are pleased to have appointed a highly skilled team of professionals and support staff to work with us here. The home is simply stunning, beautifully appointed, with a team of professionals who really can help improve the quality of life of residents. Our chefs will provide restaurant style dining, our recreation and leisure programme will be wide and varied and our residents certainly won’t have time to be bored Part of our activities plan is to engage with the local community - bring the outside world in to the home. So we are keen to talk to any schools or organisations that may like to visit us here. It’s an exciting opportunity for local people to see first hand how care homes today can and should be operated – we look forward to welcoming more residents.”

Avery Healthcare is a reputable care provider and is a leader in innovation and change within the care sector. Its homes, services and staff are excellent examples of how the business is at the very forefront of bringing about positive change. Having won awards for the design of its buildings and the innovation of services provided within its homes, Avery is working hard to change perceptions in the way we care for our elderly today .

Avery Healthcare Employee Wins Prestigious Award - National Care Activities Coordinator 2011

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At just 23 years old Helen was one of a national list of entrants nominated by residents and their families. Along with 3 others shortlisted Helen was invited to attend an interview in London with a panel of judges from The National Care Awards.

Helen said of her win, “I am absolutely thrilled. I plan a range of activities to keep all of our residents mentally challenged. Every one is different and as such has differing needs so its important Recreation & Leisure Organisers everywhere work to ensure the individual needs of residents are being met. Creativity isn't just about being able to paint or draw. It's about expression, ideas, passion, problem solving, individuality and adapting each resident's qualities into the personal planner that I design with residents for the enjoyment of day-to-day activities. All the activities I create within the activity programme are to treat people not to entertain people, but to inspire one another and learn from each other how to live, laugh and love life."

Avery Healthcare’s Group Recreation & Leisure Organiser, Lindsay Kelly commented, “We are enormously proud of Helen. She really is an inspiration to residents and employees alike. Avery Healthcare has a positive approach to investing in all staff. Investing in training our R&L Organisers is at the top of our agenda. As the care landscape is changing, especially in regards the increase in number of people living with dementia we need to ensure we are constantly evolving policy and practice which includes supporting employees with the training they need to ensure residents achieve their maximum potential. Mental well-being is as important as physical good health – Helen winning this award proves that we are leading the way in setting the standards for the future.&rdquo ;

LUXURY NEW CARE HOME CREATES 70 NEW JOBS IN HATFIELD

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Acacia Mews Care Home is located on the site of the old Police Headquarters on St Albans Road East. The site was bought by UK care operator Avery Healthcare following the relocation of the Hatfield Police Station

The luxury residential and dementia care home is a £3.5 million refurbishment project and was built by Avery Healthcare. Acacia Mews provides a variety of spacious room options across its 3 floors including single en-suite rooms opening on to a charming courtyard garden and for those residents looking for a home with added independence, the home also offers generously sized ‘suites’. These rooms are purposely designed with extra space for those residents who want to participate in the community atmosphere of the home whilst retaining an element of independent living. These rooms are larger and have additional space for residents to entertain guests. Residents can even order refreshments delivered to their door!

Acer Court Care Home offers the very best in clinical care and support services, landscaped gardens, a hair salon, hotel style dining and a varied leisure and recreation programme,

Avery Healthcare is a leader in innovation and change within the care sector. Its homes are an excellent example of how the business is at the very forefront of bringing about positive change. Having won awards for the design of its buildings and the innovation of services provided within its homes, Avery is working hard to change perceptions in the way we care for our elderly today.

Home Manager Anna Marah said of the opening, “We are looking forward to welcoming residents to Acacia Mews. We ran a rigorous local recruitment programme and are pleased to have appointed a highly skilled team of professionals and support staff to work with us here. The home is simply stunning, beautifully appointed, with a team of professionals who really can help improve the quality of life of residents. Our chef will provide restaurant style dining, our recreation and leisure programme will be wide and varied and our residents certainly won’t have time to be bored as we will have an exciting programme of activities and we will be engaging with the local community - bringing the outside world in to the home. We look forward to welcoming our first residents in January.”

Anna Marah went on to say “In the coming months we will be inviting local schools, clubs, businesses and other organisations to visit us here. I am keen to hear from local organisations interested in visiting residents at Acacia Mews.”

Acacia Mews Care Home is situated on St Albans Road East and its doors are open to visitors by calling Anna Marah on 07557 56054 0

CARE HOME RESIDENTS ARTISTIC TALENTS GOES ON SALE!

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Residents attending the weekly art group at the home, run by Recreation and Leisure Coordinator Eli Figueiredo, spent 2011 preparing their individual artworks for the final calendar completed and printed this month.

Eli said of the calendars, “Our residents worked extremely hard to produce these stunning pieces of work and with many of our residents living with dementia this really is a superb personal achievement for all of the residents that took part. They are of a very high standard and printed to a great quality and they’ve been simply flying off the shelves - families and friends have been buying the calendars and have raised over £500 already. The money will be split - a donation will be made to Alzheimer’s Society Scarborough and the remaining money will be reinvested in to activities for residents in 2012. It was important to residents that we invest back in to the community and Alzheimer’s Society is a perfect charity to support.“

“The calendars are available for sale to the general public and will make superb Christmas presents!” added Eli.

Available at £5.00 each they can be purchased by calling Eli or Charlotte on 01723 381594

Scarborough Hall is run by national care operator Avery Healthcare - a leader in innovation and change within the care sector. Its homes are an excellent example of how the business is at the very forefront of bringing about positive change. Having won awards for the design of its buildings and the innovation of services provided within its homes.

Recent investment in Scarborough Hall Care Home in Scarborough has seen the start of a major face-lift for the home. The home was taken over by one of the UK’s leading health care providers, Avery Healthcare, in December 2010. Scarborough Hall is now well into its refurbishment programme, the residential and dementia care home provides 85 en-suite rooms with showers - all equipped to a high specification. It offers the very best in clinical care and support services too, a garden with raised flower-beds, a hair salon and hotel style catering. Moreover, it has introduced an exciting new leisure and recreation programme.

Scarborough Hall is located on Mount View Avenue, Scarborough. The homes Manager Charlotte Thompson and Recreation & Leisure Coordinator Eli Figueiredo would like to develop further links with the community. If your business or organisation would like to learn more about how it can become involved with Scarborough Hall, Elilie or Charlotte can be contacted on 01723 38159 4

Avery Healthcare Raises More Than £6,400 For The CPBF!

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The Mad Hatters Tea Party event launched in 2010 by the CPBF invites care home staff, residents and carers across the country to host a tea party to raise cash to support the charity.

The 2011 event took place on 24 August in 26 of Avery’s care homes across the UK and a raffle was held at Avery’s Head Office in Northampton where gifts were donated by local and national organisations. The £6,485.96 raised by Avery is an impressive increase on the £3,902.87 raised in 2010.

Managing Director at Avery, John Strowbridge said of the event, “Residents and staff thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the first Mad Hatters 2010 event last year, so we encouraged all of our homes to engage residents in choosing their own fund raising activities to support the tea party this year.”

“Hempstalls Hall in Newcastle Under Lyme raised over £745 alone. They held a tea party, a sponsored walk where residents joined in and their local radio station promoted the event. Many personal and corporate donations came in off the back of the radio and the sponsored walk. It’s encouraging to see how support of this event is growing so rapidly.

John Strowbridge went on to say, “As a founding member of the CPBF, the charity is close to Avery’s heart. We invest heavily in our staff – we offer training and support throughout their career with us however, we are all aware that any manner of event can impact on anyone’s personal circumstances, the CPBF do a tremendous job at supporting those people who have worked in the care sector who happen to find themselves in a situation where they need financial support or just simply need some advice. Avery Healthcare will continue to support the CPBF in the great work they do”.

Shaun Turner from the CPBF said, “Avery Healthcare have once again been absolutely amazing with their support of the charity. With heart breaking pleas for help coming in on a daily basis, Avery’s support will help us to continue to be there for industry colleagues in times of need.&rdquo ;

RACE ONLINE DIGITAL CHAMPION MARTHA LANE FOX VISITS AIRE VIEW

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Aire View, in Kirkstall, is set to welcome the head of the Race Online initiative on 29 September 2011 at 10.00 am.

Having installed broadband in all of its homes, Avery Healthcare was one of the first care operators to introduce residents to the internet having recognised that many older people have much to gain from being online - many care homes recognise the benefits to residents but do not have the skills or resources to implement such an activity.

Avery is committed to leading change within the care industry and getting all residents online is a top priority. Having commissioned Finerday.com to pilot the scheme earlier this year at several of its homes, Avery is now in the process of rolling out the digital platform in all of its homes across the UK, investing in training its Recreation & Leisure teams to facilitate the activity. Today residents are enjoying the benefits of being online, allowing them more regular contact with friends and families and access to resources they quite possibly never thought possible.

John Strowbridge, Managing Director at Avery said, “Many residents can at times, still feel isolated from their families as visits are often slotted in around work and other commitments. And increasingly more and more people are choosing to live and work abroad widening the geographical gap between loved ones therefore the opportunity to visit and maintain contact with any regularity for many has become extremely difficult. Connecting people via a social network like Finerday allows them to communicate 24 hours a day. The activity will fall under the stewardship of our Recreation & Leisure coordinators – as well as the obvious emotional benefits this will provide it dovetails perfectly with our programme of activities designed to keep residents mentally active”.

Aire View’s home manager Paula Pearson said of the initiative, “There are so many benefits in getting residents online. Having access to the internet means residents no longer need to wait for a visit from family or friends, then can now actively engage with them via this online social network. We introduced our residents to Finerday in August?? this year. The digital platform enables residents to connect with families and friends; sharing news, messages, skype, photos, memories and so on”.

Paula went on to say, “We have seen first-hand the positive impact for both residents and family when they are connected on-line – there is a marked increase in residents personal happiness and well being”.

Finderday.com was developed by Lilla Harris, who has herself managed a care home and understands more than most, the sizeable benefits of being able to connect residents to friends and family through the internet, using a simplified web interface that has been designed with accessibility to the elderly in mind. Finerday.com enables elderly residents to connect with those that matter most, friends and family who, for a variety of reasons, are not able to visit as often as they would like to.

Aire View home has joined ‘Go ON Leeds’. UK Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox will visit Aire View as part of her Race Online campaign - to be the first nation in the world where everyone can use the internet .