News

• Pinzgauer Comes Home
• Welcome to our new manager
• Cleeve Hill Healthcare runs Elderly Personal Agendas
• Cleeve Link Home Care Service Says Council Cuts Won't Affect Quality of Care
• Cleeve Link
• Respite Care
• Choosing Carers
• Help for the Elderly, at Home in Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh
• Project Leonardo da Vinci
• Swine Flu contingency plan
• Sheltered/Retirement Housing at Marina Court
• Caring comes first at Cleeve Link
• Spot the Animals on Cleeve Link Vans
• Press Release from Daily Telegraph

A 1991 Pinzgauer Fire Engine returns home to Worcester's specialist fire-fighting vehicle manufacturers, Carmichaels, after 15 years with Essex Fire Brigade; but this lively engine won't be going into retirement. The Carmichael team has restored its outer bodywork and completely stripped and refurbished the inside to create a useable ambulance for local homecare provider, Cleeve Link. Director, Rob Flexer comments, "Cleeve Link is well known in Worcestershire and surrounding counties for its fleet of off-road vehicles. During last winter's bad weather the 4x4s came into their own and we managed to not only meet 100% of our own scheduled home visits to the elderly, but we also helped out Gloucester County Council and NHS teams that were struggling to get around. Carmichaels has done a brilliant job in restoring the Pinzgauer to its former glory and now we are even more ready to tackle floods and snow."

The Pinzgauer was originally built by British Aerospace under Licence from Pinzgauer in Austria with the body work and specialist fittings by Carmichaels. Back in the Carmichaels' bodyshop they worked hard to turn it into, what has been rated by authorities, as an 'ambulance'. Mr Flexer continues, "The quality and professionalism Carmichaels has brought to the project has been outstanding and we're pleased it has been a joint county venture. It will now do its job and will hopefully help the elderly, especially those in hard to reach areas."

With recent County Council home care job cuts, reassurance of continuity of service from private home care providers such as Cleeve Link has never been more important and the company leads the way in offering the elderly community choice, independence and guarantees of excellent service levels. Mr Flexer continues, "Our clients and the authorities depended on us last year and we are more than ready this year to help out wherever needed."

We're pleased to announce that Emma Tudor has joined the team at Cleeve Hill Nursing Home. Emma qualified as a nurse in 1995 and has worked in a nursing home environment for 14 years. Her particular passion is to work with people with Dementia.

In the past Emma had a managers position at Forest Court Specialist Dementia Home. Whilst there she was awarded Bupa's Specialist Care Manager of the Year, 2007 from a short list of 50 other managers from across the country.

Emma then transferred to Barrington Lodge Nursing Home, Cheltenham in 2009 where she won another award - International Dementia Care Nurse of the Year. Emma says, "I won this award because I ensured a person-centered approach in the nursing homes and undertook staff training."

Emma is currently undertaking a degree (BsC) in Dementia Studies and hopes to complete this next year. She is now looking forward to her future at Cleeve Hill Nursing Home and, she says, "Spending time with you all. My door is always open."

Private care providers such as the Cleeve Hill Healthcare group are gaining momentum in their challenge to give every elderly person care choices. Instigated by The Department of Health looking to build Elderly Personal Agendas, the initiative is led by local cost cutting councils. With budgets now back in the hands of the elderly population the challenge is for private care agencies to deliver a multitude of services.

Cleeve Hill Healthcare director, Rob Flexer, comments, "We have been aware of these changes for some time and have had no problem in building a comprehensive service where clients can pick and choose care to meet their needs. In addition to regular assistance such as care in individual's own homes, we have thought broadly, trying to offer a solution for every eventuality."

He continues, "Many areas around Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Herefordshire and Warwickshire are rural. In recent years we have been hit with snow so we have invested in a fleet of 4x4 vehicles to keep us on the move. We now also confidently make guarantees to our clients. These include the guarantee of a bed in Cleeve Hill Nursing Home in Cheltenham or The Cheriton Nursing Home in Swindon, and a guarantee that we will meet all of our scheduled visits; including emergency help, day or night. We also take pride in our 'taxi' service for hospital visits. This is one of the initiatives I am talking to Healthcare providers about at the moment. The public expense of the home to hospital 'taxi' service in an ambulance is substantial and a waste of resource for those that do not need ambulance equipment. We're offering our fleet of mobility aided Fiat Doblos, which are already working in and around the local area, as a cost effective solution."

Other additions include a focus on training to care for clients with conditions such as dementia and Parkinsons and an indepth staff training initiative via a bespoke e-learning platform to keep all carers up-to-date with latest methods.

In response to the Berrow's Worcester Journal's/Worcester News announcement that Worcestershire County Council is set to axe 250 home care jobs in 2012, private home care provider, Cleeve Link, supports Council chiefs' belief that people will get the same level of service at reduced costs from private suppliers.

Cleeve Link director, Rob Flexer comments, "This is a necessary cost cutting exercise by the Council in times when savings are being forced across the county. The average cost of an hour of Council provided standard domiciliary care is £31, compared with £15.66 for a similar service that we provide. We are continuously recruiting to fulfil growing demand and would welcome an approach by any staff losing their jobs who could join our team and help to ensure continuity of service and its future quality and capacity."

Well appointed private home care agencies such as Cleeve Link offer individuals extra choice and confidently offer a similar service to that received from their previous home care provider. Mr Flexer continues, "Each Cleeve Link client has a personalised agenda to suit them. Care can be from as little as half an hour a day for help with daily chores such as shopping and bed making to a full live in care service if required. Clients manage their own budget by paying privately or alternatively, we participate in the Social Services Direct Payment scheme, applying for funding assistance on their behalf. Most importantly, we give assurances that we can guarantee our home care clients a bed in a nursing home at short notice and we will collect our clients from hospital and transfer them to their home or the nursing home. We even guarantee to continue with our scheduled home care visits across Worcestershire whatever the weather, and I'm pleased to say that, with the help of our fleet of 4x4 vehicles we visited 100% of our clients during December's snow."

In the face of cutbacks that are affecting several public sector services across the county, it appears that private home care agencies such as Cleeve Link are already coping with its expanding workload.

Consider a long-term care annuity

Rather than sell the home and use the proceeds to pay care fees, find out whether the money should be used to buy an immediate needs annuity, which pays a fixed income for life.

This can provide some certainty for people moving into care, as they know their fees will be guaranteed to be paid for life; their money will not run out and they will not have to move into a local authority-run home later. There is also the reassurance that whatever is left from the sale of the home, once the annuity has been bought, can be left to the next generation.

The price depends on a person's age, health and gender when going into care – the longer the insurer expects them to live, the larger the upfront cost. An adviser should explain what an annuity would cost and should help find the best.

The downside is that if the person dies shortly after going into nursing care, this is likely to be more costly than simply paying fees direct. Most providers, however, allow you to buy "capital protection", which refunds part of the cost in such circumstances. There are a number of specialist providers that offer these annuities, including Partnership and Axa PPP.

Get advice

A spokesman for Age UK said: "Older people and their families often have to make a major life decision regarding care at very short notice, often following a crisis, such as a bad fall or stay in hospital." But as well as little financial help,"self-funders" often get little information or advice.

Chris Horlick, the managing director of long-term care at Partnership, a specialist insurer, said families are often sent away with a booklet, which "is mainly full of adverts for local homes". They are often not given clear or consistent advice on benefits, nor information on the various financial products that can help them meet care costs.

A specialist financial adviser should be able to provide advice on benefits, investment options and tax implications (selling an asset like a home can potentially trigger a CGT bill, for example, if the person is already in care).

What do you have to pay?

As a rule of thumb, a person who owns his or her home is likely to fail the local authority means test and be deemed a "self-funder". In England this threshold is £23,250 (in Wales it is £22,000 and in Scotland £22,750). In most cases this includes the value of any property owned.

But there are circumstances in which the family home is ignored: if you have a spouse or relative aged 60 or over still living in the home, it will not be included within the local authority's financial assessment. It should also be ignored if your care needs are classed as "temporary".

In addition, if your other assets, excluding the home, are less than £23,250, then you should not be charged for the first 12 weeks; those in this situation can request that a legal charge is put on their home rather than selling it upfront.

What benefits do you receive?

People who need nursing care (as opposed to "personal care") will receive a contribution towards these costs, regardless of their financial position. In England this is normally paid at £108 a week, with payments made direct to the nursing home. People in Scotland also receive payments towards "personal care costs" such as help with washing and dressing.

As an alternative to the fairly common ‘How am I driving?’ stickers on vehicles, Cleeve Link vans have an added small animal next to the registration plate. The aim is to make identification of the drivers simpler without the need to write down the registration number.

Therefore anyone can phone up Cleeve Link if they have something to say and reference the relevant van by animal type. The animals range from dogs to rhinos – look closely and see how many you can spot.

Cleeve Link community care service recently had to battle against the snow and ice in order to reach the elderly who are in need. They provide an important service around Gloucestershire, helping people with domestic chores and delivering meals to their homes, and couldn’t let the weather stop them from getting to those who need it.

Cleeve Link manager, Jo Goode said, “In the morning alone, a team of 160 carers visit over 700 clients in the area. They depend on us and so we do everything we can to reach them whatever the weather.” This included hiring extra 4x4 vehicles from Tim Fry Land Rovers Ltd in order to drive through the snow. All available staff at Cleeve Hill Nursing Home helped to drive around the area; from chefs to accountants.

Jo added, “A call for milk from the Forest of Dean was met in less than two hours by diverting one of the Cleeve Link drivers. For some clients our staff are the only people they see all day so the service we offer is of vital importance to them.”

Cleeve Link now offers Home Care services to the residents of Marina Court, an ExtraCare Housing development off Bredon Road, Tewksbury. Cleeve Link is working with Tewkesbury Borough Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust and Hanover Housing Association to provide the 75 one and two bedroom apartments and bungalows with access to appropriate on site support.

The team provides care in the home for those residents that require additional support to remain living independently. Cleeve Link Registered Manager, Sharon While, says, Marina Court is a wonderful environment in which to live independently and the Cleeve Link service enhances this by providing residents with extra help when they need it.

The service offers a wide range of support all provided by qualified and fully trained care staff. Jan Screen is our on-site Supervisor and there will be at least one carer on duty at Marina Court throughout the day and one carer who will be resident on-site and on call throughout the night.

Care can include assistance with washing and dressing in the mornings, lunchtime and evening visits along with prompting medication and other daily care activities.

A domestic service including cleaning, laundry, shopping and dog walking is also available. Assistance with travel to hospital and doctors appointments in a specialist vehicle can be provided, with accompanying carer should the resident require it. Care can be from 30 minutes to 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Sharon adds, All our care programmes are different to suit the individual. Some of our clients opt for domestic help whereas others need personal care.

Cleeve Link also recognises that it is important to provide support for family carers, such as the husband or wife. Constant caring can take its toll on the carer so respite care gives family members a well deserved break. This service is also available at Marina Court and could be as little as a few hours off or, in the event of illness, both the carer and the cared-for receiving some extra help. Either way, the intention is to combine the enjoyment and independence of living at home with the reassurance that Cleeve Link will provide support where it is needed.

For further information contact Jan Screen, Care Coordinator on 01684 273693

We have implemented a contingency plan so that the business can deal with the effects of Swine Flu.

Training Coordinator, Sue Farrell says, “Our biggest worry is that 15% of our carers could be sick at any given time for up to a week. We have overcome this by retraining our ancillary staff to work as carers. It is vital that every carer has participated in our in-house course on infection control so they know the best procedures to protect themselves and their clients.

In addition, specially trained teams are being established to provide the extra care to those clients who find that they need more care during this period. We are encouraging our clients to talk to us at the earliest moment so we can get extra help in place immediately.”

Cleeve Hill Nursing Home perched high up on Cleeve Hill has begun the first phase of its Project Leonardo da Vinci initiative.

The project which is funded by the European Union is designed to forge partnerships, exchange best practice and develop the skills of vocational learners. The first batch of 6 Students is being shown how things are done here whilst undertaking English Lessons and Care training. Those enjoying the experience will be offered the opportunity to work at the Nursing Home or within the rapidly expanding CleeveLink Home Care business.

Robert Flexer, Nursing Home and CleeveLink Managing Director, explained why there is a need for European Carers. "For many years we have struggled to fill the increasing demand for care staff from within the local community and the wider UK workforce. This project not only provides a solution for staffing levels but offers us highly trained individuals who are qualified above and beyond the UK government requirements. These students have an impressive amount of knowledge."

This is certainly true. The first batch of 6 students has just come from a Care College in Poland and a further 36 students are scheduled to arrive over the coming year. These students have all embarked on 2 and 3 year courses where they will graduate with professional qualifications. Before arriving here, they will have undertaken 60 hours of intensive English lessons and they will receive a further 45 hours here at the Nursing Home's in-house language school. They are all encouraged to speak only English in and around the Home whilst they are furthering their practical care experience.

Robert continued, "I am only too aware of the topical discussions about EU workers in the UK but we must find a way to source professionally qualified and trained care staff to meet the needs of our aging population. In the long term, it is time for key people in the education community to reappraise the needs of the care industry so that we can attract local school leavers into the profession by offering full time similar in depth vocational training which will improve the professional status of the care worker. If we can combine this with better rates of pay then we stand a good chance of evolving a fully skilled local workforce offering the quality of service which our senior citizens rightly expect us to provide."

It is a combination that we all hope we can achieve - old age and independence - and the government is keen to help this in order to reduce the heavy costs of residential care. Most of us won't be running marathons in our senior years but we may not be ready to give up the ghost either. Sometimes, a little assistance is needed and Cleeve Link Ltd, in line with NHS and Social Services' initiatives, has extended its well established home care service to cover Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh.

Cleeve Link responds to the increasing demand for care in the home in Stow, Moreton and the surrounding areas. Cleeve Link manager, Jo Goode says, "Cleeve Link has expanded throughout Gloucestershire for 3 years now and recently we started to receive enquiries from Stow and Moreton residents asking whether there is an alternative to living in a care home. We now have numerous clients in the area to whom we provide a personal service.";

Cleeve Link offers a wide range of help provided by qualified and fully trained care staff. They can assist with washing and dressing in the mornings, lunch time visits and help with going to bed. A domestic service including laundry and shopping is also available. Care can be from 30 minutes to 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Jo adds, "All our care programmes are different to suit the individual. Some of our clients opt for domestic help twice a week, some need daily personal care and increasingly many opt for a 24 hour live-in carer to attend to all needs, enabling the client to stay in the comfort of their own home."

By welcoming a carer into their home, clients can keep a high level of independence by working together as a team. It is essential that a close bond is made especially where a carer and client live together. The Cleeve Link team takes care to consider clients' needs and personal preferences when choosing a carer or team of carers and always encourages open and honest communication.

Jo continued, "In order to maintain the excellent quality of care we are renowned for, steps are taken to ensure that we recruit the highest standard of nurses and personal assistants. The carer is carefully chosen based on their past history with us, their qualifications plus their references, which will have been checked by us as well as the Criminal Records Bureau check (CRB). Once this selection process has been successfully completed, a training programme is undertaken which lasts until we are satisfied the carer is capable of taking on the assignment. During the training period, the carer will undergo evaluation testing to check proficiency levels and to start the process of carefully matching the carer's qualifications, temperament and personal attributes with the client's needs to ensure a successful relationship."

Cleeve Link also recognises that it is important to provide support for the family carers, such as the husband or wife. Constant caring can take its toll on the family carer and the initiative acknowledges this by offering respite care so that the carer can take a break.This could be as little as a few hours off or, in the event of illness, both the carer and the cared-for, can be looked after in Cleeve Hill Nursing Home until they feel they are well enough to go home. Either way, the intention is to combine the enjoyment and independence of living at home with the reassurance that Cleeve Link will provide whatever help is needed.

Cleeve Link Ltd and Cleeve Hill Healthcare Ltd, are small family businesses operated by Mr and Mrs Flexer. A copy of the most recent inspection report is freely available on request and either the owners, or senior members of staff, are always on hand to address any concerns or to discuss any aspect of care. Mr Flexer comments, "Please don't hesitate to call us if you would like to discuss our home care or live-in care service. We are here to help."