We have uploaded all of these practice guides to our [...]]]>
These guides were put together by My Home Life Cymru with support from Age Cymru. The stories shared are all taken from care homes in Wales.

We have uploaded all of these practice guides to our library.

A very Merry Christmas to all from the My Home Life Team

On 15th September 2011, the Government launched Caring for our future: shared ambitions for care and support – an engagement with people who use care and support services, carers, local councils, care providers, and the voluntary sector about the priorities for improving care and support. The engagement [...]]]> Social Care Reform Engagement: Opportunity to influence 

On 15^th September 2011, the Government launched Caring for our future: shared ambitions for care and support – an engagement with people who use care and support services, carers, local councils, care providers, and the voluntary sector about the priorities for improving care and support. The engagement exercise will run until 2 December 2011 and the results from the discussions will inform a Government White Paper and a progress report on funding reform that will be published in spring 2012. Further details are available at: www.caringforourfuture.dh.gov.uk. 

Caring for our future will consist of six themes: Quality, Personalisation Shaping local care services, Prevention, Integration (in partnership with NHS Future Forum), and The role of the financial services. 

My Home Life has been asked by Paul Burstow (Minister of State for Care Services) to contribute to the Quality and Workforce Engagement Workstream, which is focusing on how could we improve the quality of care and how could we develop the future workforce to do this?  

Urgent Action Required:

If you and/or your organisation, would like to engage in this work and influence future policy, please read the Caring for our Future leaflet for more details.  Feedback can be given on-line (http://caringforourfuture.dh.gov.uk/category/priorities/), or by using the Caring for Our Future feedback form, which can be emailed to: caringforourfuture@dh.gsi.gov.uk or by post to: Caring for our future, Area 117, Wellington House, 133-155 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UG

Please note that the deadline for written comments is 2 December 2011.

Caring for our future leaflet (PDF, 125K)

Caring for our future feedback (PDF, 323K)

You are invited to attend a seminar on the subject;

Centre for Better Managed Health and Social Care - opportunity to influence White Paper

Caring for our future: Quality and workforce

How could we improve the quality of care and how could we develop the future workforce to do this?

Chair: Imelda Redmond

http://caringforourfuture.dh.gov.uk/
at 18.30pm (Registration from 18.00pm) on the 28th of November at Cass Business School, London

106 Bunhill Row, London, EC1Y 8TZ

The seminar will be focusing the discussion around the following 4 questions in order that we can inform the attached engagement exercise “Caring for Our Future” (Quality and Workforce theme)

• What does great care look like?
• How is this delivered?
• What is the role of the workforce?
• What are the levers for achieving this?

 To book a place, please email  shivani.patel.1@city.ac.uk

We are a 54 bedded Private Nursing Home on the west coast of Ireland and located just 8 miles from Galway City.

The scene was set. The day had come and a democratic decision was made to get the home [...]]]> This story was kindly sent in by Maura Horan, Director of Nursing, Mowlam Healthcare

We are a 54 bedded Private Nursing Home on the west coast of Ireland and located just 8 miles from Galway City.

The scene was set. The day had come and a democratic decision was made to get the home its first egg producing hens and save some poor birds from their otherwise short life to the pot.

It was a difficult decision as everyone had an opinion!! At first glance it might seem an easy task to the uninitiated but with a variety of conflicting opinions and lifelong experience in this matter, it was no easy decision. Choosing a particular breed of hen was much more difficult than you might think. Tom and Michael were considering the task of cleaning out! Bridget was worried about the fox. Maureen reminded us that the hens give a lot and ask for very little in return. They are capable and guaranteed to perform well year-round.

We warned them of the danger of ending up in the pot if they did not produce but all agreed the chance to have some beautiful hens and their delicious eggs would be worth it.

After much debate we decided on The Rhode Island Reds or RIR’s as we call them, which are a cross between two breeds of Gold Cocks mated with Silver females to produce brown (and brown eggs) which is named Rhode Island Red. Kate had a theory of how Gold mixed with silver becomes brown but ends up on the table as red!!!

We then had to consider the Hen House and run, and had to make it fox proof.  Pronsious had heard the fox at night from his bedroom and knew the fox would be watching our new hens with hungry eyes.

We bought a large dog kennel and run area, everyone agreed this was suitable and the idea that the hens were coming to occupy it soon became much more real and exciting.

Next we had to source the birds. We decided the best places to look for the hens were in the small ads section of the local paper or to download options from the internet.

The residents could not understand this download business. The idea of getting hens on the internet did concern them!!

Having missed out on hens in Moycullen, Gort and Headford on market day, we met Tom, the community Nurse who later became the “Hen man” He delivered the hens from the back of his car.

He sold us 6 hens at the “point-of-lay”. Because they are working hens we agreed not to name them.

All six arrived weighed in at a good weight for 6weeks old. Such enough they did not disappoint.

The eggs arrived and brown in colour, Free range and organic.

The sentence of the pot has been lifted!

Sponsored by Essex County Council, you can visit it at here for news articles, films and training resources, all focused on best practice care in Essex.

Lucy Yung of Plymouth Council commented: “The feedback we’ve had has been excellent! The homes are extremely positive [...]]]> Having launched on the 27th of April this year, My Home Life Plymouth is making buoyant progress. There was high demand for the programme and with the homes selected, they are now embarking on their training.

Lucy Yung of Plymouth Council commented: “The feedback we’ve had has been excellent! The homes are extremely positive and enthused about this project, and delighted to be part of My Home Life. There is so much great practice out there that it’s wonderful to have a way that such knowledge and experience can be shared across the network.”

For more information please contact Lucy Yung at lucy.yung@plymouth.gov.uk.

A group of eleven care home managers has been funded by Wiltshire Council and NHS Wiltshire to take part in a leadership programme, designed to develop the skills needed to support the culture [...]]]> In the last eighteen months, the My Home Life Wiltshire programme has been focussing on the best practice theme of Leadership.

A group of eleven care home managers has been funded by Wiltshire Council and NHS Wiltshire to take part in a leadership programme, designed to develop the skills needed to support the culture change that underpins My Home Life. The programme has been a great success and the Council will now be working in partnership with these managers to co-develop and co-deliver My Home Life workshops to other care homes across Wiltshire. These workshops are designed to share the skills needed to integrate other best practice themes into the day to day culture of care homes.

In conjunction with this, the Council is continuing its programme of Dignity in Care training. This is provided free to staff of care homes in Wiltshire and to date approximately two hundred care staff have received this training.

Kathryn Norton of Wiltshire Council said: “We are really pleased that the My Home Life project has generated so much interest and enthusiasm . The managers involved have developed some key skills in managing and delivering change and we are excited that they are keen to continue to work with us and share best practice to other homes in Wiltshire.”

For more information please contact Kathryn Norton at Kathryn.Norton@wiltshire.gov.uk

Genette Laws, [...]]]> My Home Life Medway launches on the 20th of July in an event at The Corn Exchange, Rochester. Numerous care homes for the elderly from across Medway have been invited, and the day promises to be a great introduction to the My Home Life movement as well as a fantastic networking event.

Genette Laws, Social Care Commissioning Manager for Medway Council, commented: “This is a really exciting time for the care home sector in Medway. We’re really happy to be part of the My Home Life project and look forward to working together and sharing good practice over the coming months and years.”

For further information, please contact: carol.galvin@medway.gov.uk