Home Instead Senior Care, the provider of award-winning in-home care, today celebrated receiving its fiftieth outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the highest possible rating available. The Wirral office became Home Instead’s fiftieth English office* to receive this highly coveted accolade.

Reaching the fiftieth milestone is an incredible achievement for Home Instead, it means an impressive 25% of the Home Instead network in England now boast this outstanding accreditation – compared to the average of home care providers in England which is just 3%.

Hilton Nursing Partners nurse Clare Gingell found herself in the middle of a bomb scare but showing her courage and dedication for her patients, she put their safety first.

Police cordoned off areas of Kingston upon Thames in south-west London following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb on the site of a former hotel. However Clare was just about to visit a vulnerable patient.

Eager to get to her patient, who was receiving 24 hour care on the Home to Decide pathway, Claire she was able to sign a disclaimer that allowed her to enter the restricted area at her own risk. Once at the patient’s home she was able to explain the situation and ensure the patient was safe. 

A group of Sheffield nursing home residents are helping shape the city's health services.

Broomgrove - which is sited just off Ecclesall Road - has become the first home in the region to work in partnership with Healthwatch Sheffield on a project run with the city's Accountable Care Partnership.

The residents chose to look at ways to assess the disabled provision currently offered by the city's community dentists  and opticians as an area to study.

Broomgrove residents have spent the past few weeks working with Healthwatch Sheffield's Laura Cook to produce a comprehensive questionnaire to be given to care home residents across the city.

Glasgow is leading the way in closing medicine’s gender gap, thanks to a new initiative which was jointly launched on Wednesday 5th June by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the University of Glasgow.

Social care provider, Optalis, honoured dedicated care workers for their outstanding performance at the annual Star Awards ceremony, held at Easthampstead Park Conference Centre.

The event, which took place on 12 June, celebrates the exceptional work delivered by Optalis staff providing all levels of care and support and highlighting those who had been short-listed in different categories.

Employees were nominated in nine individual categories, which include, among others, awards in communication, respect, and continuous development. The awards are an opportunity to praise all individuals who have consistently exhibited empathy, a positive attitude, and dedication to the work offered to customers supported by Optalis’ services.

An outbreak of the Norovirus has forced medics to close hospital wards in Cornwall this morning. 

People are being urged to avoid the Royal Cornwall Hospital after three wards have been contaminated with the vomiting bug. 

Senior staff at the hospital have issued a "Black Alert", known as an "OPEL 4" which the NHS classifies as a "serious incident".

A Scottish company specialising in providing home-based care solutions has opened a brand-new office in Carluke to reach people requiring help outside of hospital in the region.

SRS Care Solutions, a complimenting business arm of Group SRS (Scottish Recruitment Solutions), welcomed Angela Crawley, local MP for Lanark and Hamilton East, along with local businesses, members of the community and service users for the special opening.

During her visit, Ms Crawley judged a ‘Bake Off' competition which was embraced by several businesses in the area, including Carluke Development Trust, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and LG Lash & Wax, who brought their bakes to the event.

The BBC has scrapped the free TV licence for all over 75s, meaning only those who receive Pension Credit will be exempt from paying the fee from next year.

There has been widespread criticism of the move to means test the concession, which was announced days after the D-Day anniversary coverage on the BBC and will affect millions when it comes into effect on June 1 2020.

Cygnet Health Care’s Sherwood Lodge and Sherwood House rated ‘Outstanding’ by Care Quality Commission

Sherwood Lodge rated ‘Outstanding’ across all five CQC categories.Cygnet now has the only two learning disability hospitals in the country to have achieved this extremely rare accolade

Cygnet Health Care is delighted to announce that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated the care provided by Sherwood Lodge, Cygnet’s specialist learning disability hospital and Sherwood House, Cygnet’s specialist rehabilitation mental health hospital as ‘Outstanding’.

A care provider that failed in its duty to provide safe care and treatment has been fined £24,000 and ordered to pay £14,000 towards the cost of the prosecution, and a £170 victim surcharge, by North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

The Care Quality Commission brought the prosecution following the death of an 83-year-old woman at Gretton Court care home in Hartlepool.

The provider, The Hospital of God at Greatham, previously pleaded guilty at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, on 13 March 2019, to two offences: failing to provide safe care and treatment resulting a resident being exposed to a serious risk of avoidable harm, and a failure to provide safe care and treatment to the residents of Gretton Court from being exposed to a significant risk of avoidable harm.

The court heard how a new resident was admitted to Gretton Court on 25 November 2015. Due to them being at risk of falling from bed when resting, it was decided that they needed bed rails and passive infrared sensors (PIR), that sound an alarm when they detect movement. The resident’s need for bed rails was reassessed throughout 2016 and they were found to be of low risk of falling from bed. However, the provider had failed to ensure that staff, responsible for assessing these needs and the safe use of bed rails, had received appropriate training. A relevant safety policy was also not available. The bed rails remained in use.

Ardale, a new name to the residential and nursing care sector have named Oakham Grange as their first home. This 9 million bespoke 60 bed new build home is planned to open in early 2020, creating 200 new jobs.

‘Ardale may be a new name to the healthcare sector’ said Lesa McAnulty, Ardale’s Chief Operating Officer ‘but behind the name is a senior team with many years nursing care and expertise.

Ardale are on a mission to deliver care and support that is meaningful to each individual; with the warmth and personality that only a family owned company can create.’

Ardale will provide nursing care and support underpinned by a care ethos of; promoting independence while maintaining friendships and interests

As the world marks International Nurses Day on Florence Nightingale’s birthday this weekend (Sunday 12 May), editor Victoria Galligan takes a look at five ways that nurses around the country are celebrating…

1. The Royal College of Nursing is encouraging members to organise a get-together as part of the UK’s Biggest Nursing Party and offers a free party pack to help get planning started on your event. 

A care home operator has had his Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration cancelled following a rating of “inadequate” in a recent inspection.

The CQC took the action to cancel the registration of Mr Thurairatnam Nadarajah Prakash and he is now no longer legally allowed to provide care at his service Durham Care Homes in Hull.

The CQQ said in a statement: “The latest inspection, in February 2019, rated the service inadequate overall and it was placed into special measures. The inspection revealed a significant deterioration in the care being provided and inspectors began the process to take enforcement action.

Our Health Heroes, the national healthcare awards which celebrate individuals, teams and organisations within the healthcare and care and sectors, are returning for the fourth year and promise to be bigger and better than ever.

Launched today (Monday 8^th April) during the annual UNISON Health Conference at Bournemouth International Centre, the Our Health Heroes awards will be delivered by Skills for Health and the National Skills Academy for Health with support from headline sponsor Health Education England.

Nominations in eight categories, which recognise the contribution of healthcare workers from a range of facilities across the UK, including those working in the NHS, are being sought from healthcare professionals and members of the public via the dedicated Our Health Heroes webpage.