The Future of Care: Moving Forward

On Tuesday 13th March 2018, The Future of Care conference was held in Cavendish Square, London. We sent our delegation to see what was in store, how are things going to move forward, how can we improve things.
We went with open minds, had no pre-conceptions, we just wanted to walk away with some knowledge that would improve how we care about those living with us here, at Shedfield Lodge.
The conference was opened by the Chair, Broadcaster, Columnist, Alzheimer's Society Ambassador & Campaigner, Fiona Phillips. It was obvious that Fiona had a real passion for care sector not least because both her parents had lived with Alzheimer's but also for those, now in our society, that we are privileged and blessed to have entrusted into our care.
There was a packed schedule of speakers, leaders in their field, that encompassed many topics including:
The quality of care, what good practice looks like & how it can be achieved.
New care models & how they will help shape the future of care.
Sustaining an Adult Social Care sector that serves older people well.
A social care system fit for the future.
Understanding current trends & the future challenges of Alzheimer's.
Does outstanding training lead to outstanding care.
What is next for the care home sector.
Nutrition & person-centred dementia care.
An outcomes-based approach to social care.
We will look at each topic in depth and disclose our findings in an article that we will publish on our website in due course but for this blog, we will just give an overview of our opinions.
When we look at what good practice should be, we also look at how compassionate, sincere and dedicated our team, here at the Lodge are. We know this because the evidence speaks for itself. Not just the CQC inspection report that tells us or the five star reviews on various independent websites but from what we see with everyone on a daily basis, from the family members that speak to us everyday, from visiting professionals that tell us they love coming here, that they are so pleased when they see they are coming to Shedfield Lodge. Also when we go and assess someone that is in another home and we are told about a person that has behavioural issues and then they come to us and with the right person-centred approach they begin to flourish.
We were told about care models and innovation in care and how the future will be enabled by technology. We've embraced technology on so many levels. The use of CCTV in communal areas, the use of a care management system, Nourish, that has dramatically reduced the amount of time spent report writing allowing more quality time to be spent directly with those that we care about. The ability to have a handset that gives us access to all the up-to-the-minute information we need instantly, we can even speak into them if we want.
We are already working closely with others in the community, GP's, DN's, Social Services, Hospitals and now of course with our Community Dementia Awareness programme, running since last August, we have included retailers, solicitors, hairdressers, food establishments and other businesses and even spread to all members of the community to create an inclusive community, where people living with a dementia in the community can feel supported, understood, valued and have their personhood upheld and are treated with dignity and respect. By doing this we have been integrating with our community, building positive and proactive relationships.
The training of care staff was also talked about. It was said that there was a lack of access to training and dementia awareness. So we look at the training our staff have, the subjects covered, the frequency, the quality of the accredited trainer and also the external training we offer to the community, free. We have invested in our whole team and the wider community.
The topic of nutrition lead us to think about what we are doing here at the Lodge. Using technology, we can see instantly fluid intakes, what food has been eaten and we know the nutritional values of all the food that is served. The Nourish Care Management system will create graphs to clearly show each individuals statistics regarding hydration, nutrition, as well as all other information. The meals we provide can be tailored to each individuals specific requirements while still offering choice and catering for dietary and cultural needs.
To sum up, we did learn a lot and we have brought some really good ideas/plans back with us, that will be implemented as required/necessary. But we also learned that we, as a whole team, are doing amazing things for those we care about but also for the wider community. We must not become complacent though and must realise that we need to strive to always provide the best quality person-centred care for everyone living at Shedfield Lodge.
A full report will be compiled and will be available via our website shedfieldlodge.com soon