magazine winter 2015/16

Christmas Special Edition

Title: Jumping Owls Artist: Ann Morgan / Blackham House Medium: Acrylic

&

welcome

to the winter magazine

“I would like to take this opportunity to wish all residents and members of our community a Merry Christmas.”

W

elcome to

of service that underpin

the special

everything we offer. These

Christmas edition

range from our principles

of Inspiration Magazine,

of housing and care, to the

C&C’s resident magazine.

way we approach our new

I would like to take

developments, property

this opportunity to wish all

services and our focus on

residents and all members

resident engagement.

of our community a Merry Christmas. I have met with many

We’ve taken a closer look at our brand, making it focused on residents and

residents throughout the year

members of our community

and seen the hard work and

who truly make an impact

dedication both residents and

and enrich our lives every

members of staff who are

single day.

committed to making C&C an

I wish you all a happy

inspirational place to live.

festive season to enjoy with

Each year, we take

family and friends, whether

this opportunity to spend

you’re celebrating Christmas,

time with our nearest and

Hannukah or just some great

dearest, be that our family,

Boxing Day sales.

our friends, our neighbours or

Sadly, this will be my last

our colleagues and reflect on

Christmas at C&C as I have

what a fantastic year we’ve

decided to retire and move

had.

onto doing other things. I wish

Over the course of this

you all the best for the future

year, we refreshed our

and look forward to watching

business plan, refocusing

how C&C goes from strength

it on our core principles

to strength in the future.

The new year will have some challenges but also herald exciting things to come. Best wishes,

Caroline Tiller Chief Executive

inspiration

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES Over the Christmas period, C&C’s care homes and sheltered schemes have been given a festive makeover to reflect the cheer of the holiday season. Even the central office has gotten involved, with each department putting up their own Christmas trees. There are a lot of activities over the Christmas period that we are looking forward to. In our care homes, we will be hosting a number of activities that have proven to be favourites over the last few eyars, including wreath making and floral arrangements. As well some homes will be reading seasonal poems and stories. We’re looking forward to getting into the festive mood with mince pie making sessions at some of our schemes. Some members of the Resident Engagement team came along to the Oldfield Estate on 10th December for mince pie making

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and a card making workshop. The day was very enjoyable, with residents commenting that it was the best day of the year and they weren’t feeling the Christmas spirit until they attended. On 14th December, residents from Edna House will host a similar session, with Christmas floral arrangements and mince pies. We look forward to seeing you there. If you are putting on any festive events, please let your scheme managers know so they can assist in any way they can. If you do hold an event, please send in your photos along with stories of how your scheme celebrated this year; these will be put in the next issue of the magazine.

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creative arts

felt making sessions Residents and staff have been taking place in feltmaking sessions, provided by artists from Orleans Gallery in Twickenham. This wonder project was funded by London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames’ Community Learning. This is the third art project we have done in collaboration with the gallery. Residents and staff have learned how to make felt – teasing the unwoven wool into strands and layering them up before wetting them and applying pressure in order to fuse the strands into felt. During the project

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they have created some absolutely wonderful work, including felt pictures of flowers and landscapes and Christmas stockings. As well as being very enjoyable and creative, this activity is great for our older residents, providing really good physiotherapy for the hands and arms! Thanks very much to the lovely artists who lead the sessions and to Orleans Gallery and LBRUT Community Learning for offering us this wonderful project. by Alison Teader Creative Arts Officer

creative arts

photographed: Ada Court resident Elena Volosinovici with Rob Gilden

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health and safety

Seasonal Candle Fires: A Burning Issue The London Fire Brigade is warning Londoners to take care this festive season after new figures show blazes started by candles increase by a massive 38%* between November 2014 and January 2015. An average of 21 candle fires a month between February and October; this number rises dramatically to 29 fires a month during November, December and January. Candles are one of the biggest causes of fires in the home - during 2013/2014 six people died and 61 people were injured in fires started by candles. We’re concerned that people using tea-lights as part of their Christmas decorations could be putting themselves and their families at risk if they don’t follow this advice. Top candle safety tips 1. Always place your candles in a suitable fire resistant candleholder. 2. Always put the candleholder on a heat resistant surface like a ceramic plate. 3. Keep candles away from Christmas trees, curtains or anything else that could catch fire.

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London Fire Brigade’s community Safety Group Manager Mark Hazelton said, “At this time of year many people will be lighting candles as part of their festive decorations but if you don’t use them safely it could spell disaster for you and your family. “You should always make sure candles are placed in a proper holder on an even, heat resistant surface and that they are kept well away from anything that could catch fire like clothing or curtains. Mixing candles and too much alcohol can also be catastrophic so don’t use them if you’ve had a lot to drink.” The advice from London Fire Brigade is if there is a fire in your home never try and tackle it yourself. Always get out, stay out and call 999. You should also have a smoke alarm fitted to every level of your home and test it regularly. *The statistics are based on average figures for candle fires over the last three years

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resident scrutiny panel

update

By David Justice Chair of RSP

The RSP met on 22nd October at Philip House, a sheltered scheme in Paddington. The Chair welcomed 3 new members to the Panel, one member from general needs, and two reserve members who are powers of attorney for care residents. The RSP are currently recruiting for one more vacancy. If you are interested, please contact the RSP on the below details. The Head of Housing explained that C&C are currently completing an asset review assessing the housing stock of the business as a whole. This should be completed by the end of the calendar year. It was explained that the Dora House relocation has increased voids, but is on target to be empty by the end of the calendar year, after which voids should go back to normal. Housing record voids not held for Dora separately, and those over 8 weeks have reduced. The Head of Care (HoC) said that voids have been difficult due to the impact of Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections across homes, particularly in Compton Lodge where the ‘required improvement’ rating meant that they were unable to let any void units for several months. There was a discussion about the changing local authority funding arrangements, and that

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local authorities are leaning towards supporting people living at home for longer. This has meant that new resident’s needs are often more acute when they first come in. With regards to staffing, there is a proactive recruitment campaign going on at the moment, however agency costs continue to be high and there are no permanent nurses at Queens Court. Managers must now justify their need for agency staff, to ensure that agency costs are defensible. The Head of Property Services (HoPS) said that repairs performance figures are generally positive, however there has been a decrease in the percentage of jobs being completed first time which is being investigated to ensure that improvements are made. At present C&C have 2 interim maintenance contracts whilst they consider options for an in house repairs team. The Board have also agreed a pilot with Just Right Works. Early next year a report will go to the Board outlining options for an in house repairs team. Phil Insuli introduced himself as the new link member between the RSP and Board. He explained that the Board are currently recruiting for 2 vacancies and will be reviewing the executive team as a whole. Phil

update explained that the Chancellor’s announcement has caused a major shock to the housing sector, with relation to the right to buy and living wage changes and that housing associations are having to do a major review to allow for the income gap. C&C must present their business plan to the Homes and Communities Agency, but it is likely this will need to be constantly reviewed and updated. C&C are committed to staying with their values as a social housing organisation, but will need to be more business orientated. He said that the Board will need to look at how to engage the RSP in changes.

to better survey the views of residents living within our care homes. To get in touch with the RSP please email [email protected], call: 020 7922 5368 or write to Resident Scrutiny Panel, Cecil House, 266 Waterloo Rd, London, SE1 8RQ. Freepost envelopes are available upon request.

An update from the Sheltered Housing forum was received, in addition to an update from the Resident Engagement in Care Service Review, wish is currently being completed by the Panel. It was explained that future RSP and Board meetings will include a service review update, so that they can monitor progress. The RSP have just completed Stage 1 of the Quality Assured Scrutiny (QAS) process and will shortly move on to Stage 2 accreditation. As part of the accreditation, the Panel signed off a dispute resolution process, where it was agreed that an independent advisor would be used if a dispute were to occur. In addition the RSP will complete impact assessment training over the next few months, so that they are better equipped at measuring their impact. Towards the end of the meeting the RSP reviewed new survey software which Care are investigating, with the view to be able

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update

SERVICE REVIEWS Service Reviews look in depth at an area of service to examine current policy and practice and make suggestions for improvement, which are considered in full by the RSP and Board. The RSP are currently in the process of concluding their fourth service review into Resident Engagement in Care. After presenting their findings to the RSP and Board, the Panel will communicate their recommendations via the C&C website, inspiration magazine and on scheme notice boards. At C&C’s Annual Conference residents chose the next two Service Review topics which are: Creative Arts and Keeping Good Staff. See below for details of how you can get involved. Are you interested in helping to improve the Creative Arts service at C&C? The Resident Scrutiny Panel (RSP) will be starting their fifth service review in February 2016, investigating

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how to improve the creative arts service that C&C provide to residents. If you feel that you could contribute to this review, by assessing the creative arts service on offer, and making suggestions for improvements then we would love to hear from you. The RSP are looking for three residents who are interested in this service review, to join three panel members from the RSP. Selection to the Panel will be by interview with RSP members. The review panel will work alongside the Creative Arts team and will receive continued support from the Resident Engagement Team. To express your interest, please get in touch with the Resident Engagement Team on 02079225368, [email protected], or Resident Engagement, C&C, 266 Waterloo Rd, London, SE1 8RQ

update

RESIDENT SKILL POOL Do you know about our Resident Skill Pool? We put in place our Resident Skill Pool in 2013, to give all our residents the opportunity to hear about ways they might get involved with C&C and activities using their individual skills and talents. Skill Pool members receive a quarterly newsletter detailing the various opportunities and ways that you can get involved at C&C, whether this is joining a Panel that relates to your interests, volunteering at one of our care homes or attending special events such as our up-coming 90th Anniversary Celebration activities, Annual Conference or World

Food Day. There will also be updates on the exciting work of some of our residents and information about why getting involved might be for you. But you need to sign up, as we ensure that C&C only contact you about opportunities to get involved, if you have asked us to. If you would like to join our Skill Pool, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with the Resident Engagement Team on 02079225368, getinvolved@ ccht.org.uk, or Resident Engagement, C&C, 266 Waterloo Rd, London, SE1 8RQ

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TAKE A LOOK AT OUR C&C APP For a limited time only C&C will be giving away £5 Love2shop vouchers if you download the C&C app. These can be spent in a wide range of high street shops including Waterstones, Boots, HMV and many more.

• • • • • •

Securely pay your rent via Allpay Request your account balance Provide feedback Report repairs Report ASB Seek help budgeting

The C&C app is available to download to your smart phone or tablet device from the App Store or Google Play - just search

If you would like any help downloading the app or have any questions, then please get in touch with Lucy Flegg, Resident

‘Central & Cecil’. The app will enable you to:

Engagement Officer on 02079225368 or [email protected]

HOW DO YOU WISH TO RECEIVE C&C NEWS? Please contact us if you need this in large print, on audio tape or in a community language.

President: Harriet Bowes-Lyon LVO

Vice Presidents: Ian Henderson Michael Muller Nick Moore

Visit our website at www.ccht.org.uk to find out more about us.

CHRISTMAS IS ALL AROUND AT C&C