9 September 2022

Dear Residents, Tenants, and Colleagues

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

I know that everyone will be deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. As the country’s monarch for over 70 years and the Sovereign Head of The Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, she holds a very special place in the heart of everyone living or working at the Trust.

On a more practical level, most of us walk past an image of her every time we come in or out of our homes.

Queen Elizabeth’s kindness and leadership was evident to all. Many of our residents will remember her direction and comfort during times of national crisis throughout the 20th century and all were cheered by her messages of support during the pandemic. Queen Elizabeth’s steadfast faith, and her commitment to her role and dedication to her people endeared her to the nation.

OSJCT care homes, schemes, and offices will follow national protocols for a period of mourning. Our Admiral Nurses are available to support residents and employees during this time of grieving. Each home will make arrangements, based on the wishes of residents, to remember Queen Elizabeth in a fitting way.

Finally, when helping our nation come to terms with one of the many sad world events that took place during her reign, she helped us to understand and manage our sadness by reminding us that ‘grief is the price we pay for love’.

Yours faithfully

Dan Hayes OBE

Chief Executive Officer

Two OSJCT Trustees were recognised earlier this month in The Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours. 

Professor Jill Manthorpe was awarded a CBE and Dr Anne de Bono was awarded an OBE in acknowledgement of their significant contribution to their respective fields. 

Jill was awarded a CBE for services to Social Work and Social Care Research. She has a long-standing interest in the care of older people. Her first job in 1977 was with Age Concern and she has subsequently worked on a wide range of ageing-related studies and been a Trustee of several voluntary groups. She is currently Professor of Social Work at King's College London and Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce.  She also leads other research studies funded by a variety of public and charitable sources and publishes widely in leading journals and the professional press.  Jill was appointed as a Trustee of OSJCT in 2015.

Anne was awarded an OBE for services to Occupational Medicine.  She was a general practitioner in Oxford and Edinburgh before training as a specialist in occupational medicine. She is now a consultant at the University Hospitals of Leicester, where she developed a large NHS Occupational Health Service for healthcare staff and students across Leicestershire and Rutland.  In 2017 she was elected President of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians, leading her specialty during the pandemic.  She was also appointed in 2017 as a Medical Trustee for OSJCT, a specialist position within the Trust’s governance framework which provides specific medical guidance and advice.

Both Trustees have links to the Orders of Malta, one of the Trust’s two historic sponsoring Orders.  Jill was initially co-opted as a Trustee by BASMOM, the British Association of the Order of Malta, and Anne served as Chief Medical Officer for the BASMOM Lourdes pilgrimage from 2003-2016.

Dan Hayes, Chief Executive of OSJCT, said: “We are thrilled to see Jill and Anne recognised in this year’s Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list.  We are privileged to have Trustees of such high calibre and experience on our Board, to help advise the organisation. A huge congratulations to them both.”

Activities Coordinators from 13 Trust care homes have taken part in professional CPD training in how to use music as part of their day-to-day care practice to support communication, connection and identity for older people living in care homes, thanks to the latest initiative in a long-standing partnership between the national music charity Live Music Now and OSJCT.

Two online training sessions focused on helping participants who work in care homes to: understand the potential of music to engage older people, feel more confidence in using music and develop new skills and practices. It also focused on ways to ensure that care home residents are benefiting from music and how to design a session to encourage increased interaction from residents.

Sharon Dewsbury, Activities Coordinator at Paternoster House in Cirencester, who organises a varied programme for residents at the 40-bed care home, took part in the training. Since the training she has proactively distributed musical and percussion instruments to residents to join in music-making while listening to a singer or their regular pianist. Now more residents, including those with dementia, are using handheld instruments to join in with the music and express themselves.

One resident revealed a hidden talent, when she took to playing the piano. Now she regularly plays alongside the pianist who comes three times a week to the home to perform for residents.

Sharon said: “The training was great and now residents are using musical instruments more often. At Paternoster House we have several music and singing events each month.

“It’s clear through their interactions that residents enjoy music, and their participation often leads to reminiscence conversations where we get to learn more about their memories, preferences and feelings.”

Another participant in the training was Kelly Coffin, Activities Coordinator at Watersmead, in Westbury. She said: “We’ve introduced new techniques learned during the training into our music therapy sessions.

“One morning we used a background ‘soundscape’ to help residents to create a vision in their minds, such as the seaside. They then used various instruments to add to the background music. Everyone was having fun and there was lots of laughter.”

This training is part of Live Music Now's Live Music In Care programme, to develop the musical care confidence, skills and capacity of care professionals, a focus of their work in adult social care since 2016. Live Music Now also took part in the Live Music In Care Study with OSJCT, MHA and the University of Winchester published in 2018. Live Music Now also provided evidence to the Power Of Music Report (April 2022) from UK Music and Music for Dementia. One of the report’s headline recommendations is to:

• Support frontline workers by providing better training on the role of music in health and care – in particular by establishing an accessible training module to help practitioners understand how best to use music as part of the care they provide in their work setting.

Helen Bayliss, OSJCT Regional Director for Gloucestershire, said: “The partnership with Live Music Now is fantastic for our homes and our residents. The training, live and online concerts and resources have given our Activities Coordinators a professional approach to organising music as a meaningful activity. This can be especially important for residents with dementia who may have limited ways of communication and expression, but where music can be an accessible channel for them to connect in many ways, with their fellow residents, care teams and their own thoughts and memories.”

Douglas Noble Strategic Director Wellbeing at Live Music Now said: “We are delighted to be further developing our valued partnership with OSJCT and the people who live and work in their care settings. Evidence shows us that access to music is an essential part of living later life well. We find that partnership working results in additional benefits and positive changes that would be much harder to achieve working as separate organisations.”

The partnership between OSJCT and Live Music Now will continue with forthcoming music residencies at Paternoster House and Millbrook Lodge starting in June.

Photo caption: l-r Music facilitator Yvette Jaquiss with resident Brenda Roper at Paternoster House

The Trust Recognition Awards, awarded annually, to Trust employees, volunteers, and leaders, have been launched with several new categories. Nominations are now open, and all employees, residents, relatives, friends and members of the community or professional colleagues are invited to take part and vote.

To nominate using the online form click here.

Or download the Trust Recognition Award booklet for more details about the Awards criteria and which roles are eligible in which categories click here.

This year, the Awards are made up of seven categories, spilt across Shining Star Awards and Leadership Awards. Everyone who is nominated will be informed and shortlisted nominees will be invited to our award ceremonies.

Shining Star Awards

These are for non-managerial employees and volunteers working in homes and schemes and office-based employees and volunteers (but excluding Executive and Senior Leadership Team members). Shining Star awards will be presented at the annual regional ceremonies.​

• Exceptional Dedication to Caring Award 
• Outstanding Community Engagement Award
• Trust Efficiency and Development Award 
• The Empowerment Award 
• The Personal Development Award 
• Unsung Hero of the Year

Leadership Awards

These are for care home and extra care housing scheme Managers and office-based senior leadership team members, including Regional Directors, Area Operations Manager, and member of the Executive team. The Leadership awards will be presented at annual leadership events such as the Leadership Conference or regional leadership workshops. ​

• The Inspirational Leader Award
• Trust Efficiency and Development Award 
• The Empowerment Award 

Dan Hayes, Trust Chief Executive said: “Having an opportunity to reflect and recognise the hard work of our colleagues and volunteers who exemplify our Trust values and demonstrate dedication and compassion every day is an important part of our working year. Each award nomination emphasises the exceptional skills, talents, and resilience, that all of our employees and volunteers bring to work.”

Use this here to nominate before the closing date - 20 May 2022. 

Dear family members and friends,

Living with Covid – changes to care home visiting, testing, admissions, and arrangements during outbreak.

The Government has issued Department of Health and Social Care guidance around changes for the adult social care sector. This follows the ending of most Covid-19 legal restrictions and free mass testing from 1 April 2022. In most areas, this new guidance will help care home life return back to normality, similar to the ways we operated before the pandemic.

We are pleased that visiting in OSJCT care homes will be mostly unrestricted, except when care homes are in outbreak (confirmed by the local Health Protection Team (HPT)). The new guidance around outbreak applies to all reasons the HPT may need to close a home such as cases of flu, norovirus, chest infections and Covid-19.

Homes will still operate a visiting booking system for a few weeks, but we expect to remove the need for booking soon, when the home is not in outbreak.

(As of June, visitors are asked to liaise with their home about local visiting arrangements, as some homes may ask visitors to book in advance.)

Here is a summary of the key changes in the guidance which affect visiting, testing, admissions, and arrangements during outbreak:

Visiting for homes not in outbreak

• Visitors should confirm that they are fit and well before entering our services. This is to reduce the risk of illness spreading to residents and colleagues and the home being closed for an outbreak.
• Anyone who feels unwell* should refrain from visiting for at least 5 days from the day they feel better.
• Everyone should continue to wear PPE as per Government guidance. Everyone must wear face masks inside our care homes and adhere to handwashing hygiene. Visitors supporting their loved one with personal care will need to wear extra PPE as instructed by the care home. Visitors no longer need to wear face masks in care home gardens and may remove their face mask when eating with their loved one in the resident’s bedroom, if agreed with the care home.
• Visits can take place in communal areas, gardens, and bedrooms.
• Visitors should keep a safe and respectful distance from other residents and employees, to maintain social distance, especially inside the care home.

*Please be aware that any visitor who appears to be unwell, such as displaying respiratory infection symptoms, may be refused entry to an OSJCT care home, even with a negative LFD test. If you are asked to leave, please respect this decision by the care home management who make these decisions in the best interests of our vulnerable residents, and to protect our hard-working employees.

All visitors must adhere to the Visitors’ Charter. We politely remind everyone of the importance of treating our employees and others with respect when visiting our homes/sites.

Testing

• Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests must be carried out by care home employees, volunteers, and any visitors who are involved in providing personal care to their loved one, as part of the home’s testing protocol. Tests should be carried out up to twice a week before arriving at the care home, using an LFD provided by the care home.
• Employees of the NHS and CQC will need to test for Covid-19 within 72 hours prior to visiting the home and show a negative test result.
• Residents will no longer have routine PCR tests, unless they show symptoms of a transmissible illness, or the home goes into outbreak. In these instances, they will be tested with an LFD test to rule out Covid-19.
• Visitors and contractors not providing personal care will not be asked to test before they enter a care home.
• New residents from the community will be asked to do a PCR test (or an LFD test if Covid-19 positive in the previous 90 days) 72 hours prior to moving into an OSJCT care home and an LFD on the day of their move. The tests will be provided by the care home.
• Residents moving from an NHS hospital will need to have a PCR (or LFD if Covid-19 positive in the previous 90 days) 48 hours prior to moving into an OSJCT care home. Tests to be provided by the NHS.
• If a prospective resident tests positive for Covid-19 their moving date may be postponed.

Admissions

• Prospective residents and their family members can visit an OSJCT care home and be shown around the whole home, as long as the home is not in outbreak.
• New residents will be tested for Covid-19 before moving into an OSJCT care home (see above).
• Most residents who are negative for Covid-19 on moving into care homes will not need to isolate in their rooms unless they subsequently show symptoms of being unwell or the home goes into outbreak.
• Any resident who has tested negative for Covid-19 but comes from a hospital or another social care setting which was in outbreak when they left, will be supported with up to 10 days of in-room support before being able to join the care home community, to minimise the risk of inadvertently bringing Covid-19 into a care home.
• New residents can move into a care home in any circumstance, subject to the Home Manager’s agreement. A risk assessment may be carried out in certain circumstances. 

Homes in outbreak

• Homes may be given ‘outbreak’ status, in consultation with the local HPT when cases of flu, norovirus, chest infections, Covid-19 or other transmissible infections are confirmed.

• New residents may be able to move into a home which is in outbreak, if the HPT agree that the risk of spread is low.
• During outbreak, visiting by family and friends will be restricted to just one visitor per resident, to be booked in advance with the care home.
• Visits may be restricted to a resident’s bedroom, the home’s screened visiting room or garden visiting pods.
• During a Covid-19 outbreak, all residents and employees will be tested at the outset, and then on days 4 and 7. If all employees and residents test negative from days 8 and 9, the home can come out of outbreak on Day 10. If testing is carried out by PCR there may be a slight delay in receiving test results. Testing during outbreaks for other reasons will be specific to the infection.
• When a home is in an outbreak it is preferable for prospective residents and their family members to arrange an online show round and meeting with the home’s Manager; however, it may be possible to arrange to see a bedroom on a ground floor.

If you have any questions, please contact your Home Manager. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we monitor, manage, and respond to the impact of these national changes in our services.

With best wishes

Mike Stredder

Operations Director

Monkscroft Care Centre, a dementia and nursing care home in Cheltenham, has achieved a rare top 10 rating on the consumer review website Carehome.co.uk, thanks to residents and their relatives.

Residents at the 80-bed care home and their relatives can submit reviews, which are then verified, on the consumer rating website based on eleven criteria: facilities, care/ support, cleanliness, treated with dignity, food and drink, staff, activities, management, safety/ security, rooms, and value for money.

A recent comment published on the website by Vicky, resident’s daughter, said: “I was pleased to get a place for (mum) at this popular and outstanding care home. The staff could not have been more helpful in supporting her to settle in. She says that the staff are lovely. They know her so well after just 2 weeks. My mind and our family now have peace of mind.”

The care home has an Outstanding CQC rating and a team of around 130 covering day and night roles. Home Manager since 2019 Doreen Paisley said:

“We are all thrilled to achieve this top score thanks to the personal reviews by our residents and their family members. This score is a testament to the hard work by everyone at Monkscroft and is a reflection on the excellent leadership of the home management teams who work tirelessly to continually put an exceptional level of care at the very heart of what they do.

“Even through recent challenges during the pandemic everyone was focused on running a vibrant home with plenty of activities, high quality care and meaningful moments for our residents.”

Monkscroft joins Gregory House in Grantham, which also has a top score of 10 on www.carehome.co.uk.

To view Monkscroft Care Centre’s profile on www.carehome.co.uk click here.

The Government has published a ministerial statement to announce imminent changes to testing and infection prevention measures in care homes, as part of the ‘Living with Covid’ plan. The detailed guidance for adult social care was only issued to care providers overnight and will come into effect on 4 April. We are currently working through this guidance to update our protocols.

These changes to testing are coming at a time when community rates of Covid-19 remain high, and employees and residents in some of our homes are testing positive. From 4 April, visitors who will be giving personal care (previously known as Essential Care Givers) and employees will be provided with LFD tests through their care home and will be required to test as per the new guidance (twice per week). The testing requirement for other visitors will cease from 4 April, however, we still recommend testing if you have your own supplies of LFD tests.

Until the new guidance comes into effect on 4 April, all visitors who have access to tests are asked to continue to test before they come into the home. Homes have limited stocks of LFD tests and may be able to provide these on a one-off basis to visitors who request them. Testing is still an important way to mitigate the risk of inadvertently bringing Covid-19 into a care home.

We also ask visitors to continue to participate in a wellness check, to have their temperature taken and to confirm that they are well. Any visitors with any obvious symptoms of being unwell, such as a cold symptoms, cough or high temperature will be asked to postpone their visit, even if they have a negative LFD test.

To summarise:

• Please take an LFD test before you visit a care home, or when you arrive (from 4 April this will be on a voluntary basis, except for visitors providing personal care to their loved one)
• Refrain from visiting if you feel unwell for any reason
• Continue to undertake a wellness check when you arrive in the care home
• Adhere to PPE and hand hygiene protocols including wearing face masks inside the care home

We will issue further information next week, once the detailed guidance has been reviewed, and teams have been briefed on the changes. In the meantime, please continue to be considerate and cooperative to all our employees. Whilst relaxing Covid-19 measures is welcome, we remain conscientious in our approach to infection prevention measures, as we all prioritise the care of our residents and your loved ones.

Dear family members and friends

Whilst Covid-19 precautions are being withdrawn for many areas of the population, at OSJCT we remain committed to those measures which limit the risk of Covid-19 spread in our care homes, ECH schemes, and offices. We ask that all our visitors, family members, friends, and contractors are supportive and understanding of our teams as we continue to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of your loved ones, as well as those who work and volunteer with us.

This is not the time to become complacent, as Covid-19 and other contagious infections can have serious consequences for those who are among the most vulnerable in our society. Despite the relaxation on restrictions for the general population, there are likely to be new variants and the number of cases within the community and our services continues to be monitored.  Importantly, there are no changes to DHSC guidance for adult social care, and our services will therefore continue to implement protocols already in place, such as: Covid-19 testing, self-isolation for asymptomatic and symptomatic employees, wearing of PPE, and limits to visits during outbreaks.

The Government has announced that most Covid-19 legal restrictions will end for the general population over coming days and free mass testing will stop from 1 April 2022, though the advice to stay at home and avoid contact with other people remains for anyone who tests positive. Full guidance applicable for adult social care from the 1 April 2022 is still to be published. Until we write to you about any new guidance, all visitors are still required to:

• Confirm they are fit and well before entering our services
• Abstain from visiting for at least 10 days if they have been a close contact of someone who tested positive to Covid-19 when they met them; and
• Abstain from visiting if they themselves have Covid-19, until at least day 7 (and then only visit if they have a negative lateral flow device (LFD) test).
• Take an LFD immediately before visiting one of our services (either before leaving home, or on arrival), and show a negative test result before entering the home.
• Wear PPE including masks according to our protocols
• Visit in designated visiting rooms/areas (or in resident’s bedrooms where previously agreed to)

The Trust will continue to:

• Test residents and employees on a regular basis
• Support employees to self-isolate when they have tested positive for Covid-19 or live with a family member who tests positive for Covid-19
• Provide comprehensive PPE to employees and visitors
• Implement enhanced cleaning and infection prevention protocols

We are seeking clarity from the Department of Health and Social Care as to the provision of free LFD testing for care home visitors following the withdrawal of free tests for the wider public from 1 April 2022. We will write to you as soon as we have further details.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we monitor, manage, and respond to the impact of these national changes, in our services.

With best wishes

Mike Stredder

Operations Director

Dear family member or friend,

Following last week’s Government announcement about relaxing visiting restrictions in care homes we are pleased to share with you how these changes apply in OSJCT homes. There is now no limit to the number of visitors each resident can receive, subject to the home not being in outbreak, and its team’s ability to manage visits safely. Infection control measures still apply in health and social care settings, such as face masks, to keep vulnerable people safe. You can read the full guidance at Gov.uk: Visiting arrangements in care homes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Visiting residents in care homes

For homes not in outbreak, there is no longer any limit to the number of visitors, visits or length of visit that can take place in the home, subject to safety protocols implemented by the home. Visits should take place where most practical and comfortable for the resident, which can include their bedroom, visitor rooms, or communal areas. Only one visiting party is allowed in a communal area at one time. As cleaning and ventilation is recommended by Government guidance, visits in communal spaces or visiting rooms may have a time limit to ensure that visiting spaces are fairly allocated.

For homes with an outbreak (due to Covid-19 or another serious winter virus present in the home), internal visiting is restricted to Essential Care Givers, and special circumstances such as those visiting residents at end-of-life. Everyone else can meet with their loved one behind a screen in garden pods, via a designated visiting room which has an external door, or through a window.

All visits must be arranged in advance with the care home, and visitors must continue to show a recent negative LFD test (carried out before leaving home to travel to, or immediately prior to entering, the care home), wear a face mask and any extra PPE as instructed. Visitors must also carry out a temperature check and confirm they are fit and well when they arrive at the care home.

Visitors can hold hands with their loved ones without gloves but must wash their hands regularly. The guidance also asks the visitors maintain one-metre social distance between themselves and other residents and employees.

To protect vulnerable residents the guidance states that anyone who has been in close contact with someone who had Covid-19 at the time of meeting, should avoid visiting a care home for 10 days after that exposure. Anyone who falls ill should avoid visiting for at least five days after their symptoms have cleared up. Video and phone calls can be arranged during this time.

Residents visiting out of the care home

Most visits out of the care home can take place without the resident having to isolate or test for Covid-19 on their return. Only high-risk visits (such as an emergency hospital visit) will require the resident to isolate for 10 days, or test for at least six or eight days depending on their vaccination status. The care home will risk assess all visits out and clearly explain which require isolation and/or testing.

Covid-19 booster vaccination

We ask all family and friend visitors to OSJCT care homes to have their Covid-19 booster vaccinations as soon as they are eligible, as an important measure to reduce transmission and the severity of the virus. As the effectiveness of vaccinations reduces over time, a recent vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your family and those living and working in care homes.

Thank you for your ongoing support for our care homes, and for continuing to use the infection control measures required during visiting. These continue to be important to minimise the risk of Covid-19 and other winter illnesses at this time, to keep your loved ones and all who work, volunteer, and visit in our homes safe.

With best wishes

Mike Stredder

Operations Director

Dear family member or friend,

We welcome today’s announcement that Government guidance on visiting restrictions for care homes will be further relaxed. However, we are waiting for the detailed guidance to be issued by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) before we review and update our protocols. It is important that we continue to implement the infection control measures to minimise the risk of virus spread and keep your loved ones and all who work, volunteer, and visit in our homes safe.

A central team, the Covid-19 working group, reviews and applies DHSC guidance to our protocols and updates our homes as quickly as possible. We will issue another update next week to outline how the Government changes to visiting, testing and isolation will affect protocols in OSJCT care homes.

You will also be aware that the legal obligation to adhere to Plan B measures in England will end from today. It is timely to remind everyone who enters one of our homes that we must still follow PPE and infection prevention control protocols.

At the current time all employees, residents and visitors must continue to:

• Follow the appropriate testing regimes
• Confirm they are fit and well before entering the care home
• Wear PPE including masks according to our protocols
• Visit in designated visiting rooms, or resident’s bedrooms (where previously agreed to)

Precautions for homes that have an outbreak (two or more cases) of Covid-19, or other winter viruses, still mean that visiting has to be suspended for all but Essential Care Givers (who cannot visit if they or their loved one has Covid-19), and end-of-life visits. The care home will inform you if it goes into outbreak and when this status is lifted.

Our top priority is the care and safety of your loved ones living in our care homes. We thank you for your patience and understanding in supporting our care teams by following these necessary precautions.

With best wishes

Robert Black

Care Quality Director