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WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023 AGINCARE.COM
Residents of Agincourt Care Home in Weymouth enjoying trishaw rides from Cycling Without Age
Live life your way At Agincare we are proud that the high-quality care our teams deliver makes a real difference to those who draw on our services, supporting them to live the way they want, in the place and community they choose. Agincare remains familyowned, independent and not beholden to private equity investors, so our ethos and commitment to high-quality personalised care remains as true today as when we started over 35 years ago.
And as we’ve grown, so have our services, specialisms and expertise across the country. We provide a comprehensive range of care and support, including dementia care, complex and high dependency care and end of life care too. Whatever the situation, our commitment to delivering personalised care for each and every person, depending on their individual circumstances and choices, remains at the heart of everything we do.
Scan to find out more about our care services
Our Agincare Heroes Awards will return for 2024! Turn to page 7 to find out about our next Agincare Heroes Awards
I’m delighted to welcome you to the Winter issue of our quarterly newsletter. This issue includes some great stories about our teams across Agincare who are making a real difference to the lives of the people they support. There are so many similar stories taking place day-in, day-out across Agincare that it’s simply impossible to include them all here. Please do keep an eye on our Facebook pages and our website for the latest news and updates from across our care services. Raina Summerson, Agincare Chief Executive
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Avon Unit at Waterside Care Home officially opens! We proudly partnered with Southwark Council to increase nursing care and reablement capacity in the borough with the opening of a new specialist unit at our Waterside Care Home in Peckham. Councillor Evelyn Akoto, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing (pictured middle), cut the ribbon alongside Agincare Founder and Chairman Derek Luckhurst (left) and Chief Executive Raina Summerson (right).
Virtual Dementia Tour brings community together
AGINCARE CHALKS UP HAT-TRICK OF HOMES IN KENT
The team at our Cheriton Care Home in Dorchester brought the local community together for a visit from the Virtual Dementia Tour. The experience puts participants in specialist equipment which changes how they use their senses, including sight and hearing, to simulate how people living with dementia may experience the world around them. There was a great turnout for the event which led to a diverse crosssection of people talking about their understanding of dementia. WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023
Pat Potter, wife of Cheriton resident Geoffrey Scan to find out more about our care and nursing homes
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We were excited to welcome Admiralty Care Home in Gillingham to our group - our third home in the Medway area! Our Admiralty acquisition comes hot on the heels of a prestigious contract awarded by Southwark Council to operate four care and nursing homes in London. Admiralty is a purpose-built home boasting three floors; and its residents have quickly become accustomed to the high-quality, personalised care that Agincare prides itself on delivering, and enjoys a reputation for in the area. AGI N CA R E.COM
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ROSINA AND BRENDON ENJOY SUNNY BENIDORM HOLIDAY!
Live-in care worker Rosina accompanied her client Brendon and his partner for a sunny getaway to Benidorm! Brendon and Rosina enjoyed a holiday jam-packed full of fun activities, including dancing, cabaret shows, lazing on the beach, and karaoke! Brendon said: “I had an absolutely brilliant time in Benidorm. “Rosina was great fun and really helped me and my girlfriend to be independent as possible.”
NEW CLINICAL LEAD CHER GOODYER-EL MEHEIRY JOINS LIVE-IN CARE SERVICE Clinical Lead Cher Goodyer-El Meheiry joined our live-in care service in early 2023 to add clinical skills to our senior team. As Clinical Lead, Cher ensures clients with more complex needs get the best possible care from our skilled live-in care workers by making sure they receive bespoke specialist training and ongoing support.
WHAT IS LIVE-IN CARE? Our live-in care service provides 24-hour bespoke care for people to live as independently as possible in their own homes with the support of a care worker.
Cher is a registered nurse and has considerable expertise working with people with spinal injuries and clinical or multiple needs. She supports people and their families every step of the way: from initial care assessment, to the careful matching of skilled care workers and the ongoing delivery of care.
Find out more at agincare.com/live-in
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Cheriton Care Home Registered Manager Helen Persey (second right) with international team members at their Onam party celebration!
Thank you to our We are proud that our care teams are diverse international and well-skilled, bringing people of team members! together differing backgrounds Team members who join us from overseas through our international recruitment programme continue to bring value to our care teams across the country.
for the shared goal of delivering highquality care to those that need it most.
We continue to bolster international team members with our dedicated support team should they ever need any additional help whether in or our outside their roles. During a difficult recruitment period for the health and social care sector, our highlytrained international team members provide consistency and a wide range of transferrrable skills to those who draw on all our care services.
Live-in care worker Tapinder Singh (pictured left) presented with ‘Care Worker of the Month’ award by Area Manager Alin Petrescu
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We would like to congratulate all of our international team members for their continued hard work and dedication this year.
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THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR OSCAR
17-year old student Oscar travelled to our Head Office in Castletown to spend a day shadowing our Founder and Chairman, Derek Luckhurst. Derek was thrilled to share his business expertise with Oscar and invited him to sit in for several board meetings. Derek then toured him around the premises and even got Oscar ‘on the phones’ with our Customer Service team! Oscar said: “It was an incredible opportunity to spend the day shadowing Mr Luckhurst at Agincare Head Office. “His expertise and dedication left a lasting impression on me, making for an unforgettable experience.” We wish Oscar every success with the future! AGI N CA R E.COM
A round-up of fun days out enjoyed by people from our Enable service
Our Enable service continues to grow There has been so much growth and development to our Enable supported living service over the last few months.
We are really excited to support the individuals living there in achieving some really great outcomes for the future.
We now deliver support at two more locations in Wiltshire, expanded our existing service in Weymouth, and also operate a new supported living service in Dorchester.
Natalie took part in the Colour Rush in Devizes!
The Enable team continues to grow as the service expands, so we are delighted to welcome new managers: Lita Bicknell (Havant), Alison Clarke and Carolyn Haider (Medway), Emma TraceyWilliams (Weymouth and Dorchester), and Donna Hughes (Wiltshire).
The new locations represent further new growth for Enable, especially since we became a preferred supported living provider for Wiltshire Council. We have also taken over the care and support provision of two supported living properties in Havant, Hampshire.
Through personalised care and choice, we support each person’s independence to enjoy a rich and rewarding life in their local community.
Find out more at agincare.com/enable
WHAT IS AGINCARE ENABLE? Agincare Enable supports adults with a learning disability, autistic spectrum condition or physical disability, particularly where this presents in a complex way. We provide services including day support, community outreach and supported living.
How are we doing? Review us on:
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Training Now team celebrate Sri Lanka success In early 2023, Agincare formed a landmark partnership with Pulse Academy in Sri Lanka as part of a new Care Employability Programme (CEP) to prepare Sri Lankan nurses and care workers who wish to work in the care sector in England and elsewhere. Utilising their vast skills and knowledge of the sector, tutors Jo-Anne Mackay and Laura Lawson from Training Now, travelled to Sri Lanka.
Jo and Laura qualityassured the delivery of the course modules by the Pulse tutors to ensure each student is best equipped for a long and successful social care career in England.
In winter 2023, the first two cohorts from the CEP Programme in Sri Lanka were welcomed to England by Agincare International Operations Director, Joju Thomas, who greeted them at Heathrow Airport.
Agincare Chief Executive, Raina Summerson, later joined Jo-Anne and Laura to meet key partners, Sri Lankan government officials and candidates who were delighted with the high-quality standards of the programmme.
Now settled into their new care roles across the country, team members who joined us from the CEP are supported by the dedicated Agincare International team who provide welfare support, advice and a friendly ear.
TRAINING NOW OFFERS FREE TRAINING COURSES FOR ADULTS Training Now has been awarded over £300,000 of government funding from the Adult Education Budget (AEB) to train the next generation of health and social care workers. Showcasing Training Now’s national prescence, it won the bid over hundreds of training providers across the country, and was the only in-house training provider to be awarded. Training Now is proud to be the only training provider in the South West able to offer these opportunities.
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Agincare International Operations Director, Joju Thomas, (left) with new team members from Sri Lanka 6
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Agincare Heroes Awards return for 2024! We are delighted to announce that our popular Agincare Heroes Awards will return for 2024! The awards recognise the achievements of our extraordinary team members who have gone above and beyond in their roles, or have made an outstanding difference to the people who draw on our services. You’ll be able to nominate individuals and teams from across our amazing 4,000 strong workforce in the New Year! Agincare Heroes Awards 2023 winners from our home care service
Teams at our Medway care homes celebrate 10th anniversary with Agincare We celebrated with fifteen team members from across our Victory and Rochester care homes in Medway, Kent, who marked their 10th anniversary as part of the Agincare family. Both registered managers of the homes, Theresa from Victory and Irene from Rochester, have been with us ever since we first acquired the homes from the previous operator.
Celebrating 10 years at Rochester Care Home
Rochester resident, Jenny, praised the care team for their hard work: “The team at Rochester have really made me feel so welcome”. Each long-serving team member was presented with a special badge to wear with pride, a hand-written message of thanks from Agincare Chief Executive Raina Summerson and an extra financial reward to celebrate with. WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023
The long-serving team at Victory Care Home 7
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WINTER NEWSLETTER 2023
Build your career in care with a stable, rewarding and dynamic role at Agincare! Job security - We are one of the country’s leading care providers with a difference: family-owned, independent and sustainable. You can be reassured that Agincare is here for the long term - giving you, the people that draw on our services, and their family and friends peace of mind. Career development - We are committed to your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and will support you in gaining qualifications and training to grow your career.
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Play an active part in your community Whether in a direct care role or in a support role, you will be supporting people in the community that need it most. Rewarding benefits - By working for Agincare, you can access a wealth of excellent benefits including competitive pay, paid induction and training, access to Blue Light discount card, plus a generous welcome bonus for care roles. Support is always there - As part of our team, you will be supported in your role but also in your own well-being. Our trained Mental Health First Aiders and Employee Assistance Programme are there should you ever need them.
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Find our employee reviews on uk.indeed.com/cmp/The-Agincare-Group Visit agincare.com to sign up to receive our e-newsletter with updates, news and views We hope that you enjoyed reading this newsletter. We’d love to hear what you thought about it. Please get in touch by emailing digital@agincare.com with any comments, suggestions or ideas about what you’d like to see in the next issue. This quarterly newsletter is published by Agincare Group. Information is correct at the time of production. Images used in this newsletter have been taken during previous months and may not reflect current PPE or other Covid guidelines at time of publication.