01604 791266welcome@richardsoncares.co.ukThe Richardson MewsNorthampton NN2 7PW
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25th May 2021 23 Duston RoadIndustry KnowledgeIndustry ProfessionalismLearning DisabilityOur Staff0

“Care is a wonderful place to work: it’s often exhausting, but never thankless”

These are the reflections of Wendy Coleman, Registered Manager at 23 Duston Road, who retires in June after 10 years at Richardson Care. We’d like to thank her for the way that she has led her team and brought stability to the home. Wendy’s passion, commitment and support has enabled her and her team to enhance the lives of the residents at 23 Duston Road. Here she shares her reflections on her experience at Richardson Care.

“It has been a pleasure to work for Richardson Care. The care they provide is excellent and I am proud I have been part of the Management team and the relationship we have built. I am proud of the staff at 23 Duston Road; their hard work and achievements. I could not have achieved what I have without them. I am proud of the relationships I have built with service users’ families and other professionals.

Bringing leadership to the team

“When I first came to 23 Duston Road, there had been frequent changes of management, so the staff had been left without consistent management. They lacked guidance, leadership and direction. I found out later that they didn’t expect me to last more than three months!

“I worked with the staff to give them stability of direction and to ensure that everyone understood their responsibilities, increasing motivation and the overall effectiveness of the team. With more focus on consistently implementing policies and procedures, staff were better able to deliver good standards, thus providing better outcomes for the residents.

“Every day is different and often brings new challenges. It has been wonderful to see the home transform and staff develop into a cohesive team. We are all responsible for the wellbeing and safety of the residents, fulfilment of their needs and positive outcomes.

Management qualities

“I feel as a Manager you must be caring and have large amounts of patience and resilience. You need to have good communication skills and always be ready to listen. As Managers, we play a key role in ensuring that the service users’ needs are met and they live happy fulfilled lives.

“I see my achievements as enhancing the lives of the service users. It’s also when staff lay on events, parties, outings, etc and I see how much the residents enjoy them. Seeing staff development and confidence in promoting high standards of care are also very rewarding.

“It’s a demanding environment as many of our service users have complex needs and can present with behaviour that challenges. As a Manager, you also have to deal with staff performance issues. I have learnt from every experience, and I know that I’m not alone. I am supported in my role by the Multi-disciplinary team of neuro specialists and the other Managers.

“I have learnt that it is important to ask for help: My peers, the Managers and Directors have always been there for guidance and support.

“I feel I have developed myself in the role. As well as keeping up to date with training, I have taken the opportunity to advance my skills. I have enjoyed working with my peers and the Management team, to develop skills in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), where you reflect on your own practice and those of others.

It’s more than a job

“Being the Manager at 23 Duston Road has been more than a job: It has been a big part of my life and I will take many happy memories with me. I have made many good friends and I find the feedback from everyone quite overwhelming. Everyone should be proud of what they have achieved: I am sure that they and the company will continue to grow and achieve.”

Managing complex placements

“Wendy’s experience and calm and level character was just what we needed at 23 Duston Road”, adds Greg Richardson-Cheater, Director. “We have some service users with very complex and challenging behaviours who need a stable and consistent environment. Without someone like Wendy, some of those placements may have failed.

“She is also genuinely caring and always up for the challenge, because she wants to give people a chance. For instance, she has been prepared to accept some very difficult respite placements because she want to give them and their family a break.

“Wendy has demonstrated true commitment to the job, the service users and her colleagues. She had originally planned to retire before the Covid crisis, but decided to stay on through a very difficult time. We are hugely grateful to her for the support that she has given us over the last 10 years. We’d like to wish her all the very best for her retirement.”

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5th November 2020 Industry ProfessionalismOur HomesSafeguarding Vulnerable Adults0

Management During a Pandemic: What We’ve Learnt #1

As we approach the winter, coronavirus cases rising again and another lockdown, it’s important to acknowledge how far we’ve come and what we’ve learnt. Our experience in supporting people who are rebuilding their lives after brain injury or living with learning disabilities means that we are problem solvers. We support people to overcome challenges every day. Never has this been more important and we’re proud of the way that our management team and staff have responded.

We asked our Homes Managers for their personal views and experiences of the pandemic – from their initial reactions to plans for the future. In a series of blog posts, we highlight what we’ve learnt and how some of the changes we’ve made will continue past the pandemic.

We’re more resilient that we thought

Resilience is defined as: “The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness” and it’s been demonstrated by our team throughout the pandemic.

We had to deal with something that no one had ever experienced before: a real virus, in real time with real people. Government guidance was changing almost on a daily basis and everyone reacted differently. The initial fear demonstrated by some staff left others having to broaden their shoulders, taking on extra activities within their daily routines. The responsibilities of the management teams have never been greater, we needed to be clear, decisive and robust in our response. We didn’t know all the answers, but we were learning together.

Jane Payne, Operational & Clinical Officer (pictured above), takes us back to earlier this year: “On February 18th 2020 we informed staff that there was a new virus, and preventative measures were put into place including hourly touch point cleaning, increase in hand washing and an increase in awareness. Ahead of government guidance on March 12th 2020, we took the very tough, necessary decision to close our doors to family and friends to protect service users. We made sure that all staff worked only in one home, so in the event of an infection, it would not be transferred from one home to another by our staff.”

“The Management team have become incredibly solid; working as one in supporting each other, as and when each has needed, as we live and work through the rollercoaster that is Covid-19. I am proud to lead; and be part of such a strong group of individuals displaying a sole purpose of ensuring the care, welfare, safety and security of our service users and staff.  Richardson Care has shown we are more than resilient, we have become stronger through experience. Care: it’s in our DNA.”

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28th September 2020 Caring for Brain InjuryIndependent feedbackIndustry ProfessionalismLearning DisabilitySafeguarding Vulnerable AdultsSafety & Security0

CQC Concludes all Services are Managing Covid Risks Effectively

The CQC Emergency Support Framework (ESF) was launched on 1st May, running until 30th September. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, routine inspections of residential care homes and other providers were suspended, so the ESF offered a structured framework for regular conversations between the CQC and care providers. Although they were not inspections, the ESF provided a source of intelligence the CQC could use to monitor risk and identify where providers needed extra support to respond to emerging issues, and to ensure they delivered safe care which protects people’s human rights. It was also designed to aid understanding of the impact of coronavirus on staff and people using care services.

The ESF covered the following four areas:

  • Safe care and treatment
  • Staffing arrangements
  • Protection from abuse
  • Assurance processes, monitoring, and risk management

During this period the CQC contacted our specialist residential care homes for adults with acquired brain injury at The Richardson Mews, The Coach House and 144 Boughton Green Road and our specialist residential care homes for adults with learning disabilities at 2 & 8 Kingsthorpe Grove.

For all of the homes contacted, the CQC concluded:

  • Infection risks to people using the services are being thoroughly assessed and managed.
  • The services have reliable access to the right personal protective equipment and C-19 testing for both staff and people who use the services.
  • The locations’ environments support the preventing and containing the transmission of infection.
  • Working arrangements and procedures are clear and accessible to staff, people who use the services, their supporters, and visitors to the services.
  • Medicines are being managed safely and effectively.
  • Risks to the health of people using the services are being properly assessed, monitored and managed.
  • There were enough suitable staff to provide people with safe care in a respectful and dignified way.
  • There were realistic and workable plans for managing any staffing shortfalls and emergencies.
  • People were being protected from abuse, neglect, discrimination, and loss of their human rights.
  • Safeguarding and other policies and practice, together with local systems, are properly managing any concerns about abuse and protecting people’s human rights.
  • The provider is monitoring and protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of staff.
  • The provider’s systems and methods for monitoring the overall quality of the service and for responding to business risks and issues as they arise are effective.
  • Staff are supported to raise concerns and give feedback about the service.
  • Care and treatment provided to people is being properly recorded.
  • The provider is able to work effectively with system partners when care and treatment is being commissioned, shared or transferred.

In addition, the summary from 2 & 8 Kingsthorpe Grove reported:

You had encouraged anyone with symptoms to self-isolate in their rooms. Staff engage all people with activities and help them make video calls to family and friends. You are supporting people to understand the risks associated with COVID 19 and to wear appropriate PPE as required. You are kept updated regarding COVID 19 through newsletters and government updates. You are sharing good practice, offering and gaining support from other care homes.

With regard to The Richardson Mews and The Coach House, the ESF summary reported:

From our discussion and other information about this location, we assess that you are managing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. You have systems in place which have ensured you have remained up to date with all relevant guidance. Management plans are in place to manage the assessed risk around COVID 19. To date there have been no confirmed cases of COVID 19 in either home.

With regard to 144 Boughton Green Road, the ESF summary reported:

You have enough staff on duty and have a contingency plan in place if staffing becomes a concern. You support staff by completing risk assessments, team meetings, providing specialised PPE and through supervisions.

As we are moving into the next phase of this pandemic, we want to thank our dedicated teams of managers and staff as well as our service users. They have all demonstrated strength, reliance, creativity and patience during this very challenging time.

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7th January 2020 Industry ProfessionalismLife in Our Homes0

New year, new name!

 

Welcome to 2020! We are starting the year with a new brand identity and will now be known as Richardson Care.

We realised that over the years, ‘Richardson’ has become the name of our extended family and represents all the service users and staff within the organisation. It is also a brand encompassing the values that we stand for: high quality care, professionalism and placing the service user at the centre of everything we do. It made sense to become ‘Richardson Care’ to take us forward in the future.

Caring is in our DNA

Richardson Care is one of very few independent specialist care providers in the country and is now owned and run by the second generation of the family. So, truly caring about the people we look after really is in our DNA, and it’s at the core of what we do. We remain true to our founding principles and the belief that social inclusion, community participation, dignity and respect, combined with tailored therapeutic input are key to enabling service users to fulfil their potential.

We are proud of our reputation for providing excellent rehabilitation and residential care for adults with acquired brain injury and separately for those with learning disabilities. And we continue to innovate in our approach to supporting all of our service users, delivering positive outcomes for the people in our care.

Our contact details remain the same, although we do have new email addresses, which now end in richardsoncares.co.uk

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14th May 2018 144 Boughton Green RoadCaring for Brain InjuryIndustry KnowledgeIndustry ProfessionalismLife in Our Homes0

Registered Care Home Manager Jacky Johnson

We’re very proud of the multi-disciplinary team that we have at The Richardson Partnership for Care. The Registered Managers in particular, are hugely instrumental in delivering an excellent quality of life and successful outcomes for our service users. They perform their roles with dedication and professionalism, frequently facing challenging situations. We would like to highlight […]

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27th March 2018 Caring for Brain InjuryIndustry ProfessionalismThe Richardson Mews0

The Mews rated ‘Good’ again in CQC inspection

The Mews, one of our homes providing residential care and rehabilitation for adults with acquired brain injuries in Northampton was once again rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Following an unannounced inspection on 17 & 19 January 2018, The Mews was rated ‘Good’ by the CQC in all categories: Safe, effective, caring, responsive […]

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24th October 2017 Caring for Brain InjuryIndustry KnowledgeIndustry ProfessionalismLearning DisabilityLife in Our HomesRehabilitation ProgrammeSafeguarding Vulnerable Adults0

Homes gain high scores in independent assessments

Headway Approved Providers Two of our residential care homes for adults with acquired brain injuries – The Mews and 144 Boughton Green Road – have been recently re-assessed by Headway, the brain injury charity. The assessment process requires the home to demonstrate the provision of appropriate specialist care for people with complex, physical and/or cognitive […]

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29th April 2016 AutismIndustry KnowledgeIndustry ProfessionalismLearning DisabilityLife in Our HomesOur Staff0

National Learning Disability & Autism Awards 2016

We are delighted to have been shortlisted as finalists in the National Learning Disability and Autism Awards 2016 in the Employer Award category. In order for us to provide a consistently high quality of service to the people in our care, we recognise that we need to have skilled, caring and hard-working employees who are […]

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