News


downsmail.co.uk Praise for ‘family’ care home


INSPECTORSwere told by residents of aMaidstone care home that they felt safe, listened to and loved the food.


The unannounced inspection of


the Betsy Clara Nursing Home in Courtenay Road by the CareQual- ity Commission scored an across- the-board “good” rating for the care home in Tovil. The home,which cares for 48 eld-


erly people, including those with disabilities and dementia, is run by Paydens Nursing Homes. Residents told the inspectors that


they felt well cared for, with one saying: “I have bad anxiety attacks, but if I can't deal with them the staff come and reassureme.” The inspection team found that


residents were encouraged to maintain relationships with those who mattered to them, were in- volved in their care and were con-


New chief for


Kent cadets A MAIDSTONE man has been ap- pointedas theOfficerCommanding for D Company at the Kent Army Cadet Force. Captain IanPacker is nowrespon-


sible for 46 volunteers and 264 youngsters in his role,which covers 10 different detachments, including Boxley Road,Ditton and Snodland. The 35-year-old has served in the


army and the police force, and now works as a compliancemanager for Maidstone Borough Council. The dad-of-four said: “The Army


Cadet Force has enabled me to ex- pandmymanagement skills aswell as allowingme to provide great op- portunities for young adults within society. “I’ve seen shy young people blos-


som into confident young adults with leadership qualities and skills that they can then pass onto the younger cadets and use in their per- sonal andwork lives. “I have made many great friends


through theACF, the kindof friends that you can really rely on. I amre- ally proud to be the Officer Com- manding ofmy company. I have the privilege to head a great group of staff and young people”. Colonel Chris Gilbert, Comman-


dant Kent ACF added: “Kent ACF offers many life-changing opportu- nities for the youth of Kent, includ- ing Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme,BTECqualifications, a sum- mer camp away including activities such as first aid, kayaking, rock climbing, competition shooting and more.”


4 Maidstone July 2018 Visitingmidwives see best practice


MIDWIVES from Italy and Slovenia visitedMaidstoneBirthCentreaspart of a fact-finding mission to look at best practice. The delegation,which included ob-


stetricians, is developing and improv- ing cross-border maternity services, and chose to visit Maidstone & Tun- bridgeWellsNHS Trust as one of only three centres in Europe. The group were visiting to see an-


tenatal and postnatal care, and the health structures available to support newmothers. Jenny Cleary, head of midwifery,


said: “The delegationwas particularly keen to find out howwemanage low- risk pregnancies and promote normal birth,midwifery-led care and the use of birth centres. “We showed them round our ob- stetric-led service at TunbridgeWells


Hospital and then took a tour of Maidstonebirthcentre to seehowwe manage active andwater births. “They learned a lot about the best


practice we have developed to im- prove care forwomen and families.” MTWwas named one of the lead-


ing maternity units in England, pro- viding the highest and safest standardsof care formothersandba- bies, in a reviewbyNHS England.


Water flushing ‘could reduce pressure’


HOMEOWNERS in Maidstone may experience a reduction in pressure through their taps, and some discolouration in their water supply while South East Water flushes the system. Routine work to safeguard the


quality of drinking water got un- derway onMonday, June 11. It in- volves directingwater through the


pipes quickly to draw sediment such as iron andmanganese out of the network. South East Water’s regional net-


work manager Jenny Rhodes said: “While these naturally-occurring deposits are not harmful, they can cause discolouredwater.” The flushedwater is directed into the drains and recycled.


Customers experiencing issues


should run their kitchen tap until thewater runs clear. Flushing is usually avoided dur-


ing peak demand times between 6- 8am, and 5-10pm,


to avoid


disruption. The work – in the east of Maid-


stone - is set to be carried out over the next twoweeks.


icewaswell-led,with themanager maintaining and reviewing the daily culture in the service, includ- ing the attitudes, values and be- haviour of staff. The service had a close relation-


shipwith the localGP,who visited on a weekly basis to review each person’smedicines. There were sufficient staff to


keep people safe and to meet their needs,with extra taken on to assist when needed. Deputy manager at Betsy Clara,


Deputymanager SamCornick and staff with the CQC certificate


fident to raise concerns. Staff were well trained and of- fered personal support to residents


who needed additional help, with tasks such as eating. Inspectors also said that the serv-


SamCornick said: “We are ecstatic with our recent CQC report. “We consider Betsy Clara a fam-


ily home, where we not only look- ing after our residents but also supporting their families.”


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