downsmail.co.uk


Nursing agency ‘kind and caring’


AN AGENCY providing nurses to those needing help at home in theMaidstone areahasbeenrated good. Since moving to Turkey Mill,


Nurse Plus and Carer Plus have turned around a rating of ‘requir- ing improvement’ to achieve glow- ing grades across the board from the CareQuality Commission. Views were taken from eight


users and seven relatives,while an expert called a further 10 people. All feedback and that of a care


manager from the local authority was positive about quality of care. Previous concerns aboutmissed


and late care calls had been ad- dressed. An inspector said: “Staff arrived on time and they received the full length of their call.” The CQC found there were


enough staff tomeet needs, an on- going recruitment programme, and cover for staff shortfalls. Anelectronic systemtoplancalls andmonitor care,which let the of-


fice knowif a callwas running late. As a result, there had been just one missed call since the start of 2018. The report noted that staff were


recruited safely, underwent an in- duction programme, and training to support people to eat healthily. The report added: “People told


us the staffwere kind and caring. “Relatives also spoke highly of


staff andthe service their loved-one received, with such comments as: ‘Inall theyearswithNursePlus,we have never had a bad member of staff; they arewonderful’.” At the previous inspection in


2016, it hadbeen suggestedthat ac- tion be taken to record the time people received theirmedication. At this inspection, officers found


a handheld recording device had been adopted, which also moni- tored pain relief given. When asked, users and family


described the Ashford Road agency as responsive and would recommend it to others.


Vandals attack roadsign


A NEWroad sign has been vandalised in Bearsted after just a week. Residents discovered on January 16 that the sign at Crosskeys had


been damaged with bright yellow spray paint. Jody Butler wrote on Facebook: “Our new road sign has been up less


than a week and it has already been vandalised... Some kids just don’t respect anything these days!” Suzanne Gardiner said: “Bearsted never used to be like this, what on earth possesses these people?”


Busy time for bird society


THEY might have been sitting in Grove Green Community Hall, but members of the Maidstone branch of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds were trans- ported to the saltmarsh and shin- gle shores of Dungeness on January 17. Gill Hollamby, chairman of the


Dungeness Bird Observatory, gave a detailed insight into her time on the peninsula and the flora and fauna there. Members also had a field trip


on January 19 to Bedgebury Pine- tum, on the hunt for woodland birds like the hawfinch, crossbill and siskin.


News


Maidstone East February 2019


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