Provider focus


Healthcare Management Trust: a commitment to innovation


Despite the complex challenges facing the social care sector, not-for-profit provider the Healthcare Management Trust is determined to develop its services in a number of innovative ways, as CEO Dr Nichola Stefanou explains


The social care sector feels like it is at a crossroads. We are still understanding what the real impact of the 2024 Autumn Budget will be and making decisions about our services to ensure we can accommodate the rise in national insurance payments while working without confirmed funding from local authorities through contract uplifts. To say it is a challenging time is an understatement, but what is also clear is the amount of innovation, dedication, and expertise that is ever-present across the sector. Despite having to navigate a rocky path, providers are still delivering quality care for their residents and will continue to do so, for as long as they can. Across our own care home sites – Coloma Court in Bromley, Marie Louise House in Romsey, Hampshire, and Norden House in West Sussex [see The Care Home Environment June 2024] – we have made great strides over the past year to continue to develop and expand our services and find new ways of providing quality care to people with a range of complex needs.


A good night’s sleep


Care homes face a significant challenge in how to maintain a comprehensive understanding of residents’ wellbeing at all hours of the day. Despite the dedication and attentiveness of care staff, there are inevitably gaps in observation, particularly during nighttime hours or when residents are alone in their rooms. These gaps can lead to missed opportunities for early intervention or failure to recognise subtle changes in a resident’s condition. To meet this challenge, we have partnered with 2iC-Care to pilot the Andi system at Coloma Court. Andi is a remote monitoring system, which keeps track of an individual’s movements, light levels, accessing the bathroom, and watching television. Sensors


February 2025 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


are placed around a resident’s room to capture the data 24 hours a day. Twenty-six residents kindly agreed to take part in the pilot project, which aims to reduce falls and improve our decision- making, and it is already having a positive impact.


The data collected prompted an


investigation into UTIs, where increased bathroom visits were highlighted and subsequently an infection was confirmed and subsequently treated. Without the sensors, this could have led to a delay in picking up the infection with more serious implications for the resident. The data has led to multiple conversations with residents about lighting in their rooms at night and reminding people to put their lights on when mobilising or to call for support if they are at high risk of falls. We added an extra sensor to one resident’s walking frame


We have made great strides to find new ways of providing quality care


to help us understand if the resident was using it effectively. The data has helped us to instigate these crucial conversations and proactively support health. Through the pilot, sleep has been highlighted as an area which needs attention. We all know the benefits of a good night’s sleep, but for older people, getting unbroken sleep is difficult. We observed frequent toilet visits, high levels of TV watching through the early hours of the morning, and general restlessness among our residents. To address sleep disturbance, we


have started working with six residents who have difficulties sleeping, to test out interventions to improve sleep. Ten members of the team have received training from The Sleep Charity, developed by Professor Jason Ellis, of Northumbria University and director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, and are now called our Sleep Pioneers. Through this work, we have identified diverse issues from drinking caffeinated drinks later in the day to anxiety about hospital appointments to pillows not being comfortable. Our


31


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47