Profile: Keeping a charity care home afloat

Brian Boxall-Hunt of the Royal Alfred Seafarer’s Society explains how he has brought a third-sector care home up to speed.

Founded 149 years ago, the aims of the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, as defined by its royal charter, have remained constant -- to help seafarers and their dependents by providing them with a safe haven in old age, illness, or adversity. Giving his reasons for taking on the role, Brian Boxall-Hunt, an ex-commander in the Royal Navy and now the chief executive, says: “I wanted to stay in the maritime world and running a naval charity allows me to put something back as well.”

Like much of life these days, the Royal Alfred Seafarer’s Society has undergone significant change in recent years, and Mr Boxall-Hunt’s first action as chief executive was to close a second home in Eastbourne – on his first day. “It wasn’t financially viable and couldn’t attract residents,” he says, adding that as well as presiding over necessary closures, he has encouraged the building of a brand-new annexe for those living with dementia. “About three years ago we decided to do something about the growing number of people with dementia and built an annexe downstairs – all surrounding a lovely secure courtyard.”

Currently the home, Belvedere House, consists of one 68-bed care home and 23 sheltered flats in Banstead, Surrey with residents ranging from between 67 and 100, and currently “split 50:50 between male and female”.

Quality of care

The care options offered range from nursing care for the frail and infirm to dementia care – and here the Royal Alfred scores highly for its staff to resident ratio – all in all there are around 95 members of staff “ranging from chefs to nurses, laundry workers to maintenance personnel”. As Mr Boxall-Hunt says: “I think the quality of care you can offer bears a direct relation to the staff-resident ratio. The higher the ratio, the better the standard of care.”

A charity-run care home can often go one better than the private sector in terms of staff to resident ratios for one important reason. “One fundamental difference between us and commercially run care homes that is very important. We are a not-for-profit organisation and our commercial aim is to break even, not make a profit. This means we can plough everything back into the care and the staff,” says Mr Boxall-Hunt.

“This means that we can keep fees and costs low and quality high.” “We are also proud to pay our staff a proper wage well above the minimum wage and above the Living Wage. Our staff turnover also is low –an indication of a happy staff.”

Currently, full fees for residential care at Belvedere House are several hundred pounds less per week than those in the private sector. Not that this is without challenge for the chief executive. “Keeping the show on the road with the aim of breaking even is a constant management challenge -- to subsidise those who need help and keep the quality of care high. The aim is to end up having broken even at the end of the year.”

Keeping up to date

Being a charitable enterprise, however, has not meant that the Royal Alfred is lacking in innovation. “I’ve always tried to leave somewhere better than when I found it – so yes, there have been changes,” says Mr Boxall-Hunt of his eight years in the hot seat. “One thing I’m particularly proud of is that we’ve recently moved across to electronic care planning – and all members of staff now have a tablet or access to a computer. This has transformed things. We are at the cutting edge of care planning.

“I would hope that I have improved things – by delivering what the royal charter requires and also by improving facilities. We’ve refurbished much of the house, there’s a new lounge, and an Internet cafe and Sky TV in every room as well as wifi.”

Next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the Royal Alfred Society and plans are already underway for the celebrations. “We’ve commissioned a coffee table book to commemorate this significant anniversary. We’re also creating a lovely day room in the manner of a ship’s bridge on the first floor that will overlook some newly landscaped grounds. We’ll also have a bit of party at the home and hope our patron, Princess Anne, can attend,” says Mr Boxall-Hunt.

With such a proactive and well organised set up, there can be no doubt that the Royal Alfred is shipshape to sail on for the foreseeable future.

Interesting facts

First job: My first Saturday jobs included a stint in the shirt department of a store and as a barman.

Favourite book: Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I like the fantasy of it all and Ratty’s quote “There's nothing . . . absolutely nothing . . . half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats”, sums up who I am.

Favourite film: Cruel Sea with Jack Hawkins and Donald Sinden

Favourite piece of music: Rule Britannia

Best present you have received: A portrait of Winston Churchill

Last holiday: Rented a cottage in the countryside outside Aberdeen, when my wife and I were visiting my daughter who is studying in the city.