R.E.S.P.E.C.T. How should a care home give it to get it?

Care home staff don’t usually spend their day off taking residents shopping for a cardigan at M&S but that’s what one worker did to bring a smile to a woman’s face. Frying up a last minute bacon sandwich when you’ve just completed a 12 hour shift and are heading out the door is also no trouble for one cook when a male resident was feeling peckish.

But these are not the actions of individuals under the cosh of tough taskmasters. The workers did it because they wanted to. Such acts of kindness are not isolated instances at St Mary’s Court and The New Deanery, the two care homes run by Sonnet Care Homes.

Brand it

Kindness. Comfort. Respect. (KCR) Three words that all care homes should be offering already. Surely they don’t need this stuck on a coffee mug for staff to get the message? But they are. Walking through St Mary’s Court and The New Deanery in Braintree, Essex, the branding’s there, and it’s delivering a level of care that’s making residents see ’stars’ in the staff.

“We want to encourage behaviour that reflects how we would want to be treated. It’s about making every day as good as it can be”, says Julia Clinton, chief executive of Sonnet Care Homes turned KCR guru, responsible for emblazoning those three words into the minds and souls of staff.

Follow your heart

But how do you instil passion in people to deliver what seems obvious? “People in the care industry want to give great care. KCR empowers them to do the right thing. “They don’t have to ask permission to follow their heart”. Following their heart has led one care worker straight to the pub with a resident. “A care worker noticed a resident was down so she took him to the pub and bought him a pint.”

Staff Recognition

Recognition is also a big motivator for staff whether they be the cook, the cleaner or manager. Good acts are celebrated regularly. KCR ‘star’ certificates are awarded and testimonials of good deeds are recorded in a ‘star book’ and dedicated newsletter, following nomination from residents, family members or staff. Residents can also be nominated as stars.

A cut above the rest and some pampering

When a hairdresser was unable to make an appointment with residents, a care worker got hold of some brushes and styling equipment and did the job herself because she knew how much the ladies love a good blow dry.

“It’s taken on a life of its own with ideas and enthusiasm coming from the team,” says Julia.

Scrutiny of KCR credentials

KCR may be part of these care homes’ culture but what about new staff who may have spent years at other homes? New staff are chosen based on their individual’s ‘KCR’ credentials, as well as qualifications and experience. And it’s the residents who are present for staff interviews.

“It’s not for everyone but some residents really enjoy it”, acknowledges Julia. Prompting the question of whether anyone has ever gained the approval of management but been turned down for a job because a resident didn’t like them? "No" comes the reply. “The residents haven’t done that".

No agency staff are used at the homes. Instead staffing levels are kept at a high enough level to render it unnecessary and an in-house trainer is also employed to develop workers’ skills.

To make KCR a reality, the adoption of the Judgement Index also made a difference. The computer software offers an extra layer of ‘interrogation’ to identify whether a person has the right attributes to give care. It does not determine whether a candidate has skill set competencies, rational intelligence or emotional stability but tries to determine an individual’s capacity for good judgement.

This was introduced for all job candidates regardless of position, even though it is more usually only applied to management level applicants in the care sector.

Feedback

To pinpoint what KCR looks like, residents sit on KCR workshops made up of a voluntary collection of staff and external industry experts. They can talk with experts privately about any concerns they have and also anonymously complete surveys. “External scrutiny is really important. We thrive on feedback”.

The results are reflected in the residents’ feelings about the two homes. One resident named Brenda explained “As a resident I’m always being asked my views. And I think its important that residents are asked and are involved because that way we don’t feel things are being imposed on us.”

But Sonnet Care’s two homes weren’t always such warm and fuzzy places to be, if previous care quality inspections are anything to go by. St Mary’s Court inspection report (based on a January 2015 visit) gave the home Required improvement status citing no ‘robust systems in place to recruit and select new staff and ensure they were suitable for the role’. It also stated ‘People did not always receive care that was personalised and responsive to their individual needs.’

“In the past we weren’t that proactive”, admits Julia Clinton. “A lot of it was because staff had not got their heart in it. Everything raised in the CQC reports were addressed. We had to exit staff that were underperforming. But many are the same people we employed before. The sites are transformed. Now we are aiming for an outstanding for both. We can’t wait for the inspectors to come back. “

Give a little KCR and the accolades soon follow. The New Deanery and St Mary’s Court care homes have been named as finalists at the national Skills for Care Accolades, which reward companies that are committed to providing high quality care and developing staff. The two care homes are shortlisted in the final three nationally in the ‘Most effective approach to leadership and management’ category and the winner will be announced this March.

Julia Clinton was a finalist for the Care Leadership award at The National Care Awards 2015. Paul Westell’s willingness to show KCR in the kitchen seem to have paid off. The chef at the New Deanery won The Care Home Nutrition & Hydration Award for Great British Care Awards East of England and he is in the national finals this year.

Having talked through her KCR vision, Julia Clinton is in celebratory mood. Reaching into an office drawer, she pauses to say “have you got one of our KCR-branded notebooks? I know they are somewhere here…” no doubt hoping her strategy will work its magic on visitors too and future news about the care homes.