Introduction - Client Focus Group

Welcome to the first edition of our new IN FOCUS newsletter. We hope you find the articles contained within both interesting and informative and we would welcome your feedback on any aspect of the newsletter including content, format and any suggestions you would like to make. This newsletter will be published twice a year.

Since September 2006 we have been meeting with client and family representatives in the West of the County and have formed the first HCS Client Focus Group. As your views are so important to us, this group meets quarterly to assist us in improving our current services and also to develop the new business initiatives you want to see.

In April we will be rolling out this Client Focus Group to our Thanet customers and would very much welcome volunteers to join us from our Service Users, their family members or any other advocates. If you are interested in joining either group please contact us – details below. We promise that this will not take up too much of your time and we will of course arrange and pay for your transport.

MEET THE MANAGERS



Trudy Edmunds – Head of Service & Registered Manager – West (left of the picture)

I started my career in the Health & Social Care Sector as a support worker for the National Health Service, working in a residential home for people with learning disabilities who presented challenging behaviour. I enjoyed my job so much I decided to embark on my nurse training. During my training I gained experience in a number of sectors including domiciliary care, terminal care and nursing / residential services for older people, mental health services and children’s services.

After qualifying I worked as a manager in residential services then as a community learning disability nurse for the NHS. In the year 2000 I made a career change and went to work for Kent County Council as Area Manager for East Kent’s in-house domiciliary services.

I have worked for Home Care Services for three years and have seen many changes in this time. I am ultimately responsible for the service we provide and meeting the requirements of current legislation. I am passionate about getting the service right, and I see that the best way to do this is by providing care workers with the right tools, for example: training, detailed contact books, supervision and appraisals.

Julie Parr – Registered Manager East (right of the picture)

Prior to joining Home Care Services (Kent) Ltd I worked for a large domiciliary care agency in Kent. I have worked in the care sector since 1993, working at all levels from carer in the community to my present position as Registered Manager for the East which covers the coastal areas of Thanet, Whitstable & Herne Bay through to Isle of Sheppey. I completed my Registered Managers Award in 2006 and have registered to study for a foundation course in Health & Social Care later in the year.

CSCI Inspections

As you are aware Social Care Organisations are regulated by the Government through the Commission for Social Care Inspectorate. We are very proud to announce that our West Kent inspection has just been completed with an ‘Excellent’ outcome awarded by the Regulatory Inspector. We are still awaiting the dates for the East Kent inspections but we are confident that these branches will also have a very good outcome from this process.

Quality Assurance

One of the suggestions from our Client Focus Group was that we have a central process to co-ordinate quality assurance and customer complaints. We have taken this suggestion forward by putting a full time member of staff in post to supply additional support into the personnel and operational functions. The new member of staff will take responsibility for co-ordinating and collating the information from quality assurance surveys, managing the complaints process and feeding information into operations and training for action.

We believe that this will enable us to monitor quality in a more cohesive way, and ensure that practice and service will be driven by rectifying problems / issues that may be highlighted throughout this process.