From the Chamber - Bluebell Care home

The Berkshire Care Home has become the Bluebell Care Home thanks to a vote for the name by the people who live and work there.  Changing the name is a statement of a new era in the history of the home, purchased by Wokingham Borough Council as an inves-to-save move.   The home was bought from Four Seasons (Brighterkind) as part of their ongoing restructuring process, after its holding companies went into administration.  You may ask; if this is an invest-to-save gambit, how do we save if Four Seasons went into administration?  We have compiled a detailed business case; the payback is about 15 years on a worst-view scenario. Another positive is that we can ensure that the home, which was rated as ‘Inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission, is now run well, with excellent standards of care, valuing the people who live there.   

Bluebell needs some modernisation and there is a budget to improve it.  The home was bought as seen, and as is often the case, we have found certain areas that do not meet our expectations for a safe and caring environment. But Wokingham Borough Council is keeping the budget on plan.  We are also, while the home is not full, decorating all the rooms so that it is an appealing home in a positive state in which it is pleasing to live and Dementia Friendly.  The outside, the first perception of the home, has been tended so that it is uplifting and positive.  Bluebells will be planted, the borders cleared and the gardens made a safe place for residents to enjoy in the coming months. 

WBC have tasked Optalis, our Social Care Provision company, to run the home according to the principles established by the grass roots organisation ‘Social Care Futures’.  The basis of this philosophy is people working together, both staff and people who use the service, to provide the best possible support required, with people valuing, respecting and encouraging each other, whoever they may be.  This results from an equal relationship between everyone, with staff listening to the people who use the service, hearing them and trying to ensure that they receive the support they need.  Likewise, people who use the service will also respect and value the staffs’ opinion, knowing they too want the best outcomes for all the people who use the service.  

Another ‘invest-to-save initiative’ is that a modern new nursing care alarm system is being installed.  This will mean that staff can be deployed when and where they are needed, resulting in a more effective workforce available as required. Keeping a focus on contact with people, while also using technology to target our workforce, makes a better system that is cost efficient and meets the needs of the people who use Bluebell. 

One thing I have found when visiting the home is the desire of many relatives of the people using the service to be involved. This, coupled with the hope that a group of volunteers can be found, will make sure that we are able to make Bluebell home a more valuable place to live and work. With a pet therapy dog who has informally visited the home a couple of times, I have already been asked if I can visit the home, I’m sure this will happen as the new manager takes up her post.

The Adult Care budget is one that keeps expanding as more people with increasingly complex needs require services and support.  One of the ways we can try to keep the financial effect of this statutory work manageable is in invest-to-save projects, such as the purchase of Bluebell, as well as looking after our long-term finances, we are ensuring services provided are of excellent standard for local residents who need them..