As the care at home sector continues to try to address the twin challenges of meeting the increasingly complex needs of people being supported in their own homes while giving staff the job satisfaction of being able to do their jobs properly, Lynn Laughland, Managing Director of HRM Homecare Services, marks ten years of an initiative that she believes helps achieve both.

At HRM Homecare, our aim is to deliver high quality social care so individuals can live independently in their own homes. But we also strive to provide our support workers and staff with rewarding career paths that can help them reach their full potential.

That is why a decade ago, I set up a Wellness Care Team.

This team is the beating heart of HRM Homecare, working independently from the rest of the business to provide a holistic person-centred care planning service to people. The service offered by the Wellness Team enables us to build meaningful relationships, and improved lines of communication and contact, with families and the person in receipt of care.

Today the team consists of Wellness Manager Heather Weir, Senior Care Officer Suzanne Gribbon, and Care Officers Charlene Forsyth, Louise Mitchell, and Gillian Davidson.

They work alongside the person receiving care support and their families to co-design a person-centred care plan. They find out what other types of holistic supports a person would benefit from and, more recently, they are also assessing how technology can support a person to live well at home.

By working directly with the individual, they make sure the care plan is tailored to meet the needs of the individual by focusing on outcome-focused care planning.

They also carry out risk assessment checks, conduct service reviews, and evaluation and spot checks of the service that HRM Homecare provides, to make sure those being cared for have their needs properly met.

The team is also an example of how people can grow professionally in the care sector.

Heather has been with HRM Homecare for 12 years, after gaining a BA Honours in Social Sciences and Psychology. At first, she worked in the field as a support worker before moving into a co-ordinator role, then a care officer role. That wealth of knowledge, coupled with her degree, gave her the professional experience and insight to lead the team.

Suzanne joined the Wellness Team in November 2018, having spent 14 years as an Agile Care Practitioner, specialising in working with children who required additional support needs and respite care. Again, that first-hand care experience she brought with her made her an excellent fit in the Wellness Team.

She now visits people to not only assess what type of care package they want but also to build a collaborative and trusting relationship with them. Suzanne also provides a link with the support workers. She passes on any change, no matter how small, so that any additional support is arranged and implemented.

Charlene used to be a custody officer for immigration, a job she took on after previously working in care. The experience she gained in dealing with people meant she provided a welcome addition to the team.

Heather, Suzanne and Charlene, together with Gillian, are based in HRM Homecare’s Coatbridge office, while Louise is in Kilmarnock, recognising the wide areas that HRM covers – North and South Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Stirling, and Clackmannanshire.

They don’t just sit behind desks. Every day is different, as they look to build a trusting relationship not just with service users but also their families, fellow care team, and with external partners.

The Wellness Team came into its own during covid-19. With families locked down, unable to see their vulnerable loved ones, they were pivotal in helping to pick up on changes in the needs of service users, and were able to communicate directly with families to let them know these changing needs were being met.

They managed to do so through the NHS Near Me app that was licenced for HRM’s use. The team could communicate with families so they were up to date with their loved ones’ care. They were also able to advise families that HRM had adopted a range of digital technologies, including a care app which enabled them to read the care notes of support workers so they could keep up to date with what was going on in their family members care. To use it, they needed a smartphone, tablet or computer with a webcam – which the Wellness Team helped set up.

The team were also instrumental in continuing to provide the necessary in-person support to services users, particularly among those suffering from loneliness during covid-19’s lockdowns. They co-ordinated courtesy calls, and ad hoc visits, to make sure anyone vulnerable or isolated had access to what they needed and, where necessary, communicated this information back to their families.

Now back in a world of face-to-face connections, the Wellness Team is constantly evolving, as the care sector continues to evolve. But it continues to lead in providing proper person-centred care, delivered by skilled practitioners whose years of experience have been harnessed in such a way that they have grown into their professional roles through a proper career path.

This twin approach of skilled care and skilled staff is the future for our sector. And it’s something I’m proud to have initiated here at HRM Homecare.

 

Lynn Laughland is Managing Director of HRM Homecare Services, one of Scotland’s largest care at home organisations.

 

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