one magazine - issue 2 spring 2012

GREAT PRIZES

“The day I

met the Queen”

Over to You! Survey results

“I lost 11 stone”

Your stories of meeting HRH as we look forward

to the Diamond Jubilee

YOUR LETTERS | CHARITY ROUND-UP | CARE UK ROCKS!

Issue 02 Spring 2012

Page18

Page11

Pages8, 17,

21 & 24

Over £5,000 worth of prizes

Care UK

goes social Page

4

02

EDITOR’S NOTES WITH MIKE PARISH

Hello and welcome to the spring issue of one magazine – the only publication for all Care UK employees.

If I’ve met you recently there’s a good chance that I’ve asked you what you think of one. I’m pleased to say that the response has been really positive, and that our field-based CS teams appreciate copies being sent to their homes, which is great news.

Don’t forget that this is your magazine. We want to feature the stories that you want to read, so if there’s an issue you’d like us to cover, or you or one of your colleagues has done something amazing, inspiring or hilarious, don’t keep it to yourself!

Speaking of inspiring, this issue features Mel Harding, a Senior Personal Enabler from Warrington, who has won an award for her selfless devotion to caring for her two sisters, both of whom have Down’s Syndrome. Well done, Mel and thank you for allowing us to share your story.

You might have noticed that this issue is slightly chunkier than the last. That’s because we’ve included a special feature that gives you some of the top-level highlights (and lowlights) from our recent employee survey. How are we doing? Turn to page 11 to find out.

Finally, the feature on page 6 about how quickly we’re growing reminds me to say a warm welcome to the hundreds of new Care UK employees that have joined in the past few months. You have joined what I’m proud to say is the best team in the business.

Mike Parish

COVER STORY: The day I met the QueenWe celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee year with some real-life stories and photos from those that have met Her Royal Highness.

Feeling artistic? We want your design for a patriotic Care UK tea towel!

Wake up and smell the coffee morningsManagers across Care UK get set to network across our divisions at one of dozens of hosted events in April.

Find out more about the weight loss secrets of Care UK’s successful slimmers.

Then turn over to page 16 to find some great snack swapping suggestions.

CONTENTS

FEATURE: Our recruitment challenge

Design our Jubilee tea towel!

FEATURE: First look: Over to You! survey results

FEATURE: Health and nutrition

Coffee break competitions and offers

The Big Care UK Quiz

6

8

11

16

2024

Open Mike

Mike

This is your magazine, so we’d love to hear your news, views and pics. Here’s how to get in touch:

Email [email protected]

Send texts, including pics, to 07435 963888

Nina Metson, one magazine, Connaught House, 850 The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9QB

@

“I lost 11 stone”

Page15

Page8

WIN one of 50 bumper Jubilee party boxes

WIN healthy munchies from Graze

WIN a 40” Sharp LCD TV plus shopping vouchers

WIN £250 of shopping vouchers with our Care UK quiz

WIN with one!We’ve got more great prizes to give away in this issue:

p8

p8

p17

p21

p24

Page18 Get in touch

COVER STORY

One Issue 02 Spring 2012

Co

ver

ph

oto

by:

RA

F M

arh

am P

ho

to S

ecti

on

Email us at [email protected]

with all your events, awards

and news and we’ll do our

best to feature them in

one, Eureka, our Facebook

page - or all three!

Feature in one

03

FULFILLING LIVES

More employees from across Care UK have recently been recognised for the fantastic work they do. The commitment and pride shown across such a diverse range of activities shows Fulfilling Lives at its best!

Two of the home’s team beat stiff competition to win a Dignity in Care Award from Islington Borough Council. Clinical Lead Nurse Shiva said: “Carers work hard and not for the money or for awards - there is very rarely formal acknowledgement. I am very proud of this award.”

Our Forrester Court care home in London has been awarded the prestigious GSF Care Homes Accreditation for its work with residents at the end of their life. The award acknowledges the highest levels of care and encourages choice and dignity for the patient or resident, as well as sensitive and effective support for relatives.

Two residential care homes that joined Care UK from Southern Cross have scooped coveted five star cleanliness ratings from the Food Standards Agency. Cheviot Court in South Shields and Larkland House in Ascot received their top ratings after rigorous checks.

February saw events across Care UK held to raise awareness of the importance of championing dignity in care. Events included employees at Jubilee House in Godalming participating in a mock ‘bad care’ training experience.

Double win for Lennox House

5-Star awards for kitchen champions

Gold Standard Framework award

Dignity Action Day


Care UK Rocks!

Lennox House’s Ruth Henry (Residential Unit Manager) and Nayyereh-Shiva Sheikholeslam (Clinical Lead Nurse) collect their award.

Anne Hammond (Residential Head of Unit) and Ann-Marie Dacres (Victoria Unit Team Leader)

The Jubilee House team poses for one!

Larkland House teamCheviot Court team Diane Reay, Head Chef Robert

Hambling and Linda Gibson

04

NEWS

Implementing the greatest shakeup to the NHS in England since it was created in 1948 was never going to be easy.

But after a battle spanning nearly two years since the White Paper was published, the controversial Health and Social Care Bill could soon become law.

The battle lines between political parties and healthcare organisations have been redrawn frequently in that time, with many moving from initial support to outright hostility.

Unusually, the Bill’s journey through Parliament was even put on hold in April

2011 following a Lib Dem ‘revolt’ to allow for a ‘listening exercise’. More than 130 changes were made as a result.

Fundamental differences remain, with opponents still fearful that the introduction of greater choice and competition amounts to the ‘privatisation of the NHS’. Andrew Lansley, the Secretary of State for Health (above, right), has repeatedly stressed that “competition is a means to an end, not an end in itself.”

Commenting on the Bill, Mike Parish said, “The NHS is so close to people’s hearts, any

change was always going to be controversial. However, strip away the emotion and the Bill contains some sensible proposals that have broader support from both parties than you might think. The Bill certainly contains opportunities for Care UK, which we look forward to examining in more detail.”

Watch out for a Q&A about what the new law means to Care UK in a future issue of one magazine.

Will you be our Friend?

Care UK has launched itself into the world of social media with a Facebook page of our very own!Those who ‘like’ www.facebook.com/yourcareuk will find a host of cracking stories from around the business featuring teams, homes and carers – in fact Care UK employees just like you.

It’s the ideal place to say thanks to your team, recognise the efforts of a

colleague, promote your fundraising successes or report on an event you’ve held. So if you’d like to get a mention, send a picture and a bit of info to Nina Metson at [email protected] and don’t forget to tell everyone to ‘Like’ our page, we’re really very nice!

While you’re online, wander over to YouTube and visit www.youtube.com/CareersCareUK where you’ll find lots of short films from Care UK employees talking about their roles. If you’ve ever been curious about just how diverse an organisation we are, then this is the place to visit.


Health Bill update

• To establish an independent NHS Board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidance

• To increase GPs’ powers to commission services on behalf of their patients

• To strengthen the role of the Care Quality Commission

• To develop Monitor, the body that currently regulates NHS foundation trusts, into an economic regulator to oversee aspects of access and competition in the NHS

• To cut the number of health bodies to help meet the Government’s commitment to cut NHS administration costs by a third, including abolishing Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities.

Aims of the Bill

Surprise award for

selfless Mel

05

INSPIRATIONAL STORIES

“The first thing that happened when I made it to the stage to collect my award was that a microphone was thrust into my hand. I couldn’t speak, I was too emotional.”

Mel Harding a Senior Personal Enabler in Warrington is remembering the moment, at the end of 2011, when it was announced she’d won a Record of Achievement award from Warrington Disability Partnership.

Having been secretly nominated by her parents, Mel’s award was recognition for the time, skill and devotion she shows to her two sisters, both of whom have Down’s Syndrome. Mel talks modestly about helping out ‘in her spare time’, but as a busy mum, giving her parents and sisters the support they need takes a great deal of selflessness.

Mel says: “Leanne is 25 and Sarah is 23 and both girls often come to my house for meals and to sleep over. We bake together and Sarah enjoys playing on the

Wii with my seven-year-old! I take them to medical appointments and go with my parents to help on holiday every year as both sisters use wheelchairs and my parents aren’t getting any younger.

“Sarah has suffered with depression, but feels really comfortable with me and can talk to me about anything, and we’ve worked together on her becoming more confident and independent. She’ll now go out and about with other people, including my husband, who she calls ‘Big Dan’!”

Mel added that while she was thrilled to have won her award, her caring skills are simply part of family life:

“I really enjoy having my sisters come to stay with me; it’s not an effort at all. It’s really nice that I can help my parents and use my caring and enablement skills to help my sisters too.”

Age: 34

Position at Care UK: Senior Personal Enabler

Location: Warrington Community Services

Family: Husband Dan and two children: Elisha (13) and Olivia (7)

If you could sum Mel up in one sentence:

“Mel is a very dedicated, motivated and loyal person who is always willing to the extra mile to ensure that the people she supports have a great standard of life.”

Kev Johnstone, Warrington’s Enablement Lead

Mel Harding profile:


Mel proudly displays her award with sisters Leanne (left) and Sarah (right)

Mel Harding talks to one magazine about how she cares at work and at home, and her shock at winning a Record of Achievement.

To meet the demand for our services, we’re aiming to increase in size over the next few years from 17,000 employees to more than 24,000!

In February 2012 alone we had almost 500 job vacancies, nearly half of which were in Community Services.

The challenge of recruiting the thousands of new employees each year falls to our recruitment teams.

However, thanks to a new approach, the way we recruit employees took a big step forward in January – and it looks like it’s making a huge difference already.

We needed to attract a lot more high quality candidates for Care UK, while making sure we could deal with all of the applications effectively and efficiently.

Our careers website was attracting around 20,000 visitors per month. However, only a tiny proportion of those, around 100, ended up applying for jobs online.

To make things even more difficult, the team recognised that our existing systems and processes weren’t up to the task and couldn’t give us the data we needed to manage or track applications.

Tom Lidstone, Group Recruitment Director, explains: “We needed to look at both the front-end (attraction) and ‘back office’ (assessment, selection and administration) at the same time.

“The solution involved redesigning our careers website and implementing a new candidate management system. We then had to integrate both of them so that they offered a seamless experience for applicants.

“We redesigned the website and introduced a video that helped to tell our story – to explain who we are, the breadth of what we do and our ‘fulfilling lives’ ethos - in a clear and appealing way.”

In order to answer visitors’ most common questions – what roles do you have and are there any vacancies in my area – two innovations were introduced.

The first was to categorise the vast range of roles across Care UK into eight ‘families’, to help applicants navigate the site. The second was an interactive map that allows you to search for jobs by area.

Behind the scenes the online TalentLink candidate management system was introduced across Care UK to help manage the recruitment process from start to finish.

As well as making the process more efficient, the system provides a wealth of vital recruitment-related data that wasn’t available previously to help understand, track and plan more effectively.

The team was initially concerned that the changes might not attract the number of online applications they had hoped, particularly care workers.

They needn’t have worried. Although it is very early days, the results have exceeded everyone’s expectations. In February, without any extra promotion of the website, visitor numbers increased by 34 per cent and online applications increased from around 100 per month to well over 2,000!

“We were delighted to see the increase in visitors to the site applying for jobs,” said Tom, “The question is whether this will be sustained or even improved upon, but we are certainly well on the way to meeting the challenge.”

06

We’re growing pretty quickly. In fact, we’re one of the fastest growing private companies in the country.

Careering ahead at Care UK

If you’re looking for opportunities to

develop your career within Care UK, the

new careers website is a great place to

start.

Alternatively, you may know someone

who you think would be perfect for Care

UK. If so, we’d love to hear from them.

CAREERS

The challenge

The solution

The result (so far)

But I already work

for Care UK ...


07

Careering ahead at Care UK


Care UK offers an

incredible range of

roles, so we made it easier for

potential applicants by turning

hundreds of different roles into

eight job ‘families’ (see main pic),

including one for anyone that’s

completely new to caring. It’s a

really simple and effective way of

looking at our business.

Having found the job

‘family’ that’s right for them,

applicants can look at specific

roles and hear directly from a

number of people currently in

them, such as Rhonda Paul,

(pic above) one of our

Healthcare Support Workers.

Finally, applicants can either

check the list of vacancies or

enter their town or postcode to

find roles near them.

It may sound simple, but this

is ground-breaking stuff and

is closer to the technology

employed by job boards than a

company’s careers site.

Making applying as simple as 1-2-3

1 23Find your ‘job family’

Find a vacancy near you

Find out more

No royal event would be complete without a commemorative tea towel, so we thought why not create a unique Care UK design?

We’re giving one lucky winner the chance to have their design featured on specially-printed tea towel. The competition is open to both employees and service users so spread the word, let your imagination run riot and get your entry in!

The winner will receive a pack of 50 tea towels featuring the winning design and each winning Jubilee Party Box location will be sent one too.

The closing date for entries is 4 May 2012. Send your entry to [email protected] or post to one magazine, Care UK, Connaught House, 850 The Crescent, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9QB.

Please enter me for the Jubilee Party Box Prize Draw

Name:

Workplace:

Tel No:

Email:Post to Jubilee Prize Draw, Care UK, Connaught House, 850 The Crescent, Colchester, CO4 9QB Closing date for entries is May 18th 2012. One party box per location. No photocopied entries accepted. one magazine will contact winners no later than Monday 21 May.

DIAMOND JUBILEE

08

Garden parties are being prepared, lunch menus discussed and the perfect filling for vol-au-vents is being argued over.

At Care UK homes and workplaces across the country, the Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 2 June to Tuesday 5 June is

an opportunity to organise Diamond Jubilee activities for both employees and residents to get involved in and we’ve got two fantastic competitions for you to enter.

Bunting at the ready - it’s the Diamond Jubilee!We never need an excuse to have a party, but the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation is creating a country-wide wave of festivities - and it’s no exception here at Care UK.

Feeling creative?

Design our Jubilee

tea towel!

Jubilee Party Box Prize Draw

The Big Jubilee Lunch is officially on Sunday 3 June, so if you are planning a party for that day or any time around the Jubilee, we can help your event go with a patriotic swing.

We’ve for 50 Jubilee Party Boxes packed to bursting with red, white and blue goodies – and they are up for grabs in our prize draw!

For your chance to win one for your workplace, all you need to do is complete the Prize Draw form. You can enter as many times as you like, but each entry must on an original form, no photocopies please. Every entry will go into the draw and 50 lucky locations will be receiving their goodies in time for the Diamond Jubilee weekend.

Jubilee Party Boxes include:

• Union Jack bunting

• Rolls of red, white and blue streamers

• Union Jack hats

• Red, white and blue balloons

• Red, white and blue napkins

• Union Jack party picks

• And a scrummy ‘Strawberries and Queen’ cheesecake

WIN!


DIAMOND JUBILEE

09

Her Majesty and meAs part of the Diamond Jubilee preparations, Care UK employees have been sharing their memories of meeting the Queen. Here we share just a few of them…

By Royal Invitation

How will you celebrate the Royal Jubilee?

Samantha Bull, a registered nurse at Eccleshill treatment centre made the trip of a lifetime to accompany her Mum, Valerie (right), to Buckingham Palace, when she received an MBE in November 2010 for services to the local community.

Linda Ashworth, Assistant Management Accountant for the Mental Health Division, was chosen to present the official posy to the Queen during her 1989 visit to RAF Marham in Norfolk, where her father was stationed.

Aged just nine, Linda was chosen after

recovering from childhood retinoblastoma (eye tumour), having undergone both chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Big hats and fulfilled ambitions

Memories from the Queen’s visit to Aberdeenshire to open Mowat Court in August 1998.

Staff Nurse Vanessa Murray (above) said: “I remember it was a sunny day, with many big hats being worn for the occasion. There was high level of security with Police and security staff everywhere. I was in the second row and remember the team was excited about the visit, pleased for the residents and patients and we were glad it all went smoothly!”

Mary Pirie has been a resident at Mowat Court for nearly three years. Prior to her retirement, Mary worked at Woodcot Hospital in Stonehaven, which Mowat Court was built to replace.

Mary achieved one of her lifelong ambitions to meet the Queen and shake her hand. Although her recall of the day is limited, Mary clearly remembers how

delighted she was. Mary is looking forward to attending the garden party at Mowat Court to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee and is joking about purchasing a big hat.

Margaret McPherson, who worked for the NHS hospital based on the same site said of the day: “I most clearly remember the security team and sniffer dogs doing a ‘dummy run’ of the route the Queen

would be walking through the building. The dogs were very impressive, they even sniffed down the sinks!”

“I was so nervous I practised my

curtsy for hours to perfect it”

With a double bank holiday on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 June, there’s no excuse not to don something red, white or blue and get into the patriotic spirit. How will you be celebrating it? Or will you be celebrating at all? Tell us at [email protected].


Margaret McPherson

Mary Pirie

10

HOMECARE

Did you know that 72 per cent of applicants assessed for Local Authority care are found to be ineligible for funding? So, as demand for self-pay care options grows, Community Services has launched a new package of private homecare products for self paying customers under the ‘Homecare Select’ name.

CS National Marketing Manager, Jon Mace said: “Homecare Select is the complete opposite of old-fashioned ‘task-orientated’ care. Instead, a person has total control over the type of care they receive, including purchasing services over and above what Local Authorities provide. There are even package options, which can be bought as gifts by family and friends.”

The Homecare Select Customer Experience Team’s initial focus has been to encourage existing service users to ‘top-up’ their services

or convert onto a direct payment, effectively becoming the commissioner of service themselves. So far, more than 130 new self-funding customers have joined ranging from 3 hours a week to 24-hour live-in support.

Those sporty types at Tariro House in London are organising an event-packed sports and games day on June 22 in Clissold Park, Hackney, London in celebration of the London Olympic Games.

Events include 50m, 4 x 50m relay, 150m, 4 x 150m relay, sack race, 3-legged race, egg and spoon race, obstacle race, tug of war, swimming, lawn tennis and table tennis – with

prizes for the victors presented by MD of Mental Health, Alison Rose-Quirie.

The games are open to everyone, so if your home, branch, office or team fancy lining up on the starting blocks for one or more of the events, then get in touch with Norman Nugent at Tariro House on 0207 254 3583 or email via [email protected] to find out more details of getting a team together!

A tailored introduction to homecare for new customers or those thinking about care for a loved one

Encourages and supports interests

Enable lifestyle choices

Introduces gift vouchers for families and friends to buy one-off treats. What about a Sunday Lunch package where a carer helps with shopping, cooking and then washes up, so family and friends can visit for a relaxed meal?

Imagine if your dad loved playing chess and had a carer who did too? From personal care, to

unique lifestyle choices, Homecare Select makes the concept of buying personalised homecare

simple and more accessible for everyone.

How Homecare Select thinks differently

New CS self-pay scheme enables creative care choices for all

Find out more about Homecare Select services at www.careuk.com/homecareselect


Join in Care UK’s own summer Olympics

Position (1 = top)

Improvement vs 2010

Care UK employees are really passionate about their work and get a lot of satisfaction from it!

Difficult to criticise the results in this area!

MY WORK

4%

86

85

1

11

SURVEY FEATURE

Over to You! Employee survey 2012

Results - first lookWelcome to the first look at the results from the Care UK employee survey, Over to You!

In this special feature you’ll find some of the headline results from the survey for Care UK as a whole and we’ll explain what happens next.

We had an excellent response this year, with 42 per cent of employees returning forms – some 6,700 of them – compared to 25 per cent in 2010.

Returns were higher across the board, with Residential Care Services and Community Services deserving a special mention for doubling their response rates!

The improved response means that we can now analyse the results in greater detail and with more confidence that they represent everyone’s view. So a big thank you to everyone that has taken part so far.

You’ve had your say!

How to read the results

Health warning!

While you’re waiting to hear about your local action planning sessions, turn over to find out how the results look for Care UK overall.

But before you do, here’s a guide (right) to how we’ve presented the top level results each card shows.

Remember – these results are just a top-level snapshot and won’t necessarily be the issues that matter most to you and your team. If you’ve got any further questions about

the survey, please speak to your divisional Learning and Development Manager. If you’d like to share your views about any of the results with us at one magazine, please see page 2 for how to get in touch.


Comments and observations

The category

A pie chart showing the overall proportion of positive, negative and neutral responses to the questions in this section of the survey

This category’s position compared to the others in the survey, from most positive (1) to least positive (10)

The average improvement in positive responses compared to the last survey

So here they are; the three areas that topped the charts in our Over to You! employee survey. Drum roll please.

In at number one with a resounding 86 per cent positive response on average we have ‘My Work’, with excellent results for how much satisfaction you get from your work, the clarity of your goals and having the tools you need to do your job.

This section also contained our single highest scoring question, with nearly everyone (97 per cent) saying that they understand their health and safety responsibilities.

Our second highest scoring area was ‘Customer Focus’, which looked at whether we listen to our customers, understand their needs and act on what we hear. This section

achieved a very positive response of 79 per cent, which is an increase of seven per cent on our last survey.

Customer Focus also included two strong ‘movers’, with nine per cent more respondents saying that they think we work hard to help our customers lead fulfilling lives (now 76 per cent) and an extra 10 per cent agreeing that we aim to see the world through our customers’ eyes (74 per cent).

In third place, with a very respectable score of 77 per cent, is ‘My Contribution’. This section looked at your understanding of our goals and how you contribute to achieving them,

how you can make a difference and whether you feel comfortable to speak out, all of which scored highly.

Despite being in the top three, the average score in this section was held back by the fact that only 55 per cent of employees felt that Care UK involved them enough before making decisions that affect them.

12

SURVEY FEATURE


Over to You! employee survey Results - first look

Position

Care UK employees are really passionate about

their work and get a lot of satisfaction from it!

Difficult to criticise the results in this area!

MY WORK

4%

86

85

1

Position

Everyone agrees that we’re a very

customer-focused organisation

1 in 5 don’t know whether we see the world

from the point of view of our service users

CUSTOMER FOCUS

79

156

2

7%

Position

Employees know how they contribute to Care UK’s success, understand our objectives and feel they can make a difference

A quarter don’t feel they’re asked to contribute enough before decisions are made

MY CONTRIBUTION

3

6%

10

77

14

topOur three

Care UK employees are really passionate about their work and get a lot of satisfaction from it.

Improvement vs 2010 Improvement vs 2010

Improvement vs 2010

At the other end of the scale we have the three sections that received the least positive – or rather, most negative – responses: ‘Reward’, ‘Communication’ and ‘Leadership and change’.

‘Reward’ is the clear winner of the Care UK wooden spoon again this year, with just 31 per cent of employees agreeing that their pay is fair and reasonable and feeling satisfied with the total benefits package. Nearly half – 45 per cent – disagreed.

Although this area has seen a six per cent improvement compared the previous survey and a large proportion of responses were neutral, reward is clearly the biggest source of dissatisfaction at Care UK.

Performing better than reward, but still sitting in our bottom three is ‘Communication’. The survey asked employees whether they felt that communications are timely, that they are kept informed about matters that affect them and that communications between divisions are effective.

Nearly half of employees felt that we did these things well. However a significant minority clearly feel that there is still a lot of work to do in this area. Again, a large proportion of respondents remained neutral on the issue.

Finally we turn to ‘Leadership and Change’. This area has improved by an average of 10 per cent across the board, with the biggest shifts being

seen in the perception of the way in which change is managed.

Just over half of the organisation feels positive about these aspects of our business. However, it is the negative responses that have pushed this issue into the bottom three, led by the need to improve our communication of the reasons for change and senior managers’ visibility.

13

SURVEY FEATURE


Over to You! employee survey Results - first look

Position

Communication scores have improved across the board

Communication still has a lot of catching up to do

9

COMMUNICATION49

29

22

7%

Position

An area that has made some of the

biggest improvements

Less than half (48%) feel that changes

is well managed (up 11%)

8

LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE 53

32

15

10%

bottomthreeOur

‘Reward’ is the clear winner of the Care UK wooden spoon again this year.

Improvement vs 2010 Improvement vs 2010

Position 10

REWARD

Reward scores have improved across the board, possibly as result of new schemes such as perkz

Reward remains by far the biggest source of dissatisfaction at Care UK

6%

24

45

31

Improvement vs 2010

14 One Issue 02 Spring 2012

Congratulations to the winners of the Over to You! employee survey prize draw!

Dave Halliwell from Chester CS and Fereshteh Admadian from NE London TC both win an iPad2

Runners-up each winning £50 Perkz

shopping vouchers are:

Roy Gaskell, Hollins Park

Toyim Babgun, Tiltwood

Beata Kulikowska, Oak House

Abigail King, Hinton Grange

Savunbala Pillay, Milner House

Kerry McCarthy, Brighton CS

Natalie Springate, Althea Park

Nicola Dunkason, Southampton NHS TC

Waseem Sadiq, Group Procurement

Leigh Cable, IT Support Analyst

Congratulations to you all!

”So, what are my first impressions of the survey results? Well, it’s brilliant that so many more employees took part this year, which speaks volumes in itself.

“It’s also great to see an across-the-board improvement in the scores, from big improvements in areas that performed poorly in 2010, to a few percentage points from one that scored well last time.

“What comes across to me is how passionate everyone is about what they do and the sense of fulfilment the job gives them in return. There’s a real ‘can do’ attitude and team spirit that’s fantastic - and a willingness to speak up, which is particularly important for an organisation like ours.

“I’m also pleased to see that we’re pulling together – that everyone knows their own personal goals and how what they do helps Care UK as a whole. Combined this with

the tools, motivation and development opportunities you need and we have a really positive picture emerging.

“At the other end of the scale, the pay and benefits-related questions performed very badly again this year. Although we’ve made good progress in this area recently, the message is clear – that we need to make much more progress and explain this important issue much more clearly.

“And while we’re making really good progress at fulfilling the lives of our customers, we’re doing less well at fulfilling the lives of our employees due to low morale in some areas and a general need for greater recognition and appreciation. These are all areas that we’ll be looking at more closely in the coming weeks. “Finally, nearly half of employees, 45 per cent, don’t think that action will be taken as a result of the survey, so the mission is on to prove them wrong!”

The survey is just the beginning. We now need to analyse and interpret the results to create local and divisional action plans. We’ve asked managers to lead action planning with their teams to go through the relevant results and identify:

• Positives that we want to celebrate

• Areas that we need to improve

• Issues that require further investigation

Each team will agree and create an action plan to address the issues you’ve identified, which is likely to be a mixture of issues that can be tackled at a local level and others that you might need support to achieve.

Each MD will report back to Mike the progress of the unit and divisional plans monthly, so we can share good ideas and make sure we stay focused on the issues we’ve identified.

SURVEY FEATURE

What happens next?

Over to You! Competition winnersMike’s view

15

COFFEE MORNINGS

Managers’ coffee mornings are underway again for 2012, with 21 hosts holding events in their local area during April.

Employees were asking for a way to build a network of contacts in their local area, find out more about services in others divisions and explore ways to work together locally to save money or share resources – and so Care UK coffee mornings were created.

Hosts were invited to a network meeting in February to launch the 2012 coffee mornings. Not only was this a great way to share advice on running a coffee morning group and set the topics that local groups will debate and discuss, but attendees also took part in a facilitation skills workshop, led by Care UK’s Learning and Development Team.

If you are an operational manager and haven’t yet received an invite to a coffee morning, visit the dedicated page on Eureka to find your local host’s contact details.

Find out more: Eureka homepage > Departmental news & info > Human Resources > Coffee mornings

Coffee mornings help Care UK by bringing together people from all divisions to promote a smarter way of working.Richard Gordon, Branch Manager for Camberley CS

Coffee Mornings will help Care UK by sharing good practice whilst seeking out potential opportunities to work with each other.Pat Warwick, General Manager at SMI in Altrincham

Waking up to coffee mornings


What some of our hosts think…

16

NUTRITION

“It’s 3pm and the lure of a snack is almost too much to

resist. What should I have instead to get me through until tea time?”

“I hate fruit, what healthy snack alternatives are there?”

“I work different shift patterns, including nights.

What are good snacks to help me keep my body in balance?”

“Can anything really replace chocolate?”

“How can I manage my cravings?””

Mark says: One biscuit would be fine, but it’s the amount of biscuits we eat that’s the problem - we don’t seem to be able to have just one. Bananas and cereal bars are a good alternative for the ‘afternoon slump’ as they will help fill you up and give you the sweetness you’re craving.

Mark says: There are great savoury snack alternatives to fend off a trip to the vending machine. Try whole-wheat pitta bread with hummus; whole-wheat crackers with low fat cheese slices; raw veggies with low fat cottage cheese or oat cakes with peanut butter.

Mark says: Working shifts means often not getting the right balance of foods, so make proper meals your first priority. Snack on fruit and veg to get your five a day, even if you’re not working nine to five.

Mark says: To be honest, no. However, if you went to a health food shop they would say that a substitute is carob, but sugar and fat is still added to this to make it tasty. Chocolate in moderation is alright and it’s better to have a few pieces of good quality - preferably dark - chocolate in a day than eat a whole bar or, even worse, deny yourself completely and then end up eating loads!

Mark says: If a meal is lacking in one kind of food, or we skip a meal, we’re more likely to have cravings later, so think ahead and plan a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner that consist of carbohydrates, protein and good fats. Opt for low fat, individually wrapped snacks to help stop you bingeing on the treats.

If your food cravings hit when you’re anxious or stressed, then think about what it is that you really need. A comforting conversation with a colleague, a walk, or a shoulder massage may do the job!

Step away from the biscuit tin...We all love a snack, but it’s tough when you’re busy not to grab something sweet and sugary. So we asked Mark Friend, Care UK’s Occupational Health Nurse Consultant, to share his tips for avoiding temptation.

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Mark’s temptation tips


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85g chopped almonds 75g raisins45g dried apples 85g dried figs (stems removed) 75g pitted dates 3 tbsp orange juice 25g rice krispies

Try swapping biscuits and chocolate for this great recipe from our Hotel Services Manager, Iain Stott.

Iain says: “With this easy recipe you can enjoy a sweet, crunchy treat that still counts towards your five-a-day.”

Blend the almonds, raisins, apples, dates, figs and orange juice in a food processor to form a paste. Scoop out a teaspoon of the mixture and roll into balls. Roll in the cereal to coat.

...try these instead

RECIPES

Step away from the biscuit tin...

Join the Graze craze: WIN one of five Graze box subscriptionsYummy, healthy Graze.com boxes are filled with your choice of over 100 snack options and posted direct to you – the perfect way to avoid other tempting snacks.

one magazine has got Graze subscriptions of ten boxes to give away to five lucky winners - you can choose how and when you receive each snack box and personalise the contents too! All you have to do for your chance to win is email [email protected] or text 07435 963888 with your name and where you work. That’s it. Good luck!

WIN!!!


These are ones we made ourselves!

Crispy fruit balls with almonds

18

HEALTH & WELLBEING

They’re losers and we love them!

What prompted your weight loss? I was feeling pretty unhealthy post-Christmas and having Type 2 diabetes meant I really needed to do something about it. Oh, and to stop snoring!

How did you stay motivated? My wife and I have done this together so have kept each other motivated.

What’s been the best change? The snoring has improved apparently, lots of people saying nice things and I feel healthier and fitter.

What prompted your weight loss? I saw a photo of myself and my brother after he had lost half his body weight and I looked twice as wide as him!

How did you stay motivated? Big weight loss with visible changes (no half pound losses for me!) plus the diet is SO easy; I didn’t have to think/barter/balance etc – I just had the four meal replacements each day until I went back into the world of food in a controlled and governed way.

What has been the biggest difference in your life since losing weight? Living the life I want not a life I had to put up with.

Are you hoping to lose any more weight? I am working to reduce my weight by another 7-9lbs for no other reason than I feel better at a slightly lower weight!

Name: Steve Reader : Mental Health

Lost: 1st 7lbs – 10 per cent of my body weight over 8 weeks

How? WeightWatchers, and following it rigorously!

Name: Gemma Todd : Connaught House

Lost: 11st and 2lbs between April ’08 and March ‘10

How? I did the Lighterlife programme of meal replacement and psychological intervention.

one magazine thought we’d hand this weight loss article over to those really in the know… Care UK employees who have been there, done that and bought the (smaller) T-shirt.

Everyone featured had different motivations and methods to reach their goal, but they all have one thing in common – success!


Lost 11st 2lbs

Lost 1st 7lbs

20

HEALTH & SAFETY

Did you know that driving is the most dangerous thing people do during their working day, regardless of what job they actually do?

Late leaving the house, bad traffic, pressure to travel between appointments… what a lovely way to start the day!

Now that we’ve cheered you up (my spécialité), here’s another thought. If you’re stopped by the Police, they now ask if you are driving as part of your job. They’re not making small talk, they want to know if you’ve been pressurised to do ridiculous journeys or crazy hours!

To make sure you get to and from work safely, please allow enough time for your journey and don’t rush to make up time.

Legionnaires’ disease and screenwash!Also, don’t forget to fill up your screen wash. Aside from clearing the windscreen of the muck thrown up from the roads by spring showers, it stops you getting Legionnaire’s disease.

Ridiculous? Not at all. Scientists couldn’t understand why drivers such as white van men caught Legionnaire’s disease more often than most.

Then they discovered that these kinds of drivers frequently didn’t use screen wash and often drove with their windows down. The bugs grew in the water, were then sprayed onto the windscreen and breathed in by the unsuspecting driver.

The alcohol in screenwash kills those bugs, so give your windscreen water a spring clean.

Happy driving!

We’ve got plans for all sort of interesting stuff in future editions of one magazine, but every article is better when we can feature YOU! So, could you or another Care UK employee you know help us with any of the following…

• Are you taking time off to be an official Olympics or Paralympics volunteer?

• Are you planning an Olympics-themed event at work?

• What puts your workplace on the map? It could be about the building’s history, a unique event you’ve held, a person who works there or even a claim to fame – the more weird and wonderful the better!

Email [email protected] or write to one magazine, Care UK, 850 The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, Essex, CO4 9QB.

needs YOUone magazine

Driving home the safety message


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Richard Laurence, Head of Group Projects, doing a first-class impression of a grumpy driver!

Legionnaire’s bugs can lurk in

your windscreen water

Pointless is the BBC1 quiz show that rewards contestants for giving answers no-one else can think of. Hosted by Alexander Armstrong, it’s a definite tea-time guilty-pleasure for quiz fans, and Care UK’s very own Kitty Reilly (above, right) recently made an appearance!

Name: Kitty Reilly Position at Care UK: Radiographer at NHS Rotherham Diagnostic Centre

Why did you apply to appear on Pointless?

I didn’t! My friend applied on our behalf and the first thing I knew was a phone call asking us to go for an interview.

Did you get to do the full hair, wardrobe and makeup experience at the studio?

We had to take five outfits with us as there was the possibility we would be filming for two shows. The wardrobe people picked the clothes, and our makeup was done at the studio – but we had to do our own hair.

Did you get to meet Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman (the show’s co-presenters)?

Yes, they are both really nice people and good fun. Richard Osman is MASSIVE! I’m not small at 5’ 10” and, when he came to chat to us, we were stood on the podium at the back of the set and he was stood in front of me on the floor and was still at eye level!

How nervous were you?

I hated every single minute of it! And I only did it because my friend applied.

Have you ever appeared on TV before?

I’ve never been on TV before however I did have an audition for Total Wipeout… again a very amusing experience, but due to dislocating my knee cap was unable to continue my attempt to get to Argentina, where Wipeout is filmed.

Are you a quiz show fan?

I’d only seen Pointless once before and that was after I found out I was going to appear on it! No, I don’t tend to watch game shows, it’s more Scooby Doo in my house.

Do you think you’ll apply for any more TV shows?

Er.. NO!!! National shame is not a good look.

21

Have you registered

for your perkz?

The perkz employee benefit scheme has discounts from great names such as Apple, Dell and Superbreak. And for everyday shopping, choose from a range of discounted, re-loadable gift cards from high street retailers including Sainsbury’s, Asda, Argos, Toys R Us and Boots

It’s quick and easy to register for perkz. Go to www.perkz.com, click on ‘If you are a first time user click here’ and register using company code CUK1.

As well as being packed full of discount offers, perkz also offers a quarterly competition prize for all registered Care UK employees. By registering on perkz just once, you will be entered for EVERY Care UK prize draw.

This quarter, you can win a 40” Sharp LCD TV with built-in Freeview or one of two £100 shopping vouchers. We’ll be drawing our winner at the end of May, plenty of time to make sure it’s in place to watch the Olympics, the European Cup, the summer festivals – or perhaps…. shhhhh! a marathon TOWIE catch-up!

Don’t miss out on your chance to win, register with perkz today!

Tea-time telly!

Are you going on the telly? Tell us at [email protected]


WIN A 40” TV

WIN!!!

22

COFFEE BREAK

Hundreds of Care UK employees take part in fundraising activities every year - you lot are jolly marvellous! Here’s just a few…

Zahra Leggatt, Learning and Development Manager for CS raised £175 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer with an exhausting-sounding three-hour Zumba-thon.

Kate Buckle may work at Manchester CATS, but she raised money for dogs instead, with £90 from a raffle and quiz for Manchester and Cheshire Dogs Home.

Nurse Naomi Manley from Southampton NHS treatment centre organised a bingo evening raising £41 for Guide Dogs for the Blind – woof!

Pink-o-rama at Cathkin House, as Teresa Duffy and Maureen Anderson organised a ‘Wear it Pink’ day packed full of activities, raising £338.53 for Breast Cancer Campaign in the process.

As Assistant Producer for the Maldon Promenaders’ latest show, Group Employee Services Manager Rebecca Loader, raised an ovation-worthy £1,226.20!

One correct crossword entry and one correct sudoku entry will be picked at random to receive £25 of perkz shopping vouchers. You can enter either competition – or both!

How to enter

By post: Cut out your completed crossword and post it to:

one magazine, Connaught House, 850 The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 9QB.

By email: send a scan or clear photo to [email protected]

Don’t forget to include your name and contact number. Winners will be drawn on 1 May 2012. Good luck!

Prize crossword and sudoku

Charity Champions

WIN £25 OF PERKZ VOUCHERS

Across

1 Preserve container (3,3)

7 African ‘Tree of Life’ (6)

8 Sat _ - Directional device (3))

9 Ship sailed by the Pilgrim Fathers (9)

10 To reverse or erase (4)

11 The profession of caring for

women during pregnancy, labour

and birth (9)

Down

2 Recording studio favoured by The

Beatles (5,4)

3 It’s the diamond one this year (7)

4 Energy sources such as wind or

solar power (9)

5 An opponent (9)

6 US drama series, set in an

advertising agency (3,3)

Did you know?Did you know you can get more bang for your fundraising buck by applying to our Working with the Community fund? Care UK sets aside a pot of cash every year to boost your hard work - find out more on Eureka!

Competition corner

Quick sudoku1 3 4 6 5

6 4 5 1

8 7

8 2

5 2 7 6

2 9

2 8

2 1 7 4

7 3 6 2 9

1 2 3 4 5

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7 8

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www.careuk.com

qUIZ

1. What is the name of the new Mental Health service in Hull? a: Kingfisher Rise b: Park Villa c: Tariro House

2. What is the name of Care UK’s self-harm service based in Stroud? a: Yewtree Lodge b: Rhodes Farm c: Newcombe Lodge

3. How many visits do Community Services’ support workers make every day? a: 10,000 b: 20,000 c: 35,000

4. How many hours of support does Community Services provide each year? a: 5.4 million hours b: 7.8 million hours c: 9.3 million hours

5. How many GP practices does Care UK operate? a: 13 b: 17 c: 5

6. How many locations around Greater Manchester does the Care UK mobile Clinical Assessment Treatment Service (CATS) visit? a: 6 b: 7 c: 9

7. How many people does the Residential Care Services division care for in their homes? a: 3,100 b: 4,400 c: 5,200

8. Care UK is opening three new residential care homes this year. Where are they located? a: East Grinstead, Halstead and Copthorne b: Cornwall, Edinburgh and Chichester c: Bournemouth, Orpington and Leamington Spa

9. Care UK has over 17,000 employees. How many of them currently have access to Eureka? a: 6,488 b: 11,297 c: 14,765

10. According to the latest Care UK maps, how many ‘locations’ do we have? (not including those shown as Coming Soon!) a: 117 b: 209 c:239

Tie-breaker question: How many payments does Care UK’s payroll department process each month?Answer: ____________

Complete your details and post or email this page back by 7th April for your chance to win a £250 shopping voucher or one of two £50 shopping voucher runners-up prizes! Name:

Care UK location:

Telephone number:

Email address:

Competition is only open to employees of Care UK. Prize is as stated, no cash alternative available. Answers are correct at the time of going to print. No correspondence will be entered in to.

Test your Care UK knowledge (or perhaps have a sneaky look online), for your chance to win a whopping £250 worth of shopping vouchers!

Circle your answers, fill out your details and send the whole page back by 7 April to: one magazine, Care UK, Connaught House, 850 The Crescent, Colchester Business Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9QB. Or scan/photograph the page and email to [email protected]

WIN £250!!The Big Care UK Quiz!

one magazine - issue 2 spring 2012

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