A Monthly Publication

By Mandy Davies, Project Manager for Southern Cross Healthcare

The alarm rings loudly and is placed strategically across the bedroom in order to ensure that I get up to turn it off. Another 6am start.

              Monday, Monday, Monday, always guaranteed to be busy. Revelation of events that have occurred during the weekend. The day when weekly reports have to be compiled and sent to our line managers. Occupancy levels need to be reported. And so the week begins...

The great thing about my job is that no two days are alike and whatever best laid plans may have been made, they are always guaranteed to change as the day unfolds.

My morning starts with a two hour journey from Essex to Norfolk on a daily basis to work with my Operational colleague. Covering ten homes that encompass nursing, residential and dementia care, our task is to ensure that the services provided within those homes provide our clients with a lifestyle of comfort, care and well-being. Alongside this responsible task comes the activity of ensuring that day to day management of the homes and quality assurance is maintained by the4 home managers and their staff teams within all departments.

An important part of my job is to get to know all the residents within the homes and their care needs as well as getting to know their relatives, visitors and multi-disciplinary team members who work alongside us. Inspectors and their departments help us to keep on track to ensure our standards meet identified regulations. Following up leads for enquiries that can lead to new custom ensures the viability of the businesses we oversee.

On arrival at a home, I will sign in (essential for the fire regulations), say hello to the administrators and or receptionists before seeking out the busy home manager.

Greetings exchanged we get down to the real issues of what is happening within the home. Any complaints or quality issues that have arisen need to be discussed, action planned and implemented. Outcomes from previous issues need to be evidenced to show resolutions have occurred. Regular liaison with the Operational Manager for the region keeps us in communication and updated in order that we can work effectively as a team. A walk around the homes with the Home Manager help to indicate how well they know their home and their residents. It is also an ideal time for assessing the environment and those areas that need refurbishment, redecoration or repair.

Depending on the reason for my visit, e.g. a planned audit of the home, a medication audit, an emergency issue with a resident, relative or staff that needs to be dealt with will determine how the visit pans out.

Audits help me trail the planned care of residents, by checking care plans, chatting to the residents and relatives will give me insight into their expectations of the services we provide and whether the team is on track to ensuring we meet those needs.

Inevitably paperwork forms a large part of the caring process and it is my job to ensure that documentation is relevant, and completed in a competent manner to enable planned care to be delivered.

Inspection reports are just one aspect of my job role, e.g. helping Home Managers achieve positive outcomes to any requirements received at a home’s latest inspection by the Care Quality Commission. It is vital that time-scales are met to enable a home to move forward and develop their star ratings into excellent.

Staffing issues, issues with pay, issues with working practices come within the territory and can entail the necessity for the instigation of further investigation.

Probably the least enviable task of my job is when issues lead to the need for investigations, disciplinary action or dismissal of employees. However excellent company policies help give strict guidelines on how to deal with such issues. At times these processes can be lengthy, but it is essential that incidents of malpractice or grievance are dealt with appropriately and professionally.

At the end of the day it is ‘my’ responsibility as a registered nurse myself to ensure that those within our care are well looked after and whilst dismissal can be unpleasant, my first priority is to the residents we look after.

Generally my day will end around 6pm and then another 2 hour journey back to Essex and home. Once home, work sometimes has to start again, especially if there are urgent matters or e mails to be dealt with.

So to bed, my on-call phone lies beside my bed silent (hopefully), but always ready to be answered in order to provide colleagues with support.

Night night.