Construction begins at new luxury care home in Livingston
Construction works are officially underway at a brand new, luxury care home in Livingston.
Located on Howden South Road in Almondside, the site once belonged to Club Earth however its change of use was confirmed last year and the building was demolished earlier this spring.
The development is being led by Morrison Community Care (CCG) Holdco Ltd, an innovative joint venture company comprising Morrison Community Care Group, a leading care developer, and the Glasgow-based contractor & manufacturer, CCG (Scotland), and is set to open in summer-2024.
Morrison Community Care and CCG’s unique partnership has delivered over 200 beds and four developments since 2017. Each care home is specially-designed to address the needs of its residents with high-quality residential accommodation, 24/7 care, dementia & nursing services, and is integrated with innovative measures to mitigate any future pandemics; a leading-edge concept in the Scottish care sector.
Future residents at Almondside can expect a wealth of amenities including their own private, en-suite bedroom, dining rooms, a cinema, champagne bar, visitor’s café, hair salon and spa.
High-quality, landscaped communal grounds are also provided with weekly, outdoor leisure activities set to be established with local community groups and small businesses to further support health and emotional wellbeing.
Morison Community Care Managing Director, Paul Sokhi, said:
“As one of the UK’s leading care providers and developers, we are delighted to see construction works are now underway at Almondside. Morrison Community Care is passionate about providing the very highest standard of living and service possible and I am sure the development will be a welcome addition to Livingston. It will not only provide valuable support for the local elderly population but for the wider town as this project will deliver over 100 jobs that will be accessible to the community.”
“With many patients currently estimated to be in NHS beds in Scotland that don’t require to be, our innovative joint venture with CCG, in partnership with our architectural partners Holmes Miller, will help transform communities across Scotland and we are excited to be bringing our market-leading product to Livingston. While Morrison Community Care starts its expansion into England this year, we are delighted to continue to bring much needed care beds throughout Scotland.”
David Wylie, CCG (Scotland) Managing Director, added:
“As the elderly population continues to grow in Scotland, more needs to be done to address the shortfall of quality, modern accommodation. Our joint venture company with Morrison Community Care is playing a significant role in tackling these challenges across the central belt; Almondside is one of two developments under construction whilst a third, located in Perth, will be on-site later this summer. This is a testament to our partnership and one we are excited to bring forward over the next year.”
Green-Fingered Care Home Residents “Grow Their Own Way”
A community of care home residents at Sanctuary Care are reaping the rewards of gardening therapy by growing and sowing their own produce, with fruits of their labour so far including tomatoes, courgettes, and cucumbers!
Residents with a passion for gardening and cooking have been digging, pruning, and planting as part of a new “Grow Your Own Way” initiative, harvesting fruit and vegetables indoors and out to create delicious meals in collaboration with the care home chefs.
The project is the brainchild of the not-for-profit care home provider, which delivers expert nursing, dementia, and residential care across England and Scotland. It aims to empower residents to play an active role in their own care and the running of the home by embracing former pastimes and developing new skills.
Its introduction follows research by Sheffield University academic Mike Nolan[1] which found that a sense of continuity, purpose and achievement are key to living an enriched later life.
Many studies have also shown that gardening therapy can improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia, encouraging social interaction, and evoking powerful memories[2].
Sarah Clarke-Kuehn, Chief Operating Officer – Sanctuary Care, said:
“We are always looking for new ways to enrich the lives of our residents and provide that continuity of living that we need to feel happy and fulfilled as we grow older. We know that the physical and therapeutic benefits of gardening are vast, but tending to crops and watching them also grow fosters a real sense of achievement and purpose.
“As many of our residents were keen gardeners before moving into our homes, with Grow Your Own Way, we hope to reignite our residents’ former passions and memories as they work together to plant, harvest, and cook their home-grown ingredients – ensuring they can enjoy the fruits of their labour, of course!”
Amongst Sanctuary Care’s horticulture enthusiasts is Ann Widdowson, age 90, who lives at Regent Residential Care Home in Worcester.
Ann said: "I like planting seeds and seeing them start to grow. I've always done this. During the war I had Scarlett Fever and when I got better, I went to the Isle of Wight and there was a field at the back of our garden where I went to help my Dad to grow things."
Helen Park, Activities Coordinator at Sanctuary Care’s Regent Residential Care Home, commented:
“It makes my day to see residents out in the fresh air planting seeds and looking forward to picking produce, which is then used in meals in the home. It truly enriches their lives and gives them such a sense of achievement.”
The Grow Your Own Way initiative will run year-round in all 110 Sanctuary Care homes across England and Scotland, with a carefully planned calendar of sowing, planting, and harvesting in place.
For more information on how Sanctuary Care works to enrich lives, visit: www.sanctuary-care.co.uk/enriching-lives
[1] Nolan MR, Brown, J, Davies, S, Nolan, J and Keady, J, 2006. The Senses Framework: improving care for older
people through a relationship-centred approach. Getting Research into Practice (GRIP) Report No 2. Project
Report. University of Sheffield.
[2] https://www.alzscot.org/living-with-dementia/getting-support/accessing-alzheimer-scotland-support/therapeutic-activity/horticultural-therapies
Unique IQ chief David Lynes sets £10,000 target for The Care Workers’ Charity
Home care software firm chief, David Lynes, is cycling as far as he can in 48 hours to raise £10,000 for The Care Workers’ Charity.
The Unique IQ CEO is taking part in an epic two-day cycling event, where he has to peddle solo and unsupported, covering as much distance as he can in a 48 hour period, starting at 6pm on Friday 19th May.
The reigning champion of the event, now in its second year, David cycled 747km last year to take the crown, starting in the Scottish Highlands and finishing at Salisbury Cathedral, raising £2,000 for The Care Workers’ Charity. This year he is hoping to beat both of those records.
David said: “I’m excited to embark on my next crazy cycling challenge. I’m known for being competitive, so I’m definitely out to win the challenge again and make a substantial contribution to The Care Workers’ Charity. We smashed our £2,000 target last year, and now we’re looking to get support from far and wide to support this fantastic charity.”
David continued: “The Care Workers’ Charity is doing a great job supporting carers and raising the profile of care workers, both in and out of the care sector. That’s really pertinent to the work we do within home care technology here at Unique IQ, so it felt like a relevant and worthwhile cause.”
To help him reach his £10,000 target, David has called on his business community to sponsor him. David has already secured his first ‘’gold’ sponsor – AVERio, fall detection and monitoring software that observes the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people, non-intrusively 24/7.
Phil Neilson, CEO at AVERio said: “Having been captivated by David achieving the win last year, we couldn’t help but offer our support for his mammoth attempt this year. It’s a gruelling challenge that will no doubt test David to the limit both mentally and physically, but the AVERio team knows how determined he is and we’re sure he’ll absolutely smash it.”
A limited number of sponsorship packages are still available by emailing David directly. Donations are also welcomed via David’s fundraising page: https://thecareworkerscharity.enthuse.com/pf/david-lynes-cycle-2023
It couldn’t come at a better time. The Care Workers’ Charity has recently issued an urgent appeal for help, asking supporters to ‘step up’ and raise £100,000 before the end of May. This has come in the wake of a U-turn from government on workforce development funding for care, and reform which takes away support for wellbeing.
The Care Workers’ Charity was set-up in 2009 to support care workers in periods of financial crisis, and has since found its support in ever-increasing demand. The charity’s current programmes provide hardship funds, mental health support and training to care workers in need, with the average grant being £500.
CEO of The Care Workers’ Charity, Karolina Gerlich, said: “We are grateful to David for his kindness and for choosing to cycle for us for the second year running. It is a huge challenge to take on a 48-hour bike ride and we wish him all the best and hopefully great weather.
“It's people like David and their fundraising efforts that keep our charity going and enable us to keep supporting care workers in their hour of need. We hope that David's challenge will inspire more people in the sector to take on their own challenges to fundraise for us to support us in supporting amazing care workers that deliver great care every day.
“£10,000 is an amazing target, we hope that David will smash it and we will be cheering him on as he cycles. Thank you again for doing this for The Care Workers’ Charity and care workers.”
The 48-hour cycle challenge is a unique endurance challenge that combines speed, endurance and strategy. The challenge was conceived by David’s friend and fellow cyclist Paul Berney of connected care platform Anthropos, who had the idea when he bought a new Bianchi bike from Milan in 2018 and decided to ride it home to London. It made him think – just how far could you ride in 48 hours?
In the challenge, riders must cycle as far as they can in 48 hours – with distances judged as the crow flies. Taking a ferry is permitted (because the length of the UK might not be far enough!) but no other forms of public transport can be used. Any distance travelled by ferry will be subtracted from the final figure. Riders must be unsupported, carrying whatever they need with them or buying it along the way.
To find out more about the challenge and how to donate, visit: https://www.uniqueiq.co.uk/cycle-challenge-2023/
The UK's largest dementia research conference is coming to Aberdeen
Hundreds of dementia researchers from around the country are making their way to Aberdeen next week for the Alzheimer’s Research UK Conference 2023.
Alzheimer’s Research UK is the UK’s leading dementia research charity, funding research into the causes of dementia, diagnosis, preventions and treatments. Alzheimer's Research UK has funded over £9 million of dementia research at universities across Scotland including nearly £2million for pioneering science in Aberdeen.
The annual conference – which will take place at the new P&J Live events venue – is hosted by a different city each year and is the UK’s largest meeting of scientists working towards new ways to tackle dementia.
There will be dedicated day for early career researchers on Monday 13 March, with the main conference taking place on Tuesday 14 March and Wednesday 15 March.
The event has been organised by the Alzheimer’s Research UK Scotland Network Centre, a community of dementia researchers from universities across Scotland.
Alzheimer’s Research UK supporter Olive Munro, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2017, will be giving a talk to open the conference on Tuesday.
Olive, who lives in Ardtalnaig by Loch Tay in Perthshire, said:
“When I was diagnosed with dementia it was very upsetting, but I am determined to do what I can while I am still able to raise awareness of the condition and support research.
“I was delighted to be invited by Alzheimer’s Research UK to speak at the conference. The work these scientists are doing to find a cure for dementia is so important and I hope they are inspired by my story.
“I know that developments in dementia research are likely to come too late for me, but I have six grandchildren and I hope that in their lifetimes dementia will become something that people no longer need to worry about.”
For members of the public who want to hear more from the conference, Alzheimer’s Research UK will also be streaming exclusive content, interviews and chats on Twitch, an interactive livestreaming video platform, from the P&J Arena to fundraise for vital dementia research.
With the support of incredible streamers, the charity is aiming to raise £5,000 during the conference. Watch the behind the scenes on Twitch on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:30am: www.twitch.tv/alzheimersresearchuk
Before the academic conference gets underway, Alzheimer’s Research UK is inviting the people of Aberdeen to attend ‘Science in the Shops’, a free drop-in event at Union Square, Aberdeen from Friday 10 March - Sunday 12 March. The family-friendly event features hands-on activities, crafts, and interactive technology, to shine a light on the workings of the brain and showcase the pioneering dementia research underway in Aberdeen and across Scotland.
Visitors will learn how artificial intelligence is improving the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease and use virtual reality to put themselves in the shoes of someone living with dementia. Local researchers and scientists will join charity staff to share the ground-breaking research taking place in across Scotland. All activities are completely free, and open to everyone.
Prof Gernot Riedel, a researcher at the University of Aberdeen and co-ordinator of the Scotland Research Network Centre, helped to organise the event.
Prof Reidel said:
“It’s fantastic to see so many top scientists coming to Aberdeen for this major conference. It’s an important opportunity for dementia researchers from across the UK and beyond to share new findings, forge collaborations, and accelerate progress towards improving the lives of millions of people living with this heartbreaking condition.
“Dementia is the greatest medical challenge of our time, and I hope people will join us at Union Square to find out more about this important topic. All of the researchers are keen to share their insights into dementia causes, risk factors, diagnosis and treatments, so please come along and ask any questions you have.”
Josie Waters, Public Engagement Officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK said:
“We are excited to be hosting Science in the Shops ahead of next week’s research conference. We have a packed line-up of activities look forward to welcoming people to Union Square on 10,11 and 12 March. The Alzheimer’s Research UK Conference 2023 is the largest dementia research conference in the UK and it is fantastic to be able to take this opportunity to engage the people of Aberdeen with the work of the charity.”
The free event is being held on Friday 10 March, Saturday 11 March and Sunday 12 March at Union Square, Guild Square, Aberdeen AB11 5RG. Activities will run during the shopping centre opening hours. Booking is not required but to find out more about the event visit www.alzres.uk/research-events
Devon and Cornwall Care Record goes live on Orion Health platform
England’s newest shared care record completes the first phase of a project to share critical patient data across health and care to improve efficiency and deliver a better service for patients.
The Devon and Cornwall Care Record has gone live on the Orion Health Amadeus platform, which it has chosen to provide the infrastructure for its shared care record.
The new system went live at the start of August 2022 and is already enabling frontline staff to access key items of patient information from GP, hospital, health and social care IT systems as a single record.
Further phases of the roll-out will add additional data, so professionals working across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have a more complete view of a patient’s medical history.
This will have time and improve the quality and safety of care, by reducing the amount of time that staff have to spend calling around for information and cutting the number of times that patients have to repeat their story.
Dr John McCormick, a GP, and the clinical lead for the Devon and Cornwall Care Record, said: “We are developing the record progressively, in a controlled way, so we can be confident about the quality of the data that it contains, and how to use it.
“However, it is already supporting my work as a GP. I can see what’s going on with patients now in other parts of the system. It’s also very positive for practice staff, because they don’t have to chase up letters or ring other services all the time, just to find out what is happening.”
The development of shared care records is an important strand of the government’s digital health and social care policy. NHS England asked every integrated care system to have a ‘basic’ shared care record by September last year and has developed a maturity strategy to add additional features over the next three years.
The Devon and Cornwall Care Record chose to work with Orion Health to build the foundations of its shared care record last year and is working on a phased implementation of the system.
The first phase saw two-thirds of GP practices come on board, and information sharing established with local acute trusts and mental health services. The next phase of the project will extend the record to more practices and services, including the other acute trusts across Devon and Cornwall.
Dr McCormick said: “Everybody in the NHS wants to work as efficiently and effectively as possible, and for that data is essential. We are all working to create a more integrated care system – One NHS.
“To do that, we need to share information and the shared care record is the best way to do it. My GP colleagues have been very positive about this because they can see that it delivers benefits for them and, critically, for their patients.
“The shared care record means that other parts of the system have more information about our patients and that means they can deliver better care to them. Putting the shared care record in place helps our patients in other parts of the NHS and means they can get the service they need.”
Orion Health is a leading provider of shared care records to the NHS in England, and also provides integrated care record systems to health boards in Scotland and the health and care system in Northern Ireland.
Ian Binks, Sales Director from Orion Health said: “This is a significant step to see another customer go-live with our shared care record. We would like to congratulate everybody involved with the Devon and Cornwall Care Record on the success of the first phase of the deployment.
“Now this has been achieved, we look forward to working with the Devon and Cornwall Care Record team to develop the record further, for the benefit of local health and care services, professionals, patients and citizens.”