"From ordering to delivery it all very quick, no hassle and products are always excellent value and long lasting."

"very good service"

"Excellent customer service. Goods delivered on time and with courtesy"

"Thank you for an excellent service"

We receive so many compliments on the way we, the Andway team, care for our clients, our customer service levels and client satisfaction scores, its something we are immensely proud of and are continually striving to improve.. 

We thought we should be shouting about it more so here it goes...

Field Visits: Our account managers come to you! We know from experience that face to face is the best communication method.  You can show us around your home and explain exactly what your challenges are, show us exactly what you are trying to achieve and let us look at the products and equipment you currently use.  We can assess where we can make savings and improvements for you and your residents.

We carry out audits and assessments for you on laundry, cleaning, manual handling and equipment, incontinence use and best practice, pressure care and much more.  Our range includes everything your care home needs including dementia friendly environments and a maintenance, repairs and LOLER service.

We will come to see you face to face as much as you like…

New Business Team: focused on introducing Andway to you and your team, to understand how we can help in terms of products and equipment and what samples you may like to trial. 

Understanding you and your home is crucial.  That way we can make the biggest difference and help you save time and money.

Customer Service Team: all customers new and existing are allocated a personal internal account manager.  They will be your day to day point of contact for ordering, asking for samples, quotes, arranging returns, handling any queries and for asking for expert help in product selection. Always at the end of the telephone, our customer service team look after your every need and will get to know you and your home really, really well.

LOLER Servicing and Maintenance Team: here to take care of all your equipment maintenance, service, repair and testing requirements and then keep your equipment safe, compliant and in good working order.  Our highly skilled and experienced engineers are able to maintain a huge range of equipment including but not limited to hoists, beds, baths, scales, ceiling track hoists, mattresses and wheelchairs.

So is it time to get the Big 4 behind your care home?

Simply call us on 01423 331000 we are here to help...

Fantastic New Product - Suitable for use in Care Homes, Hospitals, Hospice's and many other care environments.

Simply, hold within 3 - 5cms of the forehead, press the start button and the temperature reading will be displayed in less than 2 seconds.

The Thermofinder non-contact thermometer uses infra-red therefore is non-invasive and does not require spare probe covers after every use, unlike the conventional tympanic ear thermometers

The Thermofinder thermometer offers two functions

- (1) body temperature, simply point towards patients temporal artery (within 2-5cms) and press the start button to take a reading, and - - (2) ambient/surface temperature, which allows the reading of air temperature and surface temperature (bath water, baby’s feeding bottles).

Supplied with 2 x AAA batteries...

-Auto On/Off Function
-Temperature Unit Conversion
-32 Memories
-Sound on/off
-Multi-Colour Black Light
-Non-Invasive, Perfect for Dementia Care

INTRODUCTORY OFFER ONLY £35.00 + VAT UNTIL END JAN 2019

When we are out and about visiting your homes we hear and see lots of great ideas and in particular see some of the most caring and innovative solutions for those suffering with dementia.

On a recent visit a member of the Andway team was chatting with a care home manager who was waxing lyrical about a facility called House of Memories www.houseofmemories.co.uk/ based in Liverpool.

Just a quick look at the courses they have on offer on all aspects of understanding dementia and how this can only improve care make it their site a must visit

This prompted us to actively ask other care homes for courses they had found truly helpful and inspirational and we thought it would be a great idea to list these too.

https://www.healthandsafetygroup.com/p/dementia-awareness

https://dementiatrainingcentre.co.uk/

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementia-professionals/training-consultancy

 https://www.bradford.ac.uk/health/dementia/dementia-care-mapping/

http://dementia.stir.ac.uk/

Bathroom safety in nursing and care homes

It is estimated that 90% of nursing home residents need assistance with bathing.

The care home manager has a duty of care to both their staff and to the residents to ensure all areas within the home are safe to use. In a care environment the bathroom is a work environment and as such there are health and safety and infection control considerations which will need to be assessed through robust risk assessment.

1.       Hazards in a bathroom

A risk assessment will help you identify the potential hazards within a bathroom and highlight any further controls needed to ensure it remains safe to all users. You will need to consider and risk assess:

·         Available space

·         Adequate lighting

·         Temperature of water

·         Potential for slip, trips, falls

·         Infection control strategies

·         Bathroom equipment

·         Mould prevention

Space

There should be adequate space for the user to be comfortable when using the toilet, bath or shower. If a hoist is required there must be space to allow staff a sufficient area to work in and to ensure the safe use of the hoist.

Lighting

The lighting must be suitable and sufficient for the use of the bathroom, allowing both staff and residents to be able to see what they are doing properly.

Water temperature

The temperature of the water must be checked at regular intervals to eliminate the risk of burns to the residents and must not exceed 44°C and the correct mixing taps should be used, e.g. thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs).

Slip, trips, falls

The flooring should be suitable for the intended use of the bathroom ie anti-slip in wet environments.

Infection control strategy

A schedule of cleaning and bin emptying must be in place and monitored to prevent the spread of pathogenic microorganisms.

Bathroom Equipment

All equipment including bath lifts and hoists used within the bathroom are subject to LOLER  regulations so need scheduled service checks. 

Mould prevention

Good ventilation will help prevent the development of mould in the bathroom. Where possible, use natural ventilation but if you do open a window ensure that there are windows restrictors in place.

The bathroom is a relatively safe area but will still need to be risk assessed to ensure it remains safe for each individual resident. The care home manager should ensure that regular planned inspections are carried out to ensure the bathroom remains a low risk environment.

Useful links

http://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/regulations-enforcement/regulation-15-premises-equipment

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/Pages/hygiene-and-washing.aspx

Best Practice for moving and handling

Moving & handling is a key part of the working day for most care staff from moving  equipment, laundry, catering, supplies or waste to assisting residents.

 Poor moving and handling practice can lead to back pain and musculoskeletal disorders, which can lead to inability to work

- moving and handling accidents – which can injure both the             person being moved and the employee

- discomfort and a lack of dignity for the person being moved

- All care homes are responsible for putting the right measures,         equipment and training in place to prevent or minimise the risk of     injury.

Patient-centred care plans

No-one should routinely manually lift patients. Hoists, sliding aids, electric profiling beds and other specialised equipment are substitutes for manual lifting. Patient manual handling should only continue in cases which do not involve lifting most or all of a patient's weight. This rules out for example, the shoulder or Australian lift. Patients often have complex and varying needs. The Health and Safety Executive advise a balanced approach to managing the risks from patient handling. These include:

Equally, care workers are not required to perform tasks that put them and their clients at risk

A client's personal wishes on mobility need to be respected wherever possible

A client's independence and autonomy must supported as fully as possible.

A patient-centred care plan should include information on immobility and detail any handling risks and/or needs

Care environments are governed by the following legislation and helpful for assessing moving and handling risks:

·         Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA)

·         Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR) (as amended 2002)

·         Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

·         Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

·         Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)

Legally, employers are obliged to provide a safe working environment for their staff. Under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) employers are required to:

·         assess the risk of a back injury at work

·         reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable

·         provide training for staff on safe manual handling practices

·         supervise staff to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Risk assessments could be generic and individual.  A generic risk assessment would consider the needs of the workplace/environment e.g. the equipment needed, safe staffing levels, emergency procedures and the suitability of the physical environment.  Individual risk assessments consider the specific moving and handling needs (e.g. help needed, specific equipment needs and number of staff needed to support the patient) to ensure the safety of staff and the patient/service user.

There is a requirement for a ‘competent person’ to conduct risk assessments. Competency is a mixture of skills, knowledge and qualifications to carry out the role.

For further details please see

http://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/moving-handling.htm

https://www.rcn.org.uk/get-help/rcn-advice/moving-and-handling