Everyone’s needs are different, especially when it involves caring for an individual’s health. Growing pressures on healthcare services in the UK are causing healthcare professionals to lose sight of the patient they are treating, placing too much focus on their condition or illness.

With the right tools, you can realign your practices, and support people in a way that caters to their specific needs.

What is Person-Centred Care?

Person-centred care involves healthcare workers focusing on certain needs of the individual they are caring for. Co-produced care between professionals and patients ensures their preferences are catered to and helps the individual to feel supported.

Recognising that everyone’s needs are different is essential to this approach. Considering the persons values, circumstances, and lifestyle puts them at the centre of all decisions, and consequently, ensures they feel acknowledged, a sense of equality, and that they are receiving the best care.

Establishing a caring relationship between a patient and carer shows that their relationship is just as important as the help that they receive. Flexibility in services, one-to-one discussions and overall partnership shows that their care is person-centred. It is about “doing things with people, rather than ‘to’ them.”

Why is Person-Centred Care So Important?

Ensuring individuals are at the centre of their treatment results in high quality healthcare, which is important for both the individual and the professional.

Sustaining compassion and dignity illustrates to the patients that healthcare providers see past their condition, and therefore stronger relationships can be built.

Upholding these standards of person-centred care can motivate people to stick to their treatment plans – improving their independence and healthcare journey.

One essential by-product of person-centred care is the opportunity it creates to alleviate the strain placed on healthcare providers in the UK. Patient awareness may work to decrease the unnecessary use of emergency services or unrequired occupancy of vital space in hospitals.

How Can Person-Centred Care Be Delivered?

As a result of how varied person-centred care can be, there are many different approaches in how it is delivered. Some of these include:

•          Emotional support
•          The involvement of family and friends
•          Respecting and understanding people’s values
•          Putting individuals at the centre of all care and decisions
•          Treating people with compassion and dignity
•          Continuous and consistent services
•          Providing communication and information
•          Personalised treatment

Ensuring You Have the Right Facilities

Understanding the ins and outs of person-centred care is the first step in ensuring you can deliver treatment effectively and efficiently. Next step? Making sure you have the correct equipment and facilities in place.

At Andway, we provide a range of products, services, and maintenance to help you keep healthcare in hand. Our reliable and responsive service can assist you in supplying personalised treatment plans, facilitating independence, and supporting each patients’ individual needs.

Still in need of advice? Please get in contact.

The Andway staff love getting out to see our customers, and it's all part of the Andway service. Sales Manager Jay Ledgeway visited Keelie, Marie and Alex at a Liverpool nursing home for a cup of tea and chat.

Despite dreadful traffic on the way over to Liverpool, Jay managed to get over eventually, sadly, he didn't have time to join them for their 4th July residents garden party. 

Last weekend saw Andway Healthcare’s Grace Harding take part in a tandem sky dive in aid of Alzheimer’s UK.

Grace always goes above and beyond to support her customers at Andway, so when she announced she was diving 11,000 feet out of a plane for charity, we knew she’d give it everything she’s got! Grace, who is terrified of heights leapt into action for Alzheimer’s UK raising in excess of £900 with her partner, a fabulous achievement and tackling one of her fears in such a breath-taking way, is definitely something to be proud of.

The dive took place over the scenic city of Durham and involved her free falling from the plane face first into a blast of icy clouds before her parachute opened - saving Grace! After a fast descent, full of adrenaline she landed safely and is now back down to earth offering her usual cheery and high standard of customer service

Andway Healthcare are very proud of her achievements and being very encouraging of staff charity were of course more than happy to support her with sponsorship. Alzheimer’s UK is a dementia charity that is keenly supported by the business who are in the process of creating a speciality dementia range to support sufferers to lead a more fulfilling and independent life.

If you’d like to sponsor her for her endeavours, please click here

Grace Skydive Video

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