Annual Review 2011/12 - Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution

Improving and
tailoring our services
In 2011-12 our focus was on offering the best possible service to residents with an increasingly
wide range of care needs, while ensuring we were as efficient and cost-effective as possible.
During the year we introduced a
support role for two Care Services
Facilitators. They are helping us to
implement our care strategy, which
focuses on meeting people’s individual
needs, wants and wishes, and to offer
more appropriate care to people with
a dementia and those residents who
need end-of-life care. As a result,
our Homes are able to offer a more
flexible service, and more residents are
able to stay with us even when their
needs become more complex.
We have continued to introduce
cost-effectiveness measures across
our Homes, where possible without
impacting on the quality of the service
we offer. Reviews of the range of
services we offer – including how
these are delivered, and how much
we charge for the different levels
of care – have been carried out at a
number of our Homes. Our Homes
vary greatly in size, design and layout.
During 2011-12 we made more places
available for residents with a dementia
at Barford Court in Hove and Albert
Edward Prince of Wales Court in Mid
Glamorgan, and we introduced a
service for residents with a dementia
at our newly rebuilt James Terry Court
in Croydon. We have also made plans
to change the range of care services
provided at a number of our smaller
Homes, for implementation during
2012-13. These include plans to
introduce a specialist dementia service
at The Tithebarn in Liverpool, increase
the number of places at Ecclesholme
in Manchester, and make more
places available for residents with a
dementia at Queen Elizabeth Court in
Llandudno.
Underpinning all of this was the need
to ensure we were compliant with all
the relevant legislation we operate
under. The pattern of inspections
offered by our main regulatory body,
the Care Quality Commission (CQC),
has been variable and sporadic. For
more on how we have dealt with this,
see page 14.
Working closely with Provincial and
Lodge Almoners, our Care Advice
Team continues to offer much-needed
support and advice to those members
of the Masonic community who need
some assistance but are not ready to
go into a care home. The team has
now been strengthened with the
creation of an additional 2.5 posts.
During 2011-12 we carefully analysed
how we could streamline our paperbased
residents’ care plans (the
records of their care needs). We have
identified a care-specific software
system which we are confident will
greatly help us with this, and will be
running a pilot scheme in three of
our Homes during 2012-13 to test
this system in action. Ultimately it is
envisaged that our staff will be freed
up from spending lots of time on
completing paperwork – time that
can be spent with residents, which is
where we want them to be.
“The staff are very
helpful and kind to
me and I love them.”
A resident at Prince Edward Duke of
Kent Court, Essex
RMBI ANNUAL REVIEW 2011–12