Home care's 'calendar girl' wins London's first double 'outstanding'

A home care founder whose company became the first in London to receive a double ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating, has spoken about how she wanted to create a care company that focussed on social activities and clubs, earning her the nickname ‘Calendar Girl’.

Clare Jefferies left at Memory Cafe

Home Instead (Wimbledon & Kingston) received its second consecutive outstanding CQC rating in January 2018, with inspectors singling out the company’s ‘exceptional’ social activities in their report, saying: "The positive feelings people get sometimes last all week until the next event."

Clare Jefferies founded the company after she lost her parents as she felt the care they received was inadequate and wanted to provide a home care company with good social experiences at its heart.

‘My proud Dad was treated like a stupid old man’

Ms Jefferies lost her father Mike to motor neurone disease and her mother Anna to cancer within seven months of each other. She said: “The carers that came in to see my father didn't know anything about motor neurone disease. I watched as my proud dad, a former aviation insurance underwriter with Lloyds of London was treated like a stupid old man. I knew then that there had to be a better way.

“Now with a double outstanding rating and the commitment of a team as driven as I am to change the face of ageing and to see dignity in care, we’re proof positive of that better way.”

Currently, the company employs 135 caregivers and 14 office staff whose commitment has been praised by inspectors.

Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care at the Care Quality Commission, said: “The quality of care which our inspectors found here was exceptional and I am very pleased that we can celebrate the service’s achievements. An outstanding service is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved.”

‘Calendar Girl’ makes care more social

Clare as a child with Dad Mike Dawson and Mum Anna

A substantial proportion of the CQC's report focussed on the wide range of activities the home care company provides: It said: “People continued to be extremely well supported by caregivers to engage in activities to stimulate and promote their overall wellbeing. The provider had continued to recognise and respond to people's needs by starting up several new not for profit clubs, as well as continuing to support clubs previously started.

“A new coffee and culture club had started at the Wimbledon Tennis club, a ‘men only’ lunch club, a supper club and a new memory café at Kingston Hospital. Home Instead had also continued to sponsor the Alzheimer's Singing for the Brain service.”

All of the groups and clubs that Ms Jefferies and the team provided came about organically when clients expressed an interest in and felt a need for certain social activities.

Ms Jefferies started the ‘Gentlemen’s pub lunch club’ as she heard one of her clients was missing going to the pub and chatting about football because all his friends had passed away. In response to this she quickly found a number of ‘old boys’ who were also missing male companionship, and the club grew from there.

Gentlemens pub lunch club

For Ms Jefferies, providing these social activities are essential for promoting the dignity and respect of clients, and she see herself and her team as pioneers of a different approach to care. She says: “Now with a double outstanding rating and the commitment of a team as driven as I am to change the face of ageing and to see dignity in care, we’re positive proof of that better way.”

"Being a caregiver takes dedication, commitment, guts and courage"

Another aspect of her parents' care that Ms Jefferies was keen to avoid in her own model of care was a lack of continuity in care. She was determined to train staff well and retain them as much as possible; something which was highlighted by the CQC report. It stated: “Staff support had been enhanced through a buddy system, effective training, systems to keep staff safe and recognition of staff's dedication to the care of people.”

The report made special mention of a day when workers took out a 'support vehicle' to care staff, “loading it with hot chocolate and coffee, fruit, sandwiches, ice scrapers, de-icers, gloves and torches." It went on to say: "They waited outside the person's house to surprise the caregiver with treats and to thank them for their hard work.”

Additionally, the report had good things to say about a loyalty bonus scheme with pay increases per hour for staff for each year they stayed with the company. Ms Jefferies praised staff for being the ‘backbone’ of her operation. She said: “The double outstanding is dedicated to my family of caregivers and my office team. They are the backbone of what we do. Being a caregiver takes dedication, commitment, guts and courage. To have such responsibility for an older person is huge and I respect and admire every single one of my amazing team.”

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