Category Archives: Elderly care

Dom meeting Dr Jill Evans in March, before the Coronavirus restrictions were introduced.

Nominating Dr Jill Evans’ team for the NHS Parliamentary Awards

Earlier this month, I was delighted to nominate Dr Jill Evans and her team for the 2020 NHS Parliamentary Awards, in the “Excellence in Healthcare” category.

These awards are a great opportunity to recognise the tireless efforts made by NHS staff, and I have been very impressed with all Dr Evans’ team’s efforts and initiatives locally.

Her team (the East Elmbridge Community Services Leadership Team) have done innovative work in combining the management of multiple local teams and organisations into one system. This means that, working closely with the GP practices, the team now oversees the management of Molesey Community Hospital, local community services and a community medical team.

Close coordination between these organisations has removed unnecessary barriers between them, resulting in patients receiving more personalised, higher quality care. This is particularly beneficial for the elderly, with fewer hospital admissions and more patients being treated at home. The nomination I made recognises this great work.

Of course, like all NHS staff, Dr Evans’ team have been working particularly hard during the Coronavirus pandemic. As well as recognising the team’s innovative restructuring work, I am also using this nomination to thank them for their efforts during this difficult time.

Shortlisted nominees will be announced on 23 November, with the awards ceremony itself taking place in Parliament on 7 July 2021. I wish Dr Evans’ team the best of luck.

Marking Carers Week

Carers Week is an opportunity to say thank you to all the unpaid carers – in Elmbridge and across the country – who show such dedication in looking after their loved ones.

I know how hard carers work all year round and have huge admiration and respect for them. They play an invaluable role in our society and communities.

Many carers will have been experiencing increased pressures and concerns during the Coronavirus pandemic. This difficult time has highlighted just how critical their work is, so it is especially important now to reflect on their compassion and thank them for their efforts.

Surrey to receive £19.2m to tackle Coronavirus in care homes

Dom visiting Arbrook House Care Home in Esher in 2019.

 

I was encouraged to hear that Surrey will benefit from £19.2 million of new funding to reduce the transmission of Coronavirus in care homes. This allocation – from a new £600m Infection Control Fund – is the largest for any local authority in England, in recognition of the significant number of care home beds in the county.

With this funding, local authorities like Surrey will be able to ensure that care homes can continue to halt the spread of Coronavirus by helping them cover the costs of implementing measures to reduce transmission.

The funding backs up a wider support package for care home residents and staff, which sets out the steps which must now be taken to keep people in care homes safe. This includes every care home having a named clinical lead to provide direct care for residents.

I know from visiting our local care homes before the Coronavirus outbreak just how dedicated the staff are. They have been working hard to reduce the spread of Coronavirus, for which everyone in Elmbridge and across Surrey is grateful. This new funding will boost these efforts, minimising infections and helping to save lives.

Supporting the elderly and vulnerable in Elmbridge

 

Coronavirus has presented this country with an unprecedented challenge, and it affects every local community. We are all having to change the ways we live and work.

The government’s guidelines – that you must stay at home, only leaving for limited purposes – will slow the spread of the virus, so fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time, thereby protecting NHS capacity. If you’re not sure, you can check the full advice here.

While following these rules is essential, I also recognise that it presents difficulties locally and that this is particularly true for the elderly and vulnerable. To help with this, I’ve been working with an invaluable local initiative to get basic shopping essentials to those who need it most in Elmbridge. This effort brings together the East Elmbridge Foodbank, Surrey County Council, local churches and the Besom charity in Esher. On Friday, I joined Jenny French from the foodbank and Alex Munro, the Curate at St Peter’s in West Molesey, to deliver food parcels to those who need them and either can’t or would struggle to get hold of them through other means – following the strict guidelines for delivering them safely.

I will continue to support these local initiatives over the coming weeks, because it’s important to look out for the isolated and vulnerable in our neighbourhoods at times like this. If you wish to offer your support, the foodbank is currently seeking cash donations so that it can purchase supplies direct from wholesalers and ease pressure on local supermarkets. Details on how you can contribute are here. As we are forced to adapt to this situation, strong local community spirit will be really important. We should all be staying in touch with our neighbours, especially those who are elderly or vulnerable, and helping them out – and this can be done at a safe social distance.

Helping the most vulnerable through the Coronavirus challenge

It was good to visit the East Elmbridge Foodbank at Esher Green Baptist Church today. I was impressed with how – given the social distancing measures and guidelines that are now in place – the local council and voluntary groups are gearing up to support the most needy in our community. I talked through local plans to meet the Coronavirus challenge with Jenny French from East Elmbridge Foodbank, Pastor Ryan Ahern, Surrey County Council Leader Tim Oliver, and Annie Emmins from the Besom charity.

We discussed the delivery of food to the elderly, the vulnerable and other at risk groups – as well as how to ensure a steady supply from wholesalers and robust distribution networks.

As your local MP, I will be supporting them over the coming weeks to reach vulnerable people who are isolated at this difficult time.

Visiting Arbrook House Care Home

Today, I visited Arbrook House, a care home based in Esher, to meet with residents and staff. I also had the opportunity to plant an oak tree in the grounds with resident Claus Tribius.

Arbrook House is set in beautiful grounds on the outskirts of Esher and underwent an extensive refurbishment in 2014. The nurses adopt a flexible care policy, offering practical and emotional support 24-hours a day. A dedicated activity co-ordinator meets with every resident when they arrive at the home in order to tailor activities to their interests, from indoor bowls to ‘sherry and crossword’ afternoons!

My thanks to Stewart Kyle, Regional Manager, and Jonathan May, Home Manager, for meeting with me and to all the dedicated nurses and staff at Arbrook for all they do.

Walton Community Hospital

Today, I visited Walton Community Hospital, part of Central Surrey Health (CSH), a social enterprise that provides a variety of health and care services in the community.


Walton Community Hospital has 38 beds meaning it is able to care for patients, most of whom are elderly and have been referred from their GP or hospital (mostly St. Peter’s Hospital). The Hospital also serves as a‘hub’, providing social care, mental health services and physiotherapy. From Walton Hospital, Nurses and mental health practitioners from CSH Surrey also go out into the community to provide support in patients’ homes. As well as caring for patients in the community, this helps ease NHS pressures at the larger hospitals.

My thanks to Bill Caplan, Chair and Sarah Tomkins, Operations Director, for inviting me. You can read more about CSH Surrey here. 

Christmas Food Collection in West Molesey

Today, I went down to Tesco in West Molesey to support their Christmas food collection for people in need this Christmas. The West Molesey store was one of 2,600 Tesco stores across the country taking part in the 11th annual food collection, encouraging shoppers to donate long-life foods to help support people who might otherwise be struggling this Christmas.

In partnership with The Trussell Trust and FareShare, the food donations are either given in emergency food parcels to referred people who cannot afford to feed themselves and their families, or it is distributed to local charities and community groups who use it to provide meals for vulnerable groups, such as isolated older people in our community. It is an important initiative, and serves as a reminder that for some families Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of year.

New Government Backing for Local Social Care

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced that Surrey County Council (SCC) will receive an extra £11 million of funding for social care in the coming year.

The money is part of the £1 billion package from the government to help local authorities to support the most vulnerable in our communities announced at the recent budget. It will be used by SCC to ensure that pressures on our local adult social care do not put extra strain on the NHS, and to help alleviate seasonal demand on our local NHS services next winter. It comes on top of the extra £4 million the government has given to SCC to support social care this winter, which will be used to help get patients out of hospital more quickly.

This is the right approach to providing the resources to increase care and support in the community. Most of our elderly residents and their families would prefer that, and it reduces pressure on the NHS.

Social Care Funding Boost

Today, the Department for Health has announced that Surrey County Council will receive an extra £4 million to help support our local social care services ahead of the coming winter. The money comes as part of a £240 million package that could help deliver up to 71,500 home care packages to help get patients out of hospital more quickly, and is a real local win for our area.

This brings the total amount the government have spent to support our NHS ahead of this winter to £420 million, including £145 million given to the NHS last month to upgrade wards, redevelop A&E facilities, and pay for 900 extra hospital beds, and £36 million given to ambulance trusts in June to purchase 256 new ambulances.

All in all, this news means fewer local residents stuck in hospital this winter when they would rather come home, and more care and support for people when they are home.