Lisbeth Nursing Home, an award-winning care home in Great Wyrley near Walsall, is making significant improvements in continence care for its residents after signing a new partnership agreement with Blueleaf Care, the nationwide supplier of care home products, services, and supplies.
Incidents of moisture lesions, which cause distress to thousands of residents across the UK every day, have been virtually eliminated at Lisbeth Nursing Home, not only delivering better patient outcomes, but also reducing the need for additional creams and cleaning products, reducing unnecessary costs, and supporting a more sustainable operation.
Opened in April 2021, Lisbeth Nursing Home has already made its mark in the local community and beyond, meeting the needs of three local authorities in Staffordshire, The Black Country and Wales. Most recently it featured in the list of the Top 20 care homes in the West Midlands following a survey by carehome.co.uk
Care Home Manager Andrea Walker, who has run the 40-bed home from the beginning, says the decision to switch to Blueleaf has helped further improve an already exceptional level of resident care: “We use the complete range of TENA products from Blueleaf, having assessed the individual needs of all of our residents on a one-to-one basis,” she explains.
“Blueleaf has not only helped us in delivering a quality product, but also in guiding us to select the right products for each resident and training our staff to get the most out of the products they use. It is this partnership approach, and a shared goal of delivering better outcomes, that is having such a positive impact on our residents.”
In its short history, Lisbeth Nursing Home has recorded some landmark achievements. It was recently approached by South Staffordshire to provide six beds for patients leaving hospital and awaiting discharge through the Discharge to Assess (D2A) pathway. It has residents from countries outside of the UK, including a Ukrainian refugee and a Chinese national who was recently successfully repatriated having returned to health.
“It was an emotional moment,” Andrea explains. “When she came to us, she was effectively immobile and couldn’t eat or drink by herself. When we accompanied her to Heathrow, she was able to walk to the aircraft unaided. It is a brilliant example of some of the work we do here in helping to turn someone’s life around.”
The team enjoys excellent relationships with the local community in the village of Great Wyrley, from the owner and staff of The Star public house next to the home who provide support to the residents and their families when they visit them, through to the GP’s surgery, and the home sources the majority of its everyday supplies and services from local businesses.
In terms of the home’s association with Blueleaf, as well as continence care it will, in the future, be sourcing all of its products via the Blueleaf team. This includes all paper products (toilet rolls, hand towels etc), hand soaps and sanitisers, cleaning products for the laundry and kitchen, and various medical consumables (such as wipes, gloves, needles etc).
“Online ordering is easy, and by creating a ‘favourites list’ within Blueleaf’s shop I can re-order products very quickly,” Andrea continues. “Anything I need, Blueleaf can source and deliver on time, when I need it. The team, led by Roy Edwards, is also always on hand if I need any product advice.”
The team recently enjoyed a visit from the local MP, Gavin Williamson, who spent more than two hours talking to residents and staff, commending the team on the excellent service they provide.
Andrea (left), ably supported by her Deputy Beverley Morris (right) and Michael Cox, Operations Lead, is far from complacent, however. While all are passionate about what they do, and recognise the benefits of a supportive business owner, Zion Care, there is always more to be done: “Lisbeth Nursing Home is our pride and joy and we love it,” she says.
“But care homes deserve much more positive press than they receive for the care they deliver. ‘Amazing’ is not a big enough word to describe my team who are very much the unsung heroes of the healthcare sector and I have high hopes that in working with partners like Blueleaf we will do even more to support our residents and their families in delivering the best outcomes possible.”
Roy Edwards, Business Development Manager at Blueleaf Care, say that the collaboration with partners Essity, and the strength of the TENA brand, are having a positive impact on improving clinical and financial outcomes for Lisbeth House: “We take great care choosing the right partners and products to support our clients,” he says, “and it is a pleasure to work with them to help Andrea and her team deliver an even greater quality of care to their residents.”
Please visit https://www.blueleafcare.com/ to find out more.