Achievements

Anglican Care is constantly striving to provide excellent care, quality lifestyle both in service delivery and in addressing the needs of its staff and the community. The following provides a summary of some of Anglican Care’s recent achievements.

Press Ganey 2010 Success Story Contest

Anglican Care has recently been named a finalist in the above Contest. These awards provide a framework for recognising excellence in customer service and care, staff development and recognition, doctor involvement, leadership support and other key performance issues both internal and external. Anglican Care’s submission centres around the implementation of the Memory Magic program and the benefits of this program to our residents and clients.

Chosen as one of nine finalists from seventy applications, Anglican Care is now required to submit an expanded submission, with the winner announced on 15 October.

Hunter Aged Care Achievement Awards 2010

The Hunter Aged Care Achievement Awards were introduced into the region in 2010 as a way to acknowledge people working in the aged care industry in the Hunter region, with the aim to recognise staff who ‘shine’ in their commitment to providing excellence in their work in the aged care industry and have a passion for the older person as part of their everyday work.

Anglican Care nominated several staff and volunteers in the categories Aged Care – Care Staff of the Year (Residential Aged Care), Aged Care Allied Health Professional of the Year, Aged Care Registered Nurse of the Year and Aged Care Volunteer of the Year.

Bruce Thompson, Anglican Care’s Physiotherapist, was named the winner of his category - Aged Care Allied Health Professional of the Year – at the Awards dinner held on Thursday, 12 August 2010. This was a fantastic achievement both for Bruce and Anglican Care. Bruce’s position is unique within the Hunter region as Anglican Care is the only aged care provider to employ a full-time physiotherapist, allowing residents to receive a continuous level of this type of care. Furthermore, Anglican Care provides support to Bruce’s position with the provision of Physio Assistants within each of Anglican Care’s three nursing homes.

2010 Hunter Business Awards

Anglican Care was a finalist in this year’s Hunter Business Awards in the category ‘Contribution to the Region’. This award recognises an organisation that has substantially contributed to the ongoing prosperity and growth of the Hunter.

Anglican Care’s submission defines our special contribution to the Hunter region, which includes meeting the needs of seniors within the community in ways that enable us to promote the wellbeing of the older generation, while being cost effective for the community as a whole. All of Anglican Care’s services demonstrate a commitment to the economic and social benefits of the community.

Anglican Care strongly believes that it has a social responsibility in providing high quality aged care services to meet current and future demands and this is demonstrated in our ongoing desire to build new services and expand our current services.

2010 Newcastle Community Volunteer Awards

Anglican Care was accepted and received a Newcastle Community Volunteers Award in 2010. Anglican Care’s submission was for the work that all of our volunteers do within our organisation, which is a great way to acknowledge their outstanding contribution.

Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson MP, presented the Awards at a Presentation Ceremony on 28 July with Elizabeth Appleby accepting Anglican Care’s Award on behalf of all of our wonderful volunteers.

Memory Magic Program

Anglican Care is the first aged care provider in Australia to purchase and implement this innovative program for use throughout our Residential Aged Care Facilities and Day Therapy Centre. Memory Magic is a unique therapeutic activity that combines general knowledge with reminiscence. Based on Montessori principles, the programme was developed to provide an interesting and entertaining activity for people with cognitive difficulties. Some of the positive outcomes that the program aims to achieve are as follows:

Promotes the use of cognitive abilities and fine and gross motor skills
Stimulates social interaction
Reduces behavioural disturbances
Creates an enjoyable failure-free experience.

Dementia Community Support Grants

Anglican Care recently received funding as part of the Commonwealth Government’s Dementia Community Grants program. Funds received will allow Anglican Care to roll out their innovative “Cameos for Empathy in Dementia Care Project’, both to the Anglican Care and wider communities. Based on the ‘Habilitation Model’ the information sessions will incorporate the use of puppets, role playing and skits. The project aims to provide the carers of people suffering from dementia with the knowledge to be better able to empathise and communicate with the dementia sufferer, thereby making care partnering more effective and enriching.

2010 NSW Seniors Week Grants Program

Anglican Care was successful in receiving funding from the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care as part of the 2010 Seniors Week Grants. Funds received enabled Anglican Care to organise a function for a number of our low care residents ‘Cruising through Seniors Week’. A wonderful time was had by residents who enjoyed cruising the beautiful Lake Macquarie with Lake Macquarie Cruises. The outing allowed the opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge Seniors Week with fellow residents, staff and volunteers.

Aged & Community Services (ACS) – 2010 State Awards for Excellence

The ACS State Awards for Excellence promote and recognise excellence in a range of areas that contribute to the quality of life of older people, people with disabilities and/or their carers. The Awards also acknowledge efforts to increase public confidence and community involvement in aged and community care services. In May 2010, Anglican Care received ‘runner up finalist’ status in both the organisation and media categories of the Awards.

The media award recognised Anglican Care’s efforts in receiving wide spread media coverage in relation to the ‘technology’ programs that have been introduced to our residents. These include the use of the Nintendo Wii’s in our lifestyle and wellbeing programs and the introduction of the Broadband for Seniors Kiosks. The submission for our organisation award centred around the human resource initiatives Anglican Care has introduced - the 4R’s – Recruitment, Retention, Recognition and Recycling, together with our first-rate lifestyle and wellbeing programs.

Aged & Community Services (ACS) – 2009 State Awards for Excellence

In June 2009, Anglican Care was awarded the ‘Organisation Award’ for its Intergenerational Program. The two primary objectives of the Programme for older adults and young people included:

The provision of activities or programs that increase interaction between the two generations that involves the sharing of knowledge, skills and experience between young and old, resulting in education, friendship and caring.
The ability to provide employment opportunities for young adults.

Career Links Workplace Excellence Awards – 2009

In November 2009 Anglican Care’s Jesmond Grove Hostel was presented with a Career Links Workplace Excellence Award for its innovative Nintendo Wii Intergenerational Program, which brings together hostel residents and students from Callaghan College Wallsend Campus.

HR Leadership Awards –2009

The Australian HR Awards is Australia's leading event for recognition of benchmark HR practice. In 2009 Anglican Care was a Finalist for the Hays Award for Innovation in Recruitment and Retention.

Anglican Care’s submission demonstrated excellence in the following areas:

Strategies to identify talented, skilled employees externally and high potentials internally
Approaches to recruiting, measuring and assessing capability and performance
Innovative initiatives in developing and leveraging employer branding
Quality induction processes and programs
Evidence in leadership development, as well as personal development opportunities
Evidence of ongoing measurement of employee engagement
Methods for reaching and attracting the right applicants
Strategies for developing engagement, commitment and loyalty

Workcover Safe Work Awards - 2008

The Workcover Safe Work Awards provide recognition of health and safety excellence and recognise those who are committed to making Australian workplaces safer.
Anglican Care was a finalist in the 2008 Awards for “ Best Solution to an Identified Workplace Health and Safety Solution”. Anglican Care’s nomination centred on the implementation of its Manual Handling Coaches Program which takes a holistic approach to managing risks within the workplace.

Coaches are self-nominated from all levels of Anglican Care’s staff with some of their key functions as follows:

Assessing the manual handling competencies of staff.
Conducting and reviewing risk assessments of equipment and procedures.
Improving and updating Safe Work Procedure Skills Assessment resource folder through risk management.
Conducting internal education sessions.
Mentoring, supporting and encouraging staff in correct manual handling principles.
Encouraging staff to actively participate in the Anglican Care Stretching Program and other initiatives to improve overall health and wellbeing in relation to manual handling.