I want to congratulate Lauren on taking up the role of Field Care Supervisor, succeeding Tony who has moved on to a new role with Hampshire County Council's Adult Services. Lauren joined Caremark in October 2008 with no previous care experience whatsoever and in the meantime has worked so hard to achieve not only her NVQ2 in Health and Social Care but also a VRQ (Vocationally Related Qualification) in Palliative Care. Both she and our other Supervisor, Yvonne, are soon to embark on a VRQ in Dementia Care. With this dedication to her studies plus the fact that she has an incredible natural empathy for our clients, it quickly became clear that she was destined to climb the promotion ladder.

All members of the Caremark team wish her every success!

To celebrate Caremark’s growing contribution to the wellbeing of the more vulnerable members of our community an Open Day was held on Tuesday 19th January, attended by The Mayor of Eastleigh, Councillor Mrs Pamela Holden-Brown and The Mayor’s Escort, Mr Terry Holden-Brown. The Open Day also provided the opportunity for an informal meeting with representatives of local charities and care professionals.

The recent bad weather has highlighted the quality of work performed by Caremark’s team of Carers. Despite the challenges of icy roads and numerous customers who live in what had become relatively inaccessible rural areas, the Carers did a marvellous job in providing continuity of care. Some Carers dispensed with their cars and simply walked from one customer’s home to the next. Unfortunately one Carer did have a minor accident in her car and another slipped on the ice with very painful results but the dedication to the customers of each and every one of the Carers was a credit to them.

The growing proportion of older people within the population means that the provision of high-quality, professional care at home is becoming ever more relevant. Caremark’s tried and tested approach has provided not only their customers but also their loved ones with the reassurance that everyone needs when the care of someone close is in question.

It is central to our principles that well-trained carers provide the best quality of care. We aim, therefore, to enrol each and every one of our carers on the NVQ 2 (Health and Social Care) as soon as possible.

To give a brief impression of what the course entails, the following words were written by Jenny, one of our carers:

"I knew very little about NVQ courses and was apprehensive about undertaking one. I was surprised at how long the course would take and, once started, just how much work was involved. However, I had a lovely Assessor who encouraged me every step of the way. I was pleased to find that I could still study at my age!

It was a great relief to complete the course on target and I would encourage all carers to grasp this opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills, ultimately to the benefit of their clients."

We are delighted to announce the appointment of our new Field Care Supervisor, Yvonne Parker. She is an extremely capable and experienced carer who will make a great contribution to the service we aim to provide for our clients.

Yvonne's appointment coincides with our farewell to Denise who has been one of our Field Care Supervisors for the past 8 months. She is moving on to pastures fresh and does so with our fond appreciation for the excellent work she has done for Caremark.

Last week Caremark (Winchester & Eastleigh) moved up in the world, from the first to the second floor of Wessex House! We are now in a larger main office with our own interview/training room next door. The benefits of this development were immediate and will be long-lasting.

Furthermore, on Monday 3rd August we were appointed one of only two 'approved providers' to Hampshire Primary Care Trust. As much as anything else, this is a reflection on the effort we continue to invest in doing our best for our clients. We are delighted to have this opportunity to support Hampshire PCT and look forward to establishing a firm relationship with them.

Much has happened in recent months. Sadly, Diane, our original Field Care Supervisor, has had to stand down for health reasons and we wish her all the best for the future.

We have in place, however, two new Field Care Supervisors who have been promoted from within our ranks of carers. Prior to joining Caremark Denise Keylock had gained extensive care experience with other providers. She was a carer with us for about ten months prior to becoming an FCS. Tony Smith joined Caremark in November 2008 bringing many years of experienced gained as a nurse with the Prison Service. He has recently been promoted to the role of Field Care Supervisor.

These developments in the role of Field Care Supervisor reflect our ongoing commitment to enhancing Quality Assurance and developing our professional relationship with our clients.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of our Care Coordinator, Samantha Hunt. As an integral member of the office team, Samantha's primary responsibility will be to oversee and maintain the allocation of carers to our clients on a permanent basis, a principle that underpins Caremark's approach to care provision. More generally, she will share many of the administrative responsibilities that previously were shouldered alone by our Care Manager, Rhona.

Samantha lives locally and does her bit for the environment by walking to work. This level of daily exercise is probably no bad thing because she adds no fewer than three full teaspoons of sugar to her cups of tea...

Welcome to Caremark (Winchester & Eastleigh)’s new website. We hope you’ll agree that the image it projects is crisp and professional, very much in keeping with how we run our business. News items reflecting our early months of development have been added to give you an idea of the progress that we have enjoyed. If you want to know more about who we are and what we do please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give us a call. Alternatively, you are more than welcome to send us an email on info@caremarkwinchester.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.

Although still a relatively young business (we only started trading in March 2008), it is evident that our efforts to provide the highest standards of care are already being noted within the community. Perhaps the strongest evidence of this can be found in two telephone calls in the past week or so, both from prospective private clients. When the callers were asked how they had heard of Caremark, both responded that we had been recommended to them by clients for whom we already provide care. There can be no greater testimonial not only of the efforts we are making on behalf of our clients but also of the professional qualities of our carers.

As a further indication of our aim to build the quality of our service, we have just appointed our first Field Care Supervisor, Diane Whitcombe. She has 17 years' experience in care and was most recently working with Southampton City Council. Her role will focus on quality assurance through monitoring the performance of our carers and receiving feedback from them at regular staff meetings. Equally important will be her responsibility for developing a trusting relationship with our clients, ensuring that they are at all times comfortable with the care that they are receiving and noting any changes in the care needs that may have arisen. Through Diane, Caremark's visibility within the community will grow, as will our reputation for providing the highest quality of care.

Away from care, she enjoys DIY, gardening and walking her dog, Lola, and looking after her cat, Norman, which is larger than the dog!

Caremark (Winchester & Eastleigh) received notification from the Commission for Social Inspection that, following our recent inspection, we would be awarded Two Stars, the highest grading possible for a business undergoing its first inspection. This is wonderful news and reflects the standards we are all striving to achieve and maintain, whether in our administration of the business, training of our carers or, most importantly, the quality of care provided. The details of the report will soon be available on the CSCI website for anyone to read and can be accessed via a link on this website.

This week we welcomed Rhona Reid as our new Care Manager. She brings a wealth of domiciliary care experience to Caremark (Winchester & Eastleigh). Previously, she has worked with other domiciliary care businesses, Portsmouth City Council homecare department and, most recently, Southern Focus Trust.

Although originally from Forfar in the north east of Scotland, Rhona has lived in Portsmouth for over ten years. She is a keen follower of Portsmouth Football Club, something for which most of our care workers have already forgiven her.