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Co-design for care: testimonials and reflections

Healthier working lives for the care workforce insights

23 October 2023

HWL has invested in the development of a Co-design approach tailored to the healthy ageing market that harnesses a raft of existing, proven innovation and change tools in a structured, flexible framework that makes co-design inspirational, accessible and impactful. We hear from Care-home managers about their learnings, reflections and positive engagements with Co-Design and the HWL team.

Abbotsford Raith Manor (Kirkcaldy) - Conor Gill

Conor Gill is Care home manager at Abbotsford Raith Manor (Kirkcaldy). In 2022, the HWL team worked with Conor and Abbotsford Raith Manor to introduce the Co-Design approach and Ripple toolkit. Together with guidance, training, reflection, the team reviewed approaches to improving aspects in the care home for both service users and colleagues.

It’s been positive and very beneficial…It did help in terms of teamwork. It has brought a lot of the staff together in terms of the different departments such as the chef, the domestics and the care staff…Teamwork has totally improved.– Conor Gill, Care home manager at Abbotsford Raith Manor (Kirkcaldy)

Conor describes how the toolkit enabled him to undertake a proactive approach to review how to help staff, whilst ensuring care needs are met. This encompassed improving team communication and morale.

Through guided communication methods, Conor highlights staff are proactive in asking for support when needed with improved confidence and collaboration amongst the team. This has improved staff wellbeing, as well as care users.

Co-design is becoming integrated within the recruitment process to build a stronger foundation of compassion and wellbeing.

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Chambers Court (Cowdenbeath) - Mandy Ross

Mandy Ross is a Care home manger at Chambers Court (Cowdenbeath). She discusses the developments from Co-design to her own experience, her team and across different teams in the care home.

Co-design activities developing communication in the care home was key for the team. With improvements in communication verbally with colleagues, to streamlining communication in processes such as Assessment and Feedback forms through collaborative and open discussions. This assisted towards improving accessibility by staff to one another’s role(s), tasks as well as understand care home plans and processes for the benefit of users.

Mandy reflects upon the shared and collaborative understanding of individuals and different team roles, and the appreciation and respect this has built amongst teams in the Care Home.

Staff work better. They appreciate each other. Happy staff makes happy residents. They have a new appreciation of what their role is and what part they play. We all appreciate what part they play.– Mandy Ross, Care manager, Chambers Court (Cowdenbeath)

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Glenfield Care Home - Carol Chiverton

Carol Chiverton is a care home manager at Glenfield Care Home. She discusses the positive developments from the Circle of Care and Ripple toolkit activities during the care home’s work with HWL in 2022.

Carol describes how the activities bringing her the team closer, as a manger, communicating more collaboratively and effectively with her own team and other departments with decisions and new ideas.

We enjoyed the Circle of Care, everybody had different ideas on the topic, but in a roundabout way we always reached the goal…It helped us to understand why we are trying to achieve and how to go about that…We left feeling good about it…We left as a team feeling stronger.– Carol Chiverton, Care home manager

She reflects upon team morale and relations being stronger, with greater confidence to communicate collaboratively with one another in day-to-day, as well as wider issues in the care sector.

Learning about the importance of self-care was key, as individuals and supporting one another as a team to help one another and care users.

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Find out more about Co-Design and Ripple Toolkit

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If you are an innovator, business leader or entrepreneur working, or seeking to become involved with the care sector, join the Healthier working lives campaign through our registration form or contact dilesh.shah@kcl.ac.uk.