Outstanding care practice at Diagrama's elderly care home in Essex has been recognised with a prestigious Prosper award.

 

The awards, run by Essex County Council, form part of the PROSPER programme, a ground-breaking initiative to test whether quality improvement methods could be implemented in the care home context.

 

PROSPER aims to reduce the number of falls, pressure ulcers and urinary tract infections (UTIs); not only improving system performance and professional development, but also changing behaviours and culture.

 

Staff from Edensor, a 50-bed care home, in Orwell Road, Clacton-on-Sea, walked away with the award for outstanding practice in Pressure Prevention after being shortlisted for four separate accolades: Outstanding Carer; Unsung Hero; Pressure Prevention and Best Innovation. The awards ceremony was held at Chelmsford Race Course on November 28. 

 

Residential manager Alison Brown said: "We have a dedicated, hard-working and caring team at Edensor who we are very proud of so it is wonderful that their efforts have now been recognised with this award and the other nominations. We are always looking for new ways to have a positive impact on the lives of the people we work with and our work to prevent bed sores is one of several projects we are working on."

 

Edensor's entry drew the attention of the judges after staff introduced the use of essential oils and other innovative techniques to help prevent and heal pressure areas. Alison said: "We found essential oils could work for our residents that are at high risk of pressure areas by giving massages on the areas affected. We have had new admissions throughout the year with grade 4 pressure ulcers that we have been able to heal and we are now preventing through promoting skin integrity, applying creams, turning charts, air mattresses etc. We have had no pressure ulcers/sores for over a year in our home and now with this new system of aromatherapy that we have been piloting we feel this is playing a big part in our healing and preventing system."

 

Skin integrity is continually promoted throughout the home and residents monitored carefully. All staff are also fully trained in wound management and Edensor has developed its own 'Stop the Pressure' board game that makes the training engaging and effective for staff.

 

David McGuire, Diagrama Chief Executive said: "Many congratulations to everyone involved - it is great for Edensor be recognised with this award. This is exactly the kind of innovation and ethos that epitomises Diagrama as an organisation and it is wonderful to see how the enthusiasm and dedication of staff and volunteers at Edensor is having such a great impact on residents."