News

WOODSIDE HOSPITAL RECEIVES POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM CQC

04 April 2012

Woodside, our independent hospital providing assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services received its first inspection by the Care Quality Commission in January 2012 after opening last year.

The inspection found that Woodside was meeting all inspected standards and the inspection report (which can be viewed at www.cqc.org.uk) included positive feedback about the treatment plans, therapeutic activities and Woodside’s multi-disciplinary team.

Woodside has already discharged over half of all patients admitted in last year which demonstrate its success in treating people and supporting them to move on at the earliest opportunity.

WOODLEIGH CARE WINS NATIONAL AWARD FOR INNOVATION

20 March 2012

Woodleigh Care has won the first prize award for “Innovation” at the 2012 Laing and Buisson Independent Specialist Care Awards.

Woodleigh was selected because of its most recent initiatives including its bespoke education courses for service users, the introduction of peripatetic clinical team and the expansion of its occupational workshops.

This award recognises the work by many people across the organisation to continue to improve services and demonstrates that Woodleigh is at the forefront of new practices and approaches to enhance the quality of Woodleigh’s services and improve outcomes for people.

WOODLEIGH HORTICULTURAL PROJECT

01 February 2012

Following the success of Woodleigh’s bakery and textiles workshop, Woodleigh has opened its third occupational project, being a horticultural project in Leeds called “Green Fingers.”

“Green Fingers” is based in Leeds and provides up to four work placements each day for people living within Woodleigh’s services to grow vegetables, fruits and bedding plants to then be sold across Woodleigh’s different services.

The project is overseen by an experienced market gardener and provides people with the opportunity to have a meaningful job, build self esteem and learn new skills. It also serves as a potential stepping stone to further employment elsewhere.

WOODLEIGH SHORTLISTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

03 December 2011

Woodleigh has been shortlisted for the prestigious Laing & Buisson Independent Specialist Care Awards 2012 in the categories of:

- Training & Dissemination of Good Practice

- Innovation

Last year Woodleigh won the national award for Training & Dissemination of Good Practice and we're delighted that our staff training and development programme has been shortlisted for a second year in succession.

Following a presentation to a specialist judging panel in January, winners will be announced at a gala dinner in March in London.

WOODLEIGH BAKERY SUPPLIES ST GEORGES CRYPT HOMELESS PROJECT

24 November 2011

Woodleigh's Bakery is now supplying bread to St Georges Crypt, the well known charity providing care and support for homeless and disadvantaged people in the Leeds area since 1930.

The bakery has been open for nearly two years supplying all the bakery goods for all Woodleigh's different services. The services users wished to support a local charity for disadvantaged people and the bakery now provides bread for around 100 homeless people eating at St Georges Crypt each day.

DEVELOPMENT OF NORCOTT HOUSE NEARS COMPLETION

07 November 2011

The construction of our new service Norcott House in Liversedge is nearing completion. This service will comprise a number of brand new bungalows, each for between two and four people to live together.

The service will offer people the opportunity to live within a small dwelling but with the support of a large staff team available as needed.

We expect that the first people will move in after we have completed the registration process in January.

WOODLEIGH SHORTLISTED FOR BEST EMPLOYER AWARD

25 October 2011

Woodleigh has been shortlisted as finalists for the 2011 / 12 Skills for Care Accolades in the category of Best employer for over 250 staff.

Skills for Care is the national body which promotes workforce development within social care and we’re delighted that Skills for Care recognises our absolute commitment to developing valued, motivated and skilled staff teams to work with our service users.

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in Manchester on 8^th March in London.

WOODLEIGH WINS HEALTHY WORKPLACE AWARD

10 October 2011

Woodleigh has been commended for demonstrating its commitment to the health and well-being of its employees by receiving a Simplyhealth Healthy Workplace award.

We’re delighted that the Healthy Workplace award recognises Woodleigh Care’s contribution towards the welfare of its employees by providing a range of benefits and initiatives designed to keep people motivated and in good health.

New appointments within Clinical Services team

05 September 2011

As part of the ongoing development of our clinical team, Woodleigh Care has appointed Jules Moran and Julia Taylor as Clinical Services Managers. Both Jules and Julia have significant experience of working at a senior level with adults with learning difficulties and complex needs and will work with the existing team to continue to improve the quality of services we provide.

Woodleigh Care’s Summer Fete

03 August 2011

The resident forum organised our highly successful summer fete on the 21^st July 2011 at Kirkside House. It was a great occasion as service users, staff and families from across the organisation were brought together for a fun day. A whole range of stalls, including tombola’s, bric and brac and cake stalls to name a few, were set up by different people and proved to be extremely popular. There were some competitions, including the popular tug of war which got everyone involved!

Woodleigh Care publishes results of 2011 feedback survey

26 July 2011

Each year, Woodleigh Care carries out a survey from family members and care managers on their views on how well we’re doing in meeting the needs of our service users. The purpose of the survey is to identify our strengths and things we could do better.

Our 2011 survey shows that over 90% of care managers and family members said that there had been a good or excellent improvement in the person’s well-being since moving to Woodleigh Care. This shows we are achieving our most important goal of helping people with complex needs to improve their lives.

Similarly, the survey showed that over 90% of care managers felt that Woodleigh Care had a good or excellent ability to meet people’s needs and the feedback showed very high satisfaction levels for the attitude of our staff, the training of our staff and our overall staffing levels.

Woodleigh Care sets up a new textiles workshop

12 May 2011

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new textiles workshop which offers work placements for up to twenty service users. The workshop, based in Bradford, offers an opportunity for service users to learn new skills and has sewing and knitting machines and various weaving looms from which people manufacture different textiles products. Already people are producing aprons, cushions and scarves and we continue to broaden the range and shall soon start to sell things.

Woodleigh Care wins national award for training & good practice!

16 March 2011

Woodleigh Care has won an award for “Training and Dissemination of good practice” at the 2011 Laing and Buisson Independent Specialist Care Awards.

Woodleigh Care was selected by the judging panel against stiff competition for our staff training and development programme, reflective practices and our innovative education courses for service users.

This award recognises the great work by our training department led by Carol Jones and Earle Keating, who picked up the award at a special dinner at the Marriott Hotel in London, as well as the learning practices implemented by everyone at Woodleigh Care.

Woodleigh Social Club is launched

07 February 2011

A new social club has been launched by service users for people across Woodleigh’s services to get together socially, enjoy different activities and establish new friends. The social club was proposed by the Servicer User Forum group and meets monthly in the evenings and includes music, dancing, games, karaoke, pool and a tuck shop. Watch this space for even more developments!

Woodside, our new Independent Hospital, opens!

02 February 2011

Woodside, based in Bradford, is our new independent hospital for up to nine adults with learning disabilities and complex needs. As a non secure setting, Woodside will support people through robust support packages and relational, rather than physical, security. It provides a bespoke service for people requiring a rehabiliation programme within a community setting.

Patients may be admitted because of a crisis in their life or following a stay in a secure hospital. By bringing together the expertise of a full multidisciplinary team, Woodside will support people to achieve some stability, make changes and find new ways of coping so that they can then prepare for discharge.

Woodleigh Care has its annual away day

31 January 2011

As usual, January saw Woodleigh Cares’ annual away day. The day involved managers from across the organisation discussing and agreeing upon our priorities for the coming year.

As a group, we decided that our key priorities for 2011 were for everybody working at Woodleigh Care to:

Recognise each other’s contributions
Give and accept feedback
Learn from day to day experiences

The priorities were deliberately simple to help us all focus on continuing to do the important things well - by recognising everybody’s contribution, being open and transparent and by learning from everything we do.

Seasons Greetings

23 January 2011

Staff and service user have been enjoying the Christmas season - as part of the festivities, Woodleigh held its Christmas party on 15^th December at Beacon House where everybody gathered for an evening of dancing and karaoke. We also held our own carol service at Woodhouse Christ Church in Huddersfield, after which people had tea and mince pies freshly baked that morning at Woodleigh Care’s bakery.

Construction of Beacon House has finished

03 December 2010

After nearly a year, Beacon House, construction of our new service in Bradford has now finished.

This is Woodleigh’s first purpose built service, comprising a five bed dwelling and a number of two bed apartments. The physical layout of the building means it offers people the opportunity to live within a small dwelling but with the support of a large staff team available as needed.

The first people will move in soon once we have completed the final stages of registration process.

Woodleigh shortlisted for prestigious awards

15 November 2010

Woodleigh has been shortlisted as finalists for the prestigious Laing & Buisson Independent Specialist Care Awards 2011 in the categories of:

Training & Dissemination of good practice
Care Home Provider

Following a presentation to a specialist judging panel in January, winners will be announced at a gala dinner on 15^th March in London.

Service User Forum launched

18 October 2010

A new service user forum has been launched aimed at encouraging service users from different services across Woodleigh to get together and have their say about how we operate. Formal meetings are held each month after which the forum then submits proposals and recommendations directly to the senior managers of Woodleigh. This has already led to big plans for a Christmas party.