SOBELL LODGE AT STAPLEHURST Report on the meeting of the Support Group held on Tuesday 9 th December 2014 Attendees: Bill Piper Ian Thomas Tracy Haith Fiona Brown Chris Walker Jackie Cloude Sue Hollins Peter Spearink Roy Salt Chairman Resident Sobell Lodge Services Manager Volunteer gardener Volunteer gardener and seamstress Volunteer Volunteer Parish Council Representative Volunteer Health&Safety Apologies: Linda Hewish Vanessa Scott Resident Volunteer Co-coordinator Report of previous meeting: Roy said that he believed the work on the fire doors had not been completed. Tracy clarified that that particular part of the project had been. Matters arising: There were no matters arising. Sobell Lodge Issues and Voluntary Income Concerning the fire doors, the company responsible for replacing the fire doors altered the schedule of work. There are therefore a few areas outstanding, in particular the dining room. Also, there have been a few problems with the doors that had been fitted. The company had been back to do snagging but a few issues still remained.
There is an issue with the external doors of a resident s room. There is water seepage and concern that the doors may not be entirely secure when locked. A quote has now been accepted and the work will take in January 2015. Forestry First has now received approval from Maidstone Borough Council to carry out work on the Sycamore tree at the rear of the building. The work will be carried out in the next few weeks. The art project in which Sobell Lodge participated with The British Museum has now been completed. The items made by the residents are being displayed in the front entrance of Sobell Lodge for a couple of weeks and will then be displayed in another part of the home for a longer period. Leonard Cheshire has put in a bid for lottery funding to fund a heritage project. Sobell Lodge has a lot of items from Mote Lodge days and a couple of staff from Head Office have visited to go through it. Peter Spearink said that there is a group on Facebook called Memories of Maidstone. It may be worth asking them if anyone has photos or other memorabilia relating to Mote Lodge Leonard Cheshire Home. Action: Tracy Haith to get in touch with the relevant person at Head Office to consult about whether she is interested in pursuing this line. And, if she is, Tracy to contact Peter Spearink who will put the relevant enquiry on the Memories of Maidstone Facebook page. There have been two resignations at Head Office. Giles Budd who was a Health and Safety Advisor has resigned as has Hugh Middlemass who was Head of Fundraising. Two Occupational Therapy students from Christ Church Canterbury have joined Sobell Lodge for a period of nine weeks. They started on 8 December and will be working with specific residents. As of September the accounts show that Sobell Lodge made 4,359 in voluntary income. This is 289 more than last year. Just over 1000 has been spent on activities from this money. Sobell Lodge has been trying very hard on recruiting staff this year. It has been difficult. We are in competition with twelve other care premises in the immediate area and falling behind on pay. Although we have been successful in
in obtaining a rise in pay for the support staff this has affected morale in other Departments. Now we are working hard to obtain a rise for the other staff. Volunteer Co-ordinator s Report The residents are attending the pantomime at Staplehurst Village Centre on 11 Members of the Mothers Union are singing carols with the residents on 12 On 14 th December the Free Church are holding a Service at Sobell Lodge followed by a Volunteers Tea for all Sobell Lodge volunteers. The Kits Coty Morris Dancers are coming to Sobell Lodge on the evening of 18 th December to give a display and sing carols. This is always warmly welcomed by the residents. On 20 th December four residents are off on holiday. Eleven residents are going to the pantomime in Tunbridge Wells. Six on 29 th December and five on 30 th The Staplehurst Bridge Club now meets upstairs in Sobell Lodge on Friday evenings. The Sobell Lodge Quiz Night raised 610.60. Residents Report Ian had nothing to report. Community Issues affecting Sobell Lodge There have been two recent major house building applications for Staplehurst. One is an extension to Limetrees Estate of 250 houses and the other is for the land behind Hurst Close of 169 houses. None of the housing developers seems keen to address the need for crossing facilities for disabled wheelchairs.
There are still problems with the Number 5 bus service. There is now an Arriva smartphone/computer app which can be downloaded. This might be useful for any resident/support worker as it gives real time information on buses thus avoiding long waiting times or, worse, getting stranded somewhere. The Staplehurst Neighbourhood Plan appears to be falling apart because builders are getting their applications in first before it is finalized. There are unsubstantiated rumours about Sainsburys pulling out of their commitment to build a supermarket and garage in Staplehurst. Sainsburys were non-committal when questioned by the Parish Council but say that the company is carrying out a reevaluation of their planned stores in January 2015 so more should be known in February or March. A defibrillator is being put on the outside of Staplehurst Library. Sub-Committee Reports H&S: There was a Health and Safety meeting on 25 November where information was discussed about allergens. The Housekeeping Manager has the matter in hand. Only approved cleaning products supplied by the home can be used to clean residents rooms. Residents may use their own products, including air fresheners, should they wish to do so. Sturgeons, the firm who constructed the parking bays, are addressing the problems with sinkage, and will be carrying out repairs shortly. Leigh Selway from Head Office is now helping Tracy write a business case for both the conservatory and the residents kitchen which will be built using the Sobell money. Tracy is still not sure whether the right authorizations have been obtained. Additionally, for the conservatory two business cases are needed. One is needed for the pilings and another for the actual building. The gardeners noted that the area where the conservatory is to be built is now very unsafe to carry out gutter cleaning and leaf clearing. Leonard Cheshire Disability has recently sent out an e-mail regarding legislation concerning windows above ground level and their openings. This should only affect the windows in the rooms used by staff and visitors upstairs. These windows will be checked but it is thought they are already compliant.
The signs made for the entrance road to Sobell Lodge requesting motorists to drive carefully and at 5mph still need to be enlarged. Gardening: The gardeners are carrying on preparing the garden for overwintering and removing leaves from the paths, lawns, patios and flower beds. Sewing: Chris is just carrying on as normal with things like repairs and stitching name labels to any new clothes. The busy period will be just after Christmas. AOB Chris Walker asked about the situation regarding parking at the Village Centre. Tracy said there have been no tickets provided for Sobell Lodge to use but we have been asked to park at the North Hall end behind the building except on Tuesday mornings when this area should be left clear for members of the Art Class. Tracy thanked everyone for the help that they give so tirelessly to Sobell Lodge. It is most appreciated by residents and managers alike. Bill Piper said it would be nice for Sobell Lodge to have a digital projector. Tracy has had several discussions with Vanessa about getting one, and also a screen, from voluntary funds. And, a projector should be able to be purchased early in 2015. The dates of the meetings in 2015 are 3 rd March; 2 nd June; 1 st September and 1 st