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Pen y Coed Assessment and Transition Unit has had a major refurbishment completed in order to improve the overall physical environment. This has been a challenging programme of works due to Pen y Coed being a grade 3 listed building. Pentan the appointed architects & TRJ the appointed contractors have worked very methodically demonstrating their expertise to deliver the programme of works in order to return Pen y Coed to its former glory!   Consequently over the last 7 months Penycoed has been through some significant changes in its appearance.

Work started in July 2011, beginning with the replacement of the roof, old slate tiles were removed and the old insulation was removed before new slates, lead work and pipe-work were installed. Old chimneys were removed and new chimneys in the original style were put in place. The work on the roof was very complex and a high standard of craftsmanship was demonstrated.

Work then began in the garden to prepare for additional waste water systems, in the grounds and around the building. This included digging trenches in the front garden to install new cylinders.

The plumbing work carried on through the duration of the build including a new boiler,new pipe-work, and new hot water tanks. Electrical work was undertaken to ensure all areas that were being refurbished met electrical safety standards.

The dining room refurbishment included the building of a new adjacent office and the installation of a new sky light. An additional door to the hallway was also installed.

After the dining room had been completed, the bathrooms were them all refurbished with additional showers and cabinets. There was also a wet room placed in the downstairs cloakroom.

The work helped in creating more space and more showers at Penycoed.

New carpets, new furnishings and paint work finished off the refurbishment in March 2012.

We would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to everyone who has supported us through this difficult phase helping us to maintain service provision at full occupancy & keep the disruption to a minimum.

Once again we are holding events across the organisation for staff to attend and contribute to the way the organisation develops. Dates are as follows:

Powys/Shrops – June 18 Nov 7

Carms/Pembs/RCT – June 28 Nov 15

East Midlands – June 13 Nov 21

Staff from all roles accross Perthyn will be encouraged and supported to attend and the days will include workshops/information exchange and feedback on a number of important issues.

Over the summer we held 3 Staff Engagement Days that once again proved to be very informative. Subects discussed on the day were:

a)  Strategic Plan – Update from Senior Management Team

b) Sickness and Absence Policy – Staff views on changes to the policy

c) Quality of Life – Overview of documentation and re-launch

d) Cafe Session – group work on computers in houses, staff role in influencing company direction, making people feel valued, whistle blowing.

Detailed notes from the days were collated and have been sent to all Managers for circulation/dissemination to their team

Further events are planned for the new year.

The first UK Forum took place at the Metropole Hotel in Mid Wales on 16th March 2011. The event gave an opportunity to Local Service User Forum reps to share questions and concerns from their individual forums. Discussion groups looked at topics such as how people can be more involved in the recruitment and selection of staff, what activities people do, getting work, control of your money and getting out more. People had the chance to put their questions to members of the Senior Management Team and the Board of Trustees. Feedback from the event will go to each of the individual forums in the next few months.

As part of Perthyn’s commitment to quality, we are members of the Welsh Quality Centre (WQC). Each year we submit our Annual Quality Report to them so that it can be independently assessed. Following this we host an orgnisation site visit during which Independant Assessors interview and question Senior Managers about the work we do and they then rate the organisation’s performance. This year the WQC has changed its assessment criteria and scoring rating but Perthyn managed to improve its overall score. Subsequently we have been awarded the silver Standard.

As an organisation we work hard to provide a quality service and to be able to prove that we do so. Indpendent assessments as thorough as that undertaken by the WQC go a long way to evidencing this.

During September all staff had the opportunity to complete this year’s Staff Survey questionnaire. Compared to the last survey undertaken in 2008, there was an increase in the number of respondents, up from 28% to 35%. Whilst this is a positive trend, we clearly need to do more to ensure that more people opinions are obtained. The intention next time it to coordinated both the distribution and collection of survey forms, whilst ensuring we maintain the anonymity of respondents.

The results have been collated and presented in a report to the Senior Management Team. Detailed information will be shared in the months ahead and appropriate actions in relation to the issues that have been raised will be taken.

In summary the key points that the survey has highlighted are as follows:

-          Our values: Most staff are clear about what we do and what our aims for the people we support are.  

-          Communication: People recognised that we are doing a lot more to communicate with them. However, there is more we can do and there was support for more engagement forums. Further links with East Midlands also need to be developed.

-          Team Meetings: These are really important to people but do hot take place as often as people would like.

-          Training: People enjoy the training they receive but some respondents felt they often had to travel too far to get to the venue.

-          Support from managers: The support staff recieve from their managers was seen as very good. Managers set a good example and demonstrate that they are clear about their role.

-          Pay and conditions: In general, staff felt their package was a fair one and compared well with other organisations.  As you might expect there was a lot of support for a cost of living rise to be made.

-          Sickness and Absence: There were concerns expressed that our policy is too generous and the view was expressed that we should do more to deal with people who take advantage of this.

The plan now is that we will look closely at all of the results and provide feedback on a regional basis so that we can look at the issues that are unique to each area.

On Saturday 18th September ’10 the Shropshire Partners in Care Awards (SPIC) ceremony was held at the Park Inn Hotel in Telford. The awards are held annually and this year the team from Gains Avenue were nominated for the hard work and support they showed to 1 of the tenants who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The staff team remained positive throughout the time they supported the lady and worked well together and were extremely flexible with their shift patterns when the time arose for the lady to require additional support including time at the local hospice.

As an organisation we are delighted that the Gains Avenue team were chosen as the winners in the Team Award category. The Award was presented by Craig Kelly – Actor who played Luke Strong in Coronation Street.

We know that we have a lot of staff who work hard week in week out so when something like this happens it is really gratifying to know that their efforts are acknowledged from people outside of the organisation. We are proud of their achievements and the recognition they have achieved is richly deserved.

Dont forget to have a look at the vacancies we currently have at Perthyn.

Today is a big day for Perthyn as we have just revamped our online presence with a new site. The site aims to provide users with easier navigation and a more pleasant experience.