BAGATELLE COURT NEWSLETTER Summer/Autumn 2015 Welcome to our latest edition of the Bagatelle Court Newsletter which we hope you will find informative and enjoy reading. The Newsletter is an effective way to communicate our achievements and our ambitions. We are always looking for ways to further improve communication with tenants, family members, friends and staff. We would therefore welcome any suggestions you may have for future articles and also any feedback regarding the Newsletter which should be forwarded to Anna Truss, Bagatelle Court Manager, or to any Committee member of the Bagatelle Court Tenants Organisation. We have recently revamped the Society s website and invite you to have a look because we are confident you will find its content very informative. This Newsletter will be displayed together with other useful information. The Society s website address is www.gmas.org.uk Welcome Through the pages of our Newsletter, may we extend a very warm welcome to all new tenants and to their family and friends who visit them. We hope you have an enjoyable and fulfilling time at Bagatelle Court. At the Forefront of Quality Independent Living
BAGATELLE COURT TENANTS ORGANISATION Eric Liddell, Chairman, writes: Hello neighbours and friends, I think you will agree it was a disappointing Summer but we did manage to fit in a couple of BBQs and outings to Lomond Shores and the Garden Centres. Things are going pretty well at Bagatelle Court. Anna Truss, our Bagatelle Court Manager, achieved her ambition and received Excellent Grades across the board from the Care Inspectorate. I know you will all join with me to congratulate Anna and the staff and volunteers on a job well done. As you are all aware Anna is stepping down from her position as Bagatelle Court Manager but, wait for it, we won t be rid of her. Anna will be taking over from Mary McCorkindale who works weekends and will be retiring. A retiral buffet was organised by tenants and staff to wish Mary a long and happy retirement. Mary, pictured centre, was presented with flowers and a number of gifts. Our new Bagatelle Court Manager will be Agnes Little. Lots of changes, but I am confident the standard of excellent service provided by Greenock Medical Aid Society and its staff will continue.
VE DAY 70 th ANNIVERSARY Bagatelle Court tenants joined the rest of the country to mark the 70 th anniversary of VE Day. Our guest speaker, retired British Army Captain, Frankie Caldwell MBE, seen below, reminded us of the courage and fortitude shown by the armed forces and civilians during the Second World War. To the strains of Vera Lynn singing We ll meet again the staff, tenants, their family members and friends enjoyed a wonderful trip down memory lane followed by a succulent BBQ in the patio garden as can be seen in the photos below.
EASTER BONNET BELLES Who s the belle at Bagatelle Courts Easter Bonnet Parade? The winner is everyone who participated in the making of their stunning Easter bonnets and having the courage to parade. An enjoyable day was had by all judging from the above photos. STAFF NEWS Tenants and staff wished Ann Lutman good luck as she left her post as relief Housing Support Assistant at Bagatelle Court. A very popular member of staff, Ann has taken a new career path which will allow her to spend more time with her beloved West Highland Terrier, Heather..oh, and her husband Frank!
BAGATELE COURT AWARDED EXCELLENT GRADES BY THE CARE INSPECTORATE The Care Inspectorate has awarded Bagatelle Court Excellent grades in the three Quality Themes that sheltered housing is inspected on, namely: Quality of Care and Support Grade 6 Excellent Quality of Staffing Grade 6 Excellent Quality of Management & Leadership Grade 6 Excellent The Care Inspectorate concluded that Bagatelle Court provides an excellent service to tenants. They said that the tenants made very positive comments about the quality of the service, the staff and management. They found that the tenants were actively engaged and encouraged to participate on commenting and improving the quality of the service. Also that staff promote tenants independence and offer support in a way that delivers very good outcomes for the tenants who use the service. The Care Inspectorate noted that the service continues to develop its operational improvement plan to continuously improve the quality of the service. They praised the service for developing their methods of quality assurance and sharing the findings of quality audits with the tenants, their family members and other stakeholders. The Care Inspectorate concluded that Bagatelle Court is performing to an excellent standard, tenants hold the service and staff in high regard and they feel involved in all aspects of decision making within the service. Congratulations to all of the Society s staff at Bagatelle Court, namely, Anna Truss, Manager, Mary McCorkindale, Housing Support Assistant, Agnes Little and Sarah Jamieson, Relief Housing Support Assistants, Gerry Gorman, Maintenance Officer, and volunteers Rena Robertson, Margaret Colquhoun and Maureen Twaddle and not forgetting the tenants who together with the staff make a great team and should be proud of their achievement. A fantastic team effort!
QUALITY ASSURANCE Staff training Bagatelle Court Manager Anna Truss and Housing Support Assistant Agnes Little were delighted to receive their certificates from Parkinson s UK on successfully completing the learning programme Understanding Parkinson s for health and social care staff. Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) have awarded this learning programme two credit points at SCQF Level 6. Bagatelle Court staff have also completed training courses on the following: Challenging Behaviour Dementia Awareness Fire Safety Review of policies and procedures The past 12 months have been a very busy period focused on reviewing and updating the Society s wide range of policies and procedures which serve to underpin its high standard of service. This work was done by Anna Truss in co-operation with the Home Managers at Bagatelle and Glenfield. The following is a summary of the excellent work that has been reviewed to date: Policies and procedures Policy on Health and Safety Staff Supervision Forms Staff Appraisal Forms New Staff Induction Process Policy on Staff Gifts Documentation Further work has focused on improving the documentation required to support the processes involved in service delivery and development in which the keeping of detailed records is of critical importance. The documents reviewed will result in: A closer working relationship with River Clyde Homes Improved communication for staff and tenant meetings.
OUR SILVER SURFERS Charles Young, Chief Executive of Greenock Medical Aid Society, offered his congratulations to Bagatelle Court tenants Morag Collins, left, and Jean Aitken as they proudly display their certificates which they received from Inverclyde Council. Morag and Jean were just two of the Bagatelle Court tenants who took part in the six week Computer Basics class organised by Sally Wright from Inverclyde Council on Disability (ICOD). Jean and Morag have since purchased ipads and have attended other computer courses organised by Inverclyde Libraries.
BAGATELLE COURT TENANTS WEEKLY SOCIAL PROGRAMME Wednesday - 7.15pm. Exercise class in the Conservatory (Qualified Instructor) Wednesday - 2.15pm. Church Service (first Wednesday of the month) Thursday - 10.30am. Coffee Morning in the Conservatory Friday - 7pm. Carpet Bowls Saturday - 2pm. Tea/Coffee in Conservatory Saturday - 7pm. Eric s Bingo in the Conservatory Sunday - 2pm. Tea/coffee in the Conservatory FORTHCOMING EVENTS Halloween Party St. Andrews Night celebrations Christmas Party ------------------------------------ CONTACT Mrs Anna Truss Bagatelle Court Manager Bagatelle Court 49 Eldon Street Greenock PA16 7RA Tel: 07818 598555 (Monday to Friday 9am 4pm) email: htruss@gmas.org.uk website: www.gmas.org.uk Registered Charity SC004538