Neville Williams House welcomed members of the Casey Commission team on Tuesday 24th June as part of an afternoon of visits arranged by the National Care Forum (NCF) to see a diversity of local care services in Birmingham and speak to care workers and those accessing services. The Commission is investigating the current state and future of adult social care in England, with a particular focus on understanding the day-to-day realities for people living and working in care settings. The visit to Neville Williams House provided an opportunity to speak directly with residents, families, and staff.
Residents were seen actively enjoying the home’s communal areas, including the on-site pub and landscaped gardens. These defined spaces, designed to bring a sense of independence and enjoyment to those with long-term health conditions, poor mobility or dementia, were a point of discussion with the visiting team. Resident Pauline Mannion shared her personal experience of moving into long-term care and praised the staff for their role in helping her feel at home. Pauline introduced the visitors to Neville, the home’s resident cat, who she has adopted. The visitors heard from Kerry Harrison, who is training to become a nurse through a BCOP-supported apprenticeship. She spoke about her ten-year journey with the charity, and how opportunities for career progression and a supportive team culture have shaped her development. General Manager Amy Beasley and BCOP Operations Director Pushpa Sagoo discussed how care delivery has changed in recent years, particularly in response to financial pressures. The group explored BCOP’s involvement in research through ENRICH (Enabling Research in Care Homes) and how grant funding has supported the development of new wellbeing spaces, including a soon-to-open cinema room.
Commenting on the visit, BCOP CEO Helen Gore said: “We were delighted to welcome the Casey Commission team to Neville Williams House. This was a valuable opportunity to show how not-for-profit care providers like BCOP deliver high-quality, person-centred support that is deeply rooted in our community.” The visitors were particularly interested in the views of individual stakeholders and Helen thanked them for taking part “Our residents, staff and relatives spoke honestly and powerfully about their experiences, and we are proud to have contributed to the Casey Commission about the future of care.”
Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of NCF commented: “I am delighted that members of the NCF team were able to accompany this visit by the Casey Commission team to our member BCOP’s Neville Williams House care home. It’s crucially important that the Commission understands the adult social care sector from the perspectives of providers, the people they deliver care and support to and those who deliver it. I am thrilled that CEO, Helen Gore and her wider team had the opportunity to demonstrate the role that BCOP and other not-for-profit care providers play in their communities and the workforce development focus that is so intrinsic to our members’ ethos. Residents clearly enjoyed showing off the place they call home and conveying how it helps them to maintain their independence and enjoyment of life too. It is also very important that the reality of financial pressures on care providers was made clear to the Commission. BCOP, like many of our other members, are developing new approaches and models of care delivery, while maintaining the very best standards, which they were able to evidence. This visit and others are an essential part of informing work ahead of the national conversation that is going to be so important in reaching an understanding of what care for the future needs to look like”
The visit concluded with an informal discussion over ice creams, with members of the Casey team expressing their interest to see how work progresses, such as the cinema room officially opening.
The Casey Commission
Read more about the work of the Casey Commission on our blog here
About The National Care Forum .
The National care Forum (NCF) is the leading association for not-for-profit social care.
NCF brings together more than 170 of the UK’s leading social care organisations, representing large numbers of care providers, offering thousands of services across the country, which are not for profit and always at the heart of community provision. Collectively, these organisations deliver more than £2.3 billion of social care and support to more than 277,000 people. The NCF membership body collectively employs more than 124,000 staff and 14,000 volunteers.
More information is available on the National Care Forum at www.nationalcareforum.org.uk.
BCOP are members of NCF.
