Brother and sister reunited - December 2022

It was really lovely to locate JHs sister, Joyce as they had lost touch several years ago.

The reunion was emotional for all and they are now in regular contact by telephone and are planning some days out when the weather is better.

Mendip Way halloween party - October 2022

Individuals at Mendip Way and their families and friends enjoyed a halloween party on 31 October 2022.

Some wonderful costumes were worn, some creepy food was eaten and some scary music was played.

A great time was had by all!

Welcome G to the Mendip Way family - October 2022

After many years of living out of county, G moved into Mendip Way to enable her to maintain relationships with her family who all live nearby.

G has settled in really well, has developed some positive relationships with her new friends and appears to be loving life.

Hand in Hands maintain ‘Outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - August 2022

Hand in Hands were inspected by CQC over a period of a few weeks during the months of May and June 2022.  The inspection comprised of visiting our services, talking to individuals and staff and gathering feedback from relatives, external professionals and stakeholders.

Hand in Hands are delighted with the rating awarded and want to thank all staff for their continued commitment to the organisation, their roles and most importantly, the individuals they support.

Local Authority monitoring visit - May 2022

In May 2022, Hand in Hands were inspected by the Local Authority Monitoring Team.

The inspection used the PAMMS (Provider Assessment and Market Management) monitoring tool in line with Association of Directors of Adult Social Services in England (ADASS) requirements.

Our report generated an overall score of ‘excellent’ in line with East of England requirements and is available to read in full at www.adass.org.uk

Welcome M to the Mendip Way family - April 2022

M moved into Mendip Way from her family home in order to enhance her existing skills and develop new skills.

M has settled in well and there has been a noticable increase in her independence.

Welcome K to the Green Drift family - April 2022

K moved into Green Drift following the closure of the sheltered accommodation in which he lived.

K has said "I am very happy at Green Drift, I have new friends and I am not on my own anymore".

Hand in Hands presented with a 'Community Award' - March 2022

Following a nomination from JP and his family, Hand in Hands were presented with an award by the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation for our services to the community.

It was an honour to receive the award which JP and his family joined us to accept.

Achievement of Nationally recognised qualifications - 2021

Congratulations to Support Workers, Amy, Bethany, Geoffrey, Kai, Luke and Tayla who have completed their Level 2 Diploma in Care.

Congratulations to all Team Leaders, Emma, Helen and Alex and Locality Leads, Hannah and Kevin who have completed their Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care.

Congratulations to Clair, Service Manager and Foto, Registered Manager who have completed their Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care.

Bringing activities to the individuals - September 2020

As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues and the world remains in lockdown, it seemed appropriate to utilise space at Mendip Way to bring community activities home to benefit the individuals.

Mendip Way now has an indoor cinema room, beauty salon, gym and 'chill out room' and outside, a large hot tub, garden swings, a trampoline and a swimming pool.

A message to staff from Michelle - August 2020

"I would like to express my sincere thanks and admiration for your hard work, resilience and commitment to the individuals we support during this Covid-19 crisis.

You are true heroes, working in exceptional circumstances to ensure the individuals we support are cared for professionally with compassion and dignity.

You all continue to do an amazing job, whilst being under extreme pressure, working extra (and very long) hours and generally going above and beyond the requirements of your roles to keep everyone safe.

Together we will get through this. Thank you!"

Getting out and about - July 2020

We have now agreed it is safe for the individuals we support to venture further afield for their daily exercise, enjoying the wonderful weather and some picnics in the park.

We do not feel at the present time shopping and visiting busy public places is appropriate as we have got this far with zero cases and zero symptoms so don't want to take any chances.

Activities at home during lockdown - May 2020

As 'normal' service is unlikely to resume for sometime, our fantastic staff team have had to find other ways to provide entertainment to the individuals they support (and themselves).

Coronavirus 'Lockdown' has commenced - March 2020

With effect from 19 March 2020, ahead of Government advice, Hand in Hands made the difficult decision to 'lockdown' all support services to protect the individuals we support.

A limited staff team have shown true commitment by leaving their own families and moving into the services to minimise handovers and, hopefully, reduce the risk of virus transmission.

Restricting access to visitors, including family members has been the most difficult decision we have had to make and we would like to thank all concerned for their support and understanding during this difficult time.

We will of course follow Government guidance to regularly review our organisational procedures and keep everyone updated.

TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE!

Cheque presentation to GHHC - March 2019

Following the disco party in February 2019, Hand in Hands presented Garden House Hospice Care (GHHC) with a cheque for £5000 in the memory of Deborah Geaves, the daughter of Anne, a Hand in Hands Senior Staff member, who sadly, yet bravely, lost her battle against Cancer at GHHC recently.

On behalf of Anne, Deborahs family and Hand in Hands we would like to give special thanks to all who supported us including Jason at Flexible Training, Abul at Bombay Bistro, Fiona at Fiona May Designs, Martin at Support UK, Sarah at Sarah Hendricks Beauty and Darren at Streetwave Roadshow.

Hand in Hands disco party – February 2019

In February 2019, Hand in Hands held a disco party to raise funds for Garden House Hospice Care (GHHC).  The party was a huge success and was attended by over 150 local people, including individuals supported by Hand in Hands and their families. 

An amazing amount of £5000 was raised to enable GHHC to continue providing necessary care and support to our local community.

Thank you to all who supported us!

Hand in Hands awarded ‘Outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - November 2018

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) completed an inspection on 7 September 2018 and Hand in Hands were awarded an overall rating of ‘Outstanding'.

The Comet Newspaper published a front page article with the headline “Letchworth-based care provider earns ‘outstanding’ CQC rating” and said “The top-rated report – said: “People’s needs were assessed to ensure they received the support they required in the areas that were important to them as individuals”.  Click here to read the article.

Kapow Challenge - June 2018

In June 2018 Hand in Hands entered a team in the KAPOW! Superhero Challenge, a 5k inflatable assault course; packed full of unique obstacles to bounce over, squeeze through and slip and slide on – and lots of foam!

Hand in Hands raised £1000 which will provide support towards making a lifesaving difference and providing vital funds for Magpas Air Ambulance.

Local Authority monitoring visit - May 2018

In May 2018, Hand in Hands were inspected by the Local Authority Monitoring Team.

The inspection used the PAMMS (Provider Assessment and Market Management) monitoring tool in line with Association of Directors of Adult Social Services in England (ADASS) requirements.

Our report generated an overall score of ‘good’ with areas of excellence recognised and is available to read in full at www.adass.org.uk

Visit to Magpas - February 2018

In February 2018, Hand in Hands visited Magpas Air Ambulance to present them with a cheque for £5200.  During the visit the Hand in Hands staff were shown inside the Air Ambulance and had the opportunity to ask the Doctors and Paramedics questions about the lifesaving care they provide.

The Comet Newspaper published a front page article with the headline “A Letchworth based care provider has raised a record amount of money in one evening for Magpas Air Ambulance, which saved the life of one of its senior workers”.

Hand in Hands disco party – February 2018

In February 2018, Hand in Hands hosted a disco party in aid of Magpas Air Ambulance. 

An amazing amount of £5200 was raised to enable Magpas to continue providing essential lifesaving care by land and air to patients in life-threatening emergencies in the East of England and beyond.

Thank you to all who supported us!

Hand in Hands and Letchworth Braveherts disco party – January 2016

In January 2016, Hand in Hands, along with the Letchworth Braveherts Mixed Ability Rugby Team hosted a disco party at Letchworth Rugby Club. 

A fantastic amount of just under £3000 was raised which will be used to continue with the development of a ‘disco room’ at Mendip Way and by the Braveherts to purchase match shirts and training hoodies.  It was a very enjoyable evening and I would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who came and supported us.

Hand in Hands awarded ‘Good’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) - September 2015

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) completed an inspection of Hand in Hands on 11 September 2015. The inspection was very positive and an overall rating of ‘Good’ was awarded, with ‘Outstanding’ achieved in answer to the question ‘Is the service responsive?’

The inspector was very experienced in working with individuals with Learning Disabilities and Autism which made the inspection a very relaxed and enjoyable experience for all involved.  We were very pleased with the inspection report which is a true reflection of the hard work and dedication of the staff team.

Hand in Hands win a Skills for Care Accolade 2014/2015

On 12 March 2015 Hand in Hands attended the National Skills for Care Accolades Gala Award Ceremony at the Park Plaza Hotel in London as finalists in the category of ‘Best Employer of under 250 staff’.

Michelle is extremely proud to announce that Hand in Hands were announced and presented with a prestigious award  as the winners of the category.

This is a fantastic achievement for the organisation, the staff and the individuals and families we support and we are very proud to have been recognised in this way for our efforts.

Invitation from the Prime Minister

On 6 March 2014 Michelle and Bill attended a reception at 10 Downing Street to mark National Apprenticeship Week.

The event was attended by Apprentices and employers from a variety of sectors and Michelle and Bill were both fortunate enough to meet George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to talk about the benefits of working in Social Care.

Great Ashby Christmas Fayre December 2013

On 7 December 2013 Alan and Jeremy were supported by staff to run a stall at the Christmas Fayre at Great Ashby Community Centre in aid of Jackie’s Drop-in Centre. 

Alan and Jeremy sold Christmas cards, flower arrangements and cakes which had all been home made by them and families and friends of Hand in Hands.

Everything sold out very quickly and a total of £100.58 was presented to Jackie by Alan and Jeremy following the event.

Hand in Hands want to say “a very big thank you” to all involved in making the day a success.

'Take a Council Member to Work'

On 15 November 2013 Hand in Hands had the pleasure of welcoming Iain Macbeath, Director of Health and Community Services in Hertfordshire, to Mendip Way as part of the project ‘Take a Council Member to Work’. 

The staff on duty and Individuals we support were very excited by Iain’s visit and were able to showcase the quality of care and support Hand in Hands provide to enable them to live independently in the community. 

Hand in Hands are very pleased to have been given the opportunity of taking part in this project and would like to thank Iain for his time.