2020 Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards

32 GHP / 2020 Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards , Valuing Individual People Ltd T/A VIP Day Centre Best Dementia Day Centre 2020 - Midlands As 1 in 3 people develop dementia in the UK, the need for effective and professional care is vital. When her grandmother was diagnosed with the lifechanging illness, Natalie Allcock and her family became full time carers, but found very little support for themselves and their grandmother. Natalie therefore established VIP Day Centre, following a sustainable model that would not just offer respite for carers, but a place inwhichmembers canmeet others, create friendships, maintain interests and engage in activities. Five years later, VIP Day Centre continues to ensure everyone has access to the best quality care. VIP Day Care Centre specialises in supporting those living with dementia, sensory impairments and disabilities in Redditch and Bromsgrove to achieve the best standard of living. A non- institutionalised, family run centre open from 9-5, five days a week, VIP Day Centre is dedicated to offering the best care around and ensuring every member remains an integral part of their community for as long as possible. Established five years ago by Natalie Allcock following fourteen years of experience and training in supporting those living with dementia, Health and Social Care and Business Management, VIP Day Centre was created to fill a gap in a crucial market. When her own grandmother was diagnosed with dementia and needed specialist 24-hour care, but refused to go into residential or nursing care, Natalie became aware of the minimal affordable support in her area. As a result, Natalie and her family became full time carers so as to respect her wishes to remain at home, but the effects on everyone were inordinately taxing and stressful. VIP Day Centre was created to provide affordable day care that wasn’t just about keeping an eye on members to make sure they are safe and well. It provides a space in which people can socialise and create friendships to abate social isolation within the community, as well as maintain Sep20033 activities and social involvement. Providing quality care means providing the means for the best standards of living possible. The award-winning centre therefore values every member in their care, looking after them as they would their own family. The community within VIP Day Centre is one of happiness and laughter, whilst care plans are perfectly tailored to the needs of each member to ensure they have the most comfortable time at the centre. There isn’t a rigid timetable which the members are committed to following each day. Except for lunchtimes, which always provides a cooked dinner and pudding, and tea and cake in the afternoon, every day is flexible dependent on what each individual wants to do. At the end of the day, nobody wants to go home whilst the carers of the VIP members have made use of their much-needed respite. The fantastic feedback letters and heart-warming thank you letters are truly a testament to the centre’s lifechanging work. Having recently launched the VIP Day Centre Franchise which will provide greater access to their care in various locations across the country, the VIP Day Centre team and community only continues to grow. With fourteen full-time staff members, doctors, nurses, consultants and social workers who regularly recommend and support the centre, and regular refresher training that covers the essentials such as Health and Safety, Infection Control and many more besides, it is unsurprising that VIP Day Centre is seeing such successful continual growth. This growth has been undeterred by the firm’s largest challenge yet, the COVID-19 pandemic. In the initial stages, all of the VIP members were told to shield by the government, and as such the centre was closed for two months, although staff kept in regular contact with its members throughout. However, in mid-June, the centre reopened and both the staff and members were delighted to return, almost reaching full capacity in a matter of weeks. Members have their temperature checked on arrival and everyone regularly sanitises their hands to ensure the continued safety of all within the centre. Throughout the global pandemic, VIP Day Centre is able to continue guaranteeing the comfort and safety of its members to them and their loved ones. The team is not only dedicated to looking after those with dementia, sensory impairments and disabilities, but providing them with the best possible care to facilitate the highest possible standards of living. Contact Details: Contact: Paula Watts Company: Valuing Individual People Ltd T/A VIP Day Centre Telephone: 01527 758070 Website: www.vipdaycentre.co.uk