The Christmas decorations look fantastic at Dulas Court. The carol service was lovely the residents had a lovely time singing along

I don’t think I have ever seen Highwell House look so beautiful .What a fabulous evening! My vision was a magical German Christmas Market and that is exactly what we got.I have so many people to thank for last night, and so many people to be grateful for I hardly know where to start. Sarah for helping to construct the stalls in the freezing wind and rain, and for shopping all things Bavarian. To Chris for supporting with construction, Dawn and Becky for all the wonderful crafts and bakes. Dawn, thank you for always running with my ideas so beautifully. Ellie for baking amazing biscuits and with Lucy and Harry selling raffle tickets. Cat and Jamie for BBQ’ing the Bratwurst all night, Mel for roasting chestnuts, Beverley for manning the bar so brilliantly, and thank you to the kids for serving Hot Chocolates! Janet for stepping up, above and beyond as always, baking mince pies, brewing the mulled wine and cider, and keeping a constant supply of everything we needed all night. Thank you to the musicians Helen and Annie, and thank you to Alan for helping park the cars safely. Thank you to the team on shift for helping everything run so smoothly, I know the residents appreciated your kindness, they loved it .Thank you to everyone who donated to the raffle and bought tickets, and thank you to all our wonderful families and friends for coming along and sharing this fabulous evening with us.My final and biggest thank you has to go to Les. I don’t have enough words to describe how grateful I am to you. Everything you do is for our residents, you are selfless, kind, and the greatest wingman I could wish for, thank you from the bottom of my heart .

Stop the Pressure Week 15-19th November 2021 .Team Highwell pledge to STOP THE PRESSURE. Pressure ulcers are painful and debilitating, we promise we will raise awareness, teach one another, support one another, and do everything we can to prevent pressure ulcers and maintain healthy skin for our residents . Thank you Priyanka for another great teaching board . You will see we are creating a teaching and learning zone in our conservatory. This is for both staff and families. Please feel free to read the books, take away leaflets, and ask questions. We have some wonderful new staff starting with us at Highwell House who I will introduce you to, full of skill and knowledge, I feel blessed to have them on our team . We also have 3 student nurses starting their placement next week.add this to our established, exceptionally skilled Team Highwell and I’m excited about times ahead .

Today, Sunday 14th November is World Diabetes Day ???? this date was picked as it’s also Sir Frederick Banting’s birthday - the medical scientist who discovered insulin along with Charles Best. Our brilliant Clinical Lead Priyanka has created this wonderful display, as well as delivering a presentation on the basics of Diabetes, the significance of World Diabetes Day, the history of Diabetes, and the journey of insulin. The staff and residents painted their nails blue to help raise awareness of Diabetes. Our Diabetes Champions for this year are Priyanka and Annmaria. They have both attended the Diabetes training program and disseminated information back to the staff at Highwell.

Last night was the West Midlands Regional Final of The Great British Care Awards . Congratulations to Karen, Roisin and Tim our 3 finalists . Here at Dulas as with all HCH homes across the group we have seen incredible examples of a whole team approach to the pandemic crisis with staff going above and beyond their traditional job descriptions, all bound by a common desire to ensure the safety and well-being of colleagues and residents . Thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do . You are all incredible and every one of you deserves an award . A few photos from last night and a big congratulations to Karen for winning the Care Employer Award . Good luck Karen in the National Finals in March . A huge thank you and The Driver of the year Award must be given to Becky Williams who drove in exceptional circumstances , with road diversions everywhere to get us to Birmingham and back again safe and sound .