Five things Exemplar Health Care is proud of in 2020

2020 has been a year like no other. Like every other health and social care provider, Exemplar Health Care has faced unprecedented challenges.

As we come to the end of 2020, we reflect on some of the ways that we’ve adapted and responded to the challenges of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and ensured that we’ve continued to make every day better for our people.

A robust induction ensures that colleagues integrate well into the company, and are confident and competent to do their role. 

In April, we introduced virtual inductions and eLearning modules to support new recruits to complete the theoretical elements of the Care Certificate.

This enabled us to efficiently recruit and induct more people, to ensure that our homes continue to operate at safe staffing levels during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Read more about the Care Certificate eLearning.

We are extremely proud of the commitment and dedication of all of our colleagues this year. 

In recognition of this and as a thank you, we created 'We Care' - a package of additional support for colleagues across our care homes and central support teams.

The package included initiatives such as:

• free meals on shifts

• food ordering service with 10% discount

• financial support for colleagues whose children are eligible for free school meals.

Read about our We Care package of support.

When the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic started, we developed a new temporary Associate Carer role, for those working in the hospitality, leisure or travel sectors, or students, who were looking for extra work.

The role helped us to maintain safe staffing levels across our homes and meet the growing demand for social care during the pandemic.

Read about the Associate Carer role.  

Over the past year, it’s been inspiring to see how communities have come together to support each other.

In March, we launched our Every Day Letters campaign to encourage school children to send letters, poems and drawings to the people living in our care homes.

We were thrilled to receive hundreds of letters to our care homes, which really brightened up people’s day!

Read about our Every Day Letters campaign.

In 2020, we opened two new care homes, to ensure that more people can access the care that they need, in a welcoming home that’s close to their loved ones.  

In January, St Andrew’s Court care home in Hull marked its opening with a visit from the Lord Mayor of Hull, Councillor Steve Wilson.

In September, we opened our first home in the North East of England, Tyne Grange, which is located on Grainger Road in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.