Anchor: Filling the Crucial Gap in Older People's Care and Housing
Description
Welcome back to another episode of Fit For Purpose! In today's episode, we have a special guest, Sarah Jones, joining us from Anchor. Anchor is the largest provider of social housing for older people in England and the largest not-for-profit residential care provider. Sarah shares with us the wide range of services Anchor offers, including socially rented housing, home ownership options, extra care housing, independent living, and specialised residential care homes for older people with dementia. With over 65,000 customers and nearly 10,000 colleagues, Anchor aims to support older people in living independently and improving their overall well-being. Anne Milton and Sarah delve into the importance of value-driven care, the connection between housing and health, and the impact of creating a sense of community for older people. They also discuss the role of Anchor in the Purpose Health and Social Care Coalition and the need for a holistic approach to public policy and services. Join us as we explore the intersection of housing, care, and well-being in this informative and insightful episode!
Chapters
[00:00:26] Largest provider of social housing for seniors.
[00:04:46] Joining components, policy influence, public-private interaction
[00:07:13] Shifting demographics, adapting services to meet needs.
[00:10:05] Vacancies in care sector challenged by recruitment.
[00:13:15] Incredible reflection on true person-centred care.
[00:18:55] Urgent problems in health care, sustainable solutions.
[00:20:01] Grateful for amazing colleagues in dream job.
Transcript
Anne Milton:
It's a great pleasure to have Sarah Jones with us from Anchor. And Sarah, you're going to talk a little bit about what Anchor does to kick us off. I've known Anchor for a long time, since I was the time I was a community nurse, gosh, too many years that I care to mention. But tell us what you do these days.
Sarah Jones:
And we have been around a long time, we long pre date you, I'm sure, but we are now the largest provider of social housing for older people in England. We're also the largest not for profit residential care provider. And we cover a whole range of services for older people. Socially rented, specialist housing for older people, home ownership housing, so offering retirement housing for homeowners and leaseholders, extra care housing, so that's specialist housing with onsite care provision, independent living, which is similar to extra care, but slightly different funding model and set up. And then of course, our care homes which are specialist residential care for older people, all of them with a dementia specialism for privacy pay and local authority funded provisions. So we support over 65,000 customers now in England, which is a lot. It is, and I try and get to meet as many of them as I can on a regular basis. That's really important. We've got almost 10,000 colleagues as well, obviously very heavily weighted towards the residential care side of the business. We operate in around 1700 locations, about 85% of local authority areas, so very well represented around the country. Once you get the eye in for the logo, you'll spot us all over the place. But yeah, we pride ourselves on the work that we do, the way we support our residents and colleagues, the values that we hold as well. So it's not just what we do in some of the services we provide, it's very important to us how we provide those services. Ethos is very important.
Anne Milton:
So value driven care, value driven services, which is so important. And of course, you are filling the crucial gap in the health and social care environment. I mean, we haven't heard so much about it recently, but I'm sure as we head into winter again, social care will raise its head. Always a problem. But I think what's brilliant is that you offer services right across the range, from those who are going to be highly dependent on care down to those who can actually manage most things themselves, but need help with housing, which is so important because it's not just care, it's also the housing bit of this that is so important.
Sarah Jones:
Absolutely. And when we talk about care, or the care and support that we provide, and that's very often not personal care, it's not what people might think of as being care in a residential care home setting. It is about that support, that independence, that well being, the opportunity for people to live independently, healthy, happier lives without requiring those interventions. So much of what we do on the housing side is aimed at preventing people having to use acute services or helping people with their well being. That will mean they don't develop sort of chronic, longer term conditions. It's about prevention, like with anything else.
Anne Milton:
And we know that the longer people stay independent so if you can put in a little bit of help to keep them independent, the more well they will be. And it's not just physically, but mentally as well.
Sarah Jones:
Definitely. And that's one of the things we find particularly important around housing, is that sense of community that people have.
Anne Milton:
Yes.
Sarah Jones:
And the well being that people get from that. Because, as you'll know, there are so many health disadvantages arise from people who are living with loneliness and isolation and how that escalates into health problems. So it's a really big part of what we do is to facilitate that independent living but to provide the basis for a community where people can really thrive in that environment.
Anne Milton:
That's fantastic Sarah, and it's brilliant that you have joined the Health and Social Care Coalition. It's fabulous to have you with us, not least because, as say, you're occupying that vital space of older people's care in all its guises. Tell me a bit about why you joined the coalition.
Sarah Jones:
Well, I think it's about, as we say, joining up all of those different components. So when I was appointed as CEO, I suppose one area that I didn't have in my background was being involved in public policy making and that influencing side of their job. And what I found really interesting is that you can have a really clear idea as an organization about what you're trying to achieve and your vision and your mission and your values. And then you try and line that up with public policy or with local government or national government policymakers influencers, and you find that you're pushed into Silos or Buckets. So you start to have part of a conversation, say the conversation we were just having about prevention, preventing someone ever having to get involved in health care, so not getting as far as talking delayed discharge and how it's waterless, actually preventing someone getting into situation at all. Depending on who you're speaking with, that could be its shelf or its housing or its specialist. Older persons have all sorts into different buckets for different people and of course life isn't like that, life isn't clearly defined and in clearly defined boxes it is a continuum and it can be a bit messy and you can move from one situation to another. So I think for us to be involved with a coalition that recognizes that recognizes the interconnectedness of things and how you need to look at things holistically, I think that's really helpful for us.
Anne Milton:
And, of course, those sort of slogans have been around for as long as I've been involved in healthcare, going back to the mid 70s, actually, the holistic approach to people's care, and we haven't managed to do that very well. And certainly part of the health and social care coalition is to link people up, but also with other sectors because on recruitment, on things like digital innovation, which increasingly one would hope that the people who you give services to will be able to use some of that digital infrastructure that is coming down the tracks, which again, will increase their independence and also make them less reliant on services and give them autonomy. Because for older people, autonomy is very important as well.
Sarah Jones:
Absolutely. And I think that's something that we've noticed. I've been in a sector for a relatively short time, so nine years, but even in that amount of time, you can really see some significant shifts happening. So a lot more older men in housing and care than we would have seen. Now, that changes your approach to how we approach colleagues and the kind of services that we're offering. People coming into housing services, younger age as more of a lifestyle, future proofing kind of idea about how they're going to manage in later life, people coming into a residential care setting at the other end of the spectrum, actually much later than they might have done with a greater degree of acuity. And those demographic shifts will very, very fast within one generation. And it's interesting you mentioned the digital side of things, because I think both on that and on set of sustainability, there is an assumption that older people do not engage, want to engage with digital or with sustainability or anything like that. It's absolutely ruined lifelines amongst residents. That's why I say there's no substitute for actually going out and meeting residents and speaking to residents about what they want and how they want to engage with you.
Anne Milton:
That's right. And within the coalition, of course, we have partners with expertise, not just in the public sector or the not for profit sector, but we have big companies as well, and linking everybody up. Somebody once said to me, rarely this was a CEO of NHS Trust, said they rarely get to talk to other CEOs in London, which is where they were situated, let alone in other parts of the country. So that linking people up is really important. And influencing public policy, I think, is going to be critical because, as you say, the assumption is that older people don't want to engage with digital platforms, but actually, once they start to, it opens a door on having contact with people and family that they wouldn't otherwise be able to have contact with.
Sarah Jones:
Absolutely. And we saw that particularly through the Pandemic period. Of course, if there's any positives that we can take from that period, it was absolutely the way some of things were unlocked for people, which is really positive. But I think you're right. I mean, that sense if you're striving for an outcome which I think we all are a more positive outcome for people in lazy life. You can be agnostic about which sector some of those solutions come from. Yes, we can draw on that knowledge and draw on that learning from wherever, we don't have to be precious.
Anne Milton:
And Sarah, tell me about recruitment because I know it's difficult for everybody, but it's been particularly difficult in the social care sector.
Sarah Jones:
Vacancies in the care sector has been really challenging because it's very important work that those colleagues do, they're very skilled work which isn't recognized and part of the problem. So we've been very clear, I think our not for profit, not for distribution status actually helped us in that regard. Actually. We've been able to make some choices about how we approach running our organization. So we got a real living wage accreditation, so we were first major care providers to do that and we thought that was a very important thing for us to do. And then we've really focused on quality, diversity and inclusion as well. And I mentioned about more older men coming into our services as well and that was something that we really wanted to reflect amongst our colleague base as well. Obviously colleagues in care and generally women. So we had a big promotion where we went out to recruit more men into care, which was very successful and that's fantastic. Any kind of diversity like that is better for residents, is better for colleagues and it's better for recruitment and retention. And we've done a number of exercises where we have and drive. So we've emphasized to people that when you come to work with anchor you can bring your whole selves to work. That's really important. We found that to be very positive way to recruit people. I think when people arrive with us, they understand our values and ethos and that makes them helps us retain an even very challenging environment. There's a lot of competition and of course it's not just in our sector. Our sector is facing competition throughout many of our sectors, including hospitality and retail and other things. So it's a constant challenge to make sure that we can recruit and retain people.
Anne Milton:
And I think sort of opening the door and explaining what social care involves is quite important. People wouldn't necessarily think about it, I mean young people, but it's not just young people, is it Sarah? It's about recruiting older people as well, definitely.
Sarah Jones:
And we've got some lovely stories about people who've retired and then come to work for us. It's absolutely wonderful. So we love that. So happily welcome people of all ages, all backgrounds because it makes for a happy team and yeah, it's very positive for our residents as well to be able to share stories with people they share a background with, also with completely different, it's really positive, but it is a real challenge. Things like training are really important, as you say, helping people understand what they're getting into. But then ensuring that anyone would feel daunted. I'd feel hugely daunted if I went in and did a shift in a care home tomorrow and I would want to know that I've got that support around me and a really good manager and a really good training program. And that's what we try to provide to give people that support.
Anne Milton:
And the rewards go beyond your salary. Salary matters, but the rewards you get back from the care that you give are immeasurable. Really.
Sarah Jones:
It's incredible. Something I reflect on quite a lot. As you know, we're all always guilty of using jargon, aren't we? It's something we just fall into. And we talk a lot about person centered care debris. And I think some people, if you were outside the sector, you'd think person centered care would mean, oh, you know, what time someone likes getting up in the morning or what their dietary preferences are, or what medicine they have to take and when. And of course, true person centered care is much more than that. It's about really understanding that individual, their journey, how you can give them the most fulfilling life, whatever challenges they're facing or whatever limitations they might have in living with them in that moment to give them the best possible life that they can live. And that I find it as I approach one of our residential care homes now, I start welling up in anticipation of seeing all these wonderful things and experiencing it, which is quite remarkable. And invariably when you say to someone, that was wonderful what you just said, or that was wonderful what you just did, they look at you slightly bewildered and they say I'm just doing all my job and I will never get over that kind of everyday heroism. Is wonderful what you see.
Anne Milton:
It's quite humbling, isn't it?
Sarah Jones:
It is, actually, yeah.
Anne Milton:
But in the purpose coalition, what we aim to do is to have an impact. What we are about is, as you say, helping to influence public policy, which we think is important, but it's also making sure organizations like Anchor can have the maximum impact they possibly can and also celebrating the great stories that already out there. And I know Anchor, you've talked a little bit about it, Sarah, what a great job you're doing. Very much a value driven, we would say purpose driven organization. So we need to celebrate that. But we look forward to working with you, actually and helping you have an even greater impact. Focus on the areas that really matter to you. Inequality in this country is very bad. I know, for instance, that you would like to recruit from areas which wouldn't normally in the country, recruit from areas that wouldn't normally think of going into social care. So widening the net, broadening the horizons, not just for the people that you offer services to, but for the people who might come and work for you. And that, as you say, means that you will have a more diverse workforce to work for the ever increasingly diverse number of people you serve?
Sarah Jones:
Absolutely and to offer an opportunity for a career coming to care or housing and recognizing you have a career that you can develop throughout your masking us as well. It's not just about coming into I think there is a misconception about what coming and working, particularly in social care so other business actually represents and it offers a huge number of opportunities and both in terms of personal fulfillment and.
Anne Milton:
From career point of view and the career point of view I think is quite important. Some people talk about career ladders, I always talk about career paths because actually coming into social care you start going down a path and there are lots of paths that lead off is the point. It's a great place to start working from which you can deviate and go into other jobs. It's quite extraordinary. I work with a number of organizations now, including the Purpose Coalition, but it's extraordinary people's background. And actually, I've met somebody recently who started off life as a care worker, ended, know, managing NHS contracts for the care company, now working in one of the big management consultancy companies. It's amazing where your career can take off, but this is just a great place to start, where you get your values embedded, your work ethic. And who knows what doors open after that?
Sarah Jones:
I completely agree with that.
Anne Milton:
So Sarah, tell me is there anything else you'd like to say? I do ask people, it puts people on the spot so I don't want you to feel on the you know, if you were running things, not the country, but if you were a politician in charge of things what would be the one thing you would change at the moment?
Sarah Jones:
That is a really tough question, isn't? And I think that the way politics is at the moment, the way the economic situation is at the moment. I think people in Government are in an invidious position, actually. I think it's really difficult. I think when anyone tries to look at the short term, they're immediately castigated for not taking a longer term than you. When people try to take a longer term than you. People are immediately castigating for not looking at the immediate crisis. It's really difficult. And that's why I think organisations like the Coalition can be so helpful, because they do take the not to overplay it. You can step back from the parties and nature of some of these conversations and I say look to outcomes and solutions, be agnostic about where they come from, what sector, as I said, and just focus on the outcome. That's the most important thing. And rise above some of the other complications.
Anne Milton:
That's right. And actually making sure anybody in health or social care at the moment tends to have their brain occupied with the urgent problems because there are urgent problems on money. You've talked about recruitment. There will be crisis every day that you have to deal with. And we're all about dealing with the important things, making sure organizations have impact, but helping you keep that in mind so we do get longer term, sustainable solutions to the problems we're facing. Sarah that's absolutely great. Thank you so much for your time. I would like to thank Anchor for all the work that you do. I've always said that people working in health and social care, it's all about doing a good job. Well, and I know that staff are very lucky to have you as CEO, but every single member of staff right the way through your organization has got the values embedded in them that make Anchor a really creditable organization. So thank you very much.
Sarah Jones:
Thank you. I'm very fortunate with my colleagues all around. I've got the best job in the world.
