New Vision and Mission Statement Selected by Staff

Optima Care Staff at The Leonard Elms Nursing Home.

The Optima Care Partnership have announced a new vision and mission statement after a staff-wide survey.

The vision and mission statement consensus went out to 187 members of staff at The Leonard Elms in Congresbury and Primley Homes in Paignton.

Nicola Cox, activities coordinator at The Leonard Elms, said: "It was so important to me as a team member to be included in the selection of the new vision and mission statement.

"Our team at The Leonard Elms are amazing and we all work together to create a happy and inclusive working environment.

"Knowing that the team, right from the top, has one vision going forward is one of the main reasons I love my job here."

"The mission statement demonstrates a forward-thinking progressive care group which is inclusive of everyone who is involved with Optima Care Partnership.”

Optima Care Partnership recently increased its pay for carers and nurses as a thank you for their exceptional work during the pandemic.

The move made their pay scales one of the highest for care homes in the south west.

Ed Bliss, director of dementia services, said: "We have had a great response from the staff of which nearly half of the consensus forms sent out were filled in and returned with staff votes.

"Our thoughts around constructing these statements gives the opportunity for the staff at OCP to have a certain level of personal ownership to the group itself, fostering innovation and aiming to increase employee commitment.

"Setting these statements will start to embed a more routed feeling to the group and what we are striving to achieve and will be the ethos of our organisational culture.

"It will also allow us to focus on parts of our training and career development across the group enabling our delivery of care to be the best it possibly can for our residents and family alike.”

The new vision statement reads:

Optima Care Partnership are aiming to become one of the leading care groups in dementia care and research. A family run business with family at the centre of our culture, we endeavour to deliver a rounded model of care to ensure the best quality of life for people living with dementia.

The new mission statement reads:

Identity:

Broaden and develop our understanding of dementia by recognising the importance of identity and tailoring care around the individual.

Maintaining identity is closely linked to self-esteem and quality of life addressed through the use of reminiscence, life story work and oral history.

Environment:

Designing a good and healthy living environment is a critical component of a therapeutic setting.

A well designed and supportive physical environment reduces anxiety and increases social contact.

Family:

We understand the impact that a dementia diagnosis has on the person and family.

We focus on the importance of post diagnostic support through education and self-management awareness.

Our approach to care within the homes is based around ‘our care does not stop at the door’.

Education:

Dementia research and knowledge is growing at a rapid rate.

We know that having our finger on the pulse of the latest tech and care model approaches will enable us to deliver the best possible care.

We now offer University modules to our care teams delivered through the University of Stirling.

In 2022 OCP signed a Collaboration Agreement with the University, the first of its kind, working in partnership to educate both our staff and families living with dementia.

We also focus our attention to unmet needs training, distressed behaviour training and physical and psychological behaviour training.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.