A New Ratings System

In light of Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) upcoming implementation of a rating system for care providers, Mark Davies, Bellwave House Manager, is creating a steering group to enhance Serendipity’s ratings. They will benchmark current performance, devise strategies to meet standards, and ensure readiness for the 2025 rating system implementation.

Bellwave Apartments

Staff Updates

We would like to welcome two new staff members to the team at Bellwave Apartments, Charlotte Griffin and Jan Hoseason. We look forward to working with you and seeing how amazingly you contribute to the growth here at the apartments.

Latest News

In October, we had a blast celebrating a special birthday at the apartments. Our birthday star absolutely loved basking in the limelight and tucking into her much-anticipated rump steak!It was a double celebration as we also toasted to her first year with us.

A massive shout-out to all our apartment staff from Kelly & Matt – you guys are amazing! Your hard work and team spirit never go unnoticed. A big thanks to our friends from the other homes who chipped in; we couldn’t have pulled this off without you. Your dedication to our residents is what makes this place special. Cheers to all!

Bellwave Corner

Latest News

Bellwave Corner has been buzzing with pool games, swims, dog walks, and baking sessions. Two residents celebrated World Mental Health Day in Porthcawl, while Halloween saw us pumpkin picking and enjoying spooky movies on the big screen.

We’ve been sharing tips on healthy eating and saving energy, and a shout-out to MF for smashing it at slimming world.

Also, our staff Mental Health Support Group is thriving, this week’s mental health Bingo offered self-care goodies for prizes!

Bellwave House

Staff Updates

Bellwave House is thrilled to welcome new team members Sue Thomas, Rio Morgan and Ria Griffiths. We are grateful to have such amazing people working for Serendipity and we’re happy to see that trend continue with these new additions.

Latest News

Bellwave House is sprucing up, with fresh paint for the kitchen and dining area. The Wales v Argentina quarter-final was a blast despite the loss, complete with a buffet and a rousing rendition of the national anthem! Cheers to AE, who’s moved to supported living, a real success story of growing independence. We’re all rooting for her in her new chapter.

Mark’s attendance at the Social Care Wales ‘Well Being’ conference has sparked new ideas for staff and resident well-being, including Efa’s mental health support group. He’s also been recognised for his input on ‘Compassionate Leadership’, something we’re keen to expand on.

Our recent ‘World Mental Health Day’ event was a hit, where discussions on mental health prevalence, autism, treatments, support groups, and celebrity experiences helped in normalising the conversation and tackling stigma.

Bellwave Cottage

Latest News

Halloween at the cottage was a scream—literally! The residents had a chillingly good time watching horror flicks and getting visits from Trick or Treaters.

World Mental Health Day was a huge success. It was a powerful chance for us all to come together, spread knowledge, and advocate for mental health as a fundamental human right. It set the perfect tone for more events like this in the future.

Big cheers for our own MB, who’s a true local hero, volunteering every Monday at theBridgend Foodbank Warehouse. He’s not just helping with orders and deliveries; he’s making sure those in need have access to essential food items. Hats off to you, MB!

Exciting Announcement

We are excited to announce that Serendipity Care and Support has been shortlisted for an IIP (Investors In People) award. The awards will be held 14th November and we are all very excited. Thank you all for your contribution towards this nomination.

Serendipity’s Support Group

We are very pleased to share that our new mental health support group has started this month. Every other Thursday, the group will meet for group discussions as well as one-on-one support, monthly diaries, resource sharing and other ways we can support people through hard times in their lives. A big thank you to Eva for setting this up.

Bellwave House

Audits

Bellwave House has undergone a number of audits over the past few months and we’ve received excellent feedback in all. Among the audits was one by the  Health Board Commissioners. Unsurprisingly to us, they did not highlight any areas for improvement. We are all committed to providing excellent quality care at Bellwave House, and Serendipity as a whole are always striving for continuous improvement in all areas of care.

Off to College

One of our residents (AE) started college a few weeks ago. This is a huge achievement for AE given her anxieties of being in crowds. AE is learning catering level 1, she is already an excellent cook but will use this course to develop her skills further and start to cook more complicated dishes. It goes without saying that all of us are very much looking forward to that! Well done AE for facing your fears!

Aiming for Excellence

In other news Mark Davies and Matt Penpraze recently attended a CIW forum where the main topic was around the implementation of a new ratings system.  The ratings system classifications will be as follows:  Excellent, Good, Needs Improvement, Poor.  It goes without saying that Serendipity will be aiming for Excellence, but in order to achieve this we will need to be sector-leading!

Bellwave Corner

Fun times Continue

We’ve had a great month of fun and plenty of activities at Bellwave corner. The  pool tournament from last month is ongoing, we’ve been enjoying more shopping trips and even a round of mini golf.

End of Summer Festival

We also hosted an “End of Summer Festival”, allowing residents and staff an opportunity to connect with their friends from across the other properties. It was a great afternoon!

Bellwave Apartments

September Events

We have had a great month at Bellwave Apartments with lots of exciting events. We’ve had awesome movie nights, trips to Aberavon seafront, shopping excursions and much more.

An Artist Among Us

We were also excited to discover one of our residents amazing artistic talent. We were blown away when he presented an incredible portrait he had drawn of Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd, one of his favourite bands.

Bellwave Cottage

The King (of Rock and Roll) Arrives in Porthcawl

Bellwave Cottage is a-buzz as the Elvis festival has descended on Porthcawl. To celebrate, we enjoyed a fantastic music festival put on by Bellwave Corner with music and games.

A Visit to The Bay

Aside from that spectacle, a visit to Cardiff Bay was organised for the residents. We spent time taking in the views and historical buildings such as the Norwegian church art centre.

Staff Updates

Congratulations to Julie Humphreys who has recently been promoted to Acting Senior Support Worker for Bellwave House.

Julie has worked in the social care sector for a number of years having worked in a nursing home prior to joining Serendipity. Julie enjoys her work and feels extremely rewarded by supporting vulnerable people to lead fulfilling lives. Julie is doing an excellent job and is enjoying her new role.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Bellwave Apartments

At Bellwave apartments, we are pleased to announce that Kelly Evans will be joining our team as a new Home Leader. Kelly brings with her a wonderful passion for her work and extensive experience in the supported living sector. Kelly has spent the past nine years working in Supported Living for Young People Experiencing Homelessness, Care Leavers and Young People with Mental Health and Complex Needs.

Kelly has settled in quickly and would like to extend her gratitude to the team for their warm welcome and ongoing support. We are excited to see what she brings to the apartments and have no doubts that she’ll fit right in with the rest of our amazing staff.

Bellwave Apartments support staff member, Katie Bethell is moving on and heading over to Bellwave Cottage, to take the next steps in her career as Senior Support. Katie’s presence at Bellwave apartments will be greatly missed by staff and residents alike. Katie is always striving to provide the best possible support to the residents, and during her time at Bellwave Apartments, has taken on additional responsibilities to support the senior support workers.

She has been an integral part of the teams so it is with heavy hearts that the team and residents at Bellwave Apartments bid Katie farewell. We all sincerely wish her the very best on her new adventure and have no doubt that she’ll be an outstanding addition to the team at Bellwave Cottage.

In addition to all of this shuffling staff excitement, we’ve also just marked our 2 year anniversary as Bellwave Apartments! We celebrated in style with a BBQ Garden Party, and were joined by some of our great people from across the entire Bellwave family.

Bellwave Cottage

The team and residents at Bellwave Cottage would like to pass a huge congratulations on to our resident MB for PASSING his College Level 1 course, Introduction to Professional Cookery. To celebrate in style he has been on his holiday to Tenby supported by our lovely Lead of the Cottage Ian Heard. The cottage has enjoyed a freshening up, being decorated and painted after getting the go ahead from our residents.

Bellwave House

Bellwave House has seen the addition of some lovely female residents which, as with any new addition to our home, has been an exciting time for everyone. We’ve been busy this month with a whole lot of exciting activities that have well received by all. Movie nights, Joyriders sessions, adult colouring and cooking sessions to name a few.

A standout highlight was celebrating Jamie’s birthday, the buffet food was amazing! We’ve also been fortunate to have Chef MB, a resident from Bellwave Cottage, delighting our taste buds at Bellwave House, supported by the lovely House resident AE. Lastly, we’re very proud to announce that our youngest resident has been accepted onto a Level 1 Professional Cookery course – a testament to the drive and talent within our walls.

Bellwave Corner

At our newest property addition, Bellwave Corner, we have been busy planning and holding a pizza party, BBQ, and facilitating visits to the local circus. We’ve loved seeing the creativity on display from Efa and Helen as they’ve helped with these events. They’ve both been pushing for our residents to be community involved as much as possible, which is great to see. We are doing our best to encourage our residents to walk and cycle whenever possible.

We are thrilled to announce that Serendipity have been awarded the 2023 SME UK Business Enterprise Award for the Most Supportive Residential Care Home.

The UK Enterprise Awards have a unique methodology that sets it apart. These awards are not just about who nominates or submits the most compelling case. It’s about going above and beyond, being thoroughly researched, analyzed, and ultimately recognized for the incredible work one does.

So, what distinguished us from the rest? It was our unwavering commitment to our staff and their wellbeing. We believe in fostering a nurturing, supportive environment, not only for the residents we care for, but also for the people who make our work possible – our extraordinary team.

Our employee-centric philosophy has been the cornerstone of our ethos. From the moment someone joins our team, they are enveloped in a culture of support and encouragement. We view our employees as family and believe in their growth as much as our own. Incentives are not just rewards, but tokens of recognition for their commitment and hard work. It’s about letting them know that they are valued and appreciated.

Promotions from within the company are not just occasional occurrences but an integral part of our company ethos. We invest heavily in continuous professional development, providing our staff with all the resources and support they need to grow and excel in their roles. This approach not only encourages loyalty but also guarantees that our residents receive the best care from well-trained, dedicated professionals who are familiar with their needs and histories.

This award is a testament to our dedication, but it also sets a new benchmark for us. We will continue to strive, to innovate, and to support all those who make our care home a beacon of compassion and excellence. The journey continues, and we’re excited for the road ahead.

Thank you to the SME UK Business Enterprise Award for this tremendous honour, and to our wonderful team, residents, and their families for their unwavering faith in us. Here’s to many more milestones ahead!

Below is a link to the article on Serendipity on the UK Enterprise website. Page 136.

https://www.sme-news.co.uk/issues/uk-enterprise-awards-2023/