CRESS celebrates another big birthday this year by getting the ‘key of the door’ and toasting 21 years of service to the Mid Essex region.  So this year when we tell people that we are 21, it is true!  From the small project, which started in 1985, CRESS has gradually expanded and developed into the recognised and valued project that it is today.

We were absolutely delighted this year to be rated ‘excellent’ by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).  Our latest inspection took place at the beginning of June this year with less than 24 hours notice of the Inspector’s arrival.  We had been expecting the inspection visit to be carried out sometime in August so it was a bit of a surprise to say the least.  The on-site inspection takes a day but there is a large amount of pre-inspection paperwork and preparation involved.  In addition the Statutory Bodies as well as Service Users and staff are all approached by the CSCI for their comments on the service.  The full report is now available in hard copy and will also be available to download from the CSCI website to anyone who wishes to read it.

Last year CRESS supplied a service to an average of 39 Service Users per month.  Total CRESS care hours for the year were down by 15% on the previous year at 8813 (an average of 735 hours per month). The decrease in hours was due to a lack of referrals from the statutory bodies despite our best efforts to encourage them to use CRESS to its full potential.

We currently have 12 Care Assistants, one of whom joined us earlier this year and has quickly become a valued team member.  In May one of our long serving Care Assistants took her retirement - June had been with CRESS for 12 years and was looking forward to devoting more time to her hobbies of gardening and golfing.

Four more of our Care Assistants received their NVQ Level 2 (Care) certificates in January this year after successfully completing the Course.  They were presented with their certificates by their tutor during the course of our January staff meeting and were warmly congratulated by all present.  This brings to a total of 6 the number of CRESS Care Assistants who have completed this course.  Unfortunately one of our NVQ trained Care Assistants resigned last month to move onto new pastures.  NVQ training is currently being arranged for a further 3 Care Assistants and we hope that this will commence towards the end of this year. 

Training for our Care Assistants is an ongoing affair involving constant updates and additions and sourcing affordable courses can be a challenge.  However this is one area where we received top marks from the CSCI and we are rightly proud of the quality, regularity and diversity of the training that our Care Assistants receive.

Our Project Assistant Jo Woolley continues to be of great support in carrying out Care Plan visits and covering the office for us on occasion.  As of last month a new string has been added to her bow as she is now carrying out work-based staff supervision.  More frequent supervision is a National Care Standards requirement and Jo will be combining Care Plan visits with supervision.  This will ensure continuous supervision and support for our Care Assistants while avoiding duplication.

CRESS Solo continues to operate in both the Maldon and Braintree areas and delivered over 850 care hours last year.  It has proved impossible to secure further funding for the moment and Solo is now running on empty in both areas!  We are indebted to Maldon Mind who have agreed to continue funding the project from their own coffers in the meantime.  Of course, we are no longer accepting referrals and it is sad that the service will disappear in the near future if no funding is forthcoming, particularly as Solo is not an expensive project to run and provides great value for money.  At the moment we are providing the Solo service to 7 clients, all of whom have been with Solo for between 18 months and 2½ years. 

Thank you to all our staff who remain loyal through thick and thin, and whose commitment, capability and dedication make us the ‘excellent’ service that we are today.  We couldn’t have done it without you!

Dawn Brooks