Beyond Limits launches new Recommend a Friend scheme

Today we launched our new App to help make referring your friends to us easier.

Care Friends is a new scheme which will help you share jobs on social media, WhatsApp and via simple text messages and you will earn points as you do.

Currently you only secure the award once the person you have recommended is employed by us, under this new scheme you will earn points at various stages, including points for just sharing the job.

You will be able to turn points into cash when you’ve reached the set amount. When you cash points in they will be added to your salary. So, if you love your work and love your friends, bring the two together with the CareFriends App and start referring, the more you refer, the more you earn.

Job Fair form

Thanks for taking the time to fill in our application form at a job fair. Having the right staff is crucial for the success of our business.

We have tried to keep the form as short as possible and hope it will be quick and easy for you to complete.

About Coronavirus also called Covid 19

This page contains information to help you to understand Coronavirus or as it is also called, COVID 19. This page tells you what it is and how to stay safe.

Covid 19 also called Coronavirus is a new illness that can affect your lungs and your airways.

Coronavirus can cause Pneumonia. This can be most serious for the very young, the old and can be dangerous for people who are already ill.

The government wants to keep everyone safe from Coronavirus so they have given us some new rules they want us to stick by.

This video explains what the Government want you to to

Here is an easy read booklet about the virus from Public Health England

Staying safe

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading

Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

This includes people of all ages – even if you do not have any symptoms or other health conditions.

You can only leave your home:

to shop for basic essentials – only when you really need to
to do one form of exercise a day – such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with other people you live with
for any medical need – for example, to visit a pharmacy or deliver essential supplies to a vulnerable person
to travel to and from work – but only where this is absolutely necessary.

If you catch coronavirus

What to do if you have coronavirus symptoms

Continue to stay at home if you have either:

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Stay at home.

Use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do.

Use the 111 coronavirus service

Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.

Cooking together – Cheese Flan recipe by Lara

While we are all staying safe by staying home, let’s do some cooking together.

Every week until the Corona Virus emergency is over, we are going to share an easy recipe for us all to try cooking. We’d love it if you shared a photo of what you cook with everyone on Facebook. Each recipe has What you need and What you do, click on the photo below and print the recipe to use as a shopping list. BIG thanks to Lara and KeyRing for letting us use their tried and tested Easy Recipes. Cooking at home can be fun, tasty and filling!

Ian makes an Easter cake

Ian and his team made a delicious looking Easter cake for Easter Friday.

Watch the video below to see how he made it. We’ve got a feeling there won’t be any left when the Government’s Social distancing ends.

Ian looks pretty pleased with the finished cake!

Heather’s pasties are a ‘proper job’

Heather really fancied a pasty but with everything closed Heather and her team decided to make their own Gluten Free Pasties.

The photos below show Heather’s pasty making, start to finish.

Thank you for all your hard work

As a Central Team, we wanted to show our immense gratitude and recognise how hard you have all been working during this very unsettling time.

We wanted to find some small way of showing our appreciation for all that you do every single day, a way of saying “thank you” to each and every one of you.

And so we came up with an idea that has taken us a couple of weeks to put together, please watch our thank you video, from us to you, we had fun making it and we hope it puts a smile on your face.

We need to give a special shout out to Claire Bennett for her artistic creation of the poster we have used and to Val Alekseenko-Simpson for taking the time to create the video.

Thank you all and please stay safe.

Thank You NHS

12th May is International Nurses Day, we think this is a very fitting tribute to all Nurses and indeed everyone who works in our NHS.

For more information about the day please visit the International Council of Nurses page.

Ricky’s story has made it into a podcast!

PBS Matters is a podcast from The PBS Special Interest Group. This is a group that brings together practitioners, educators, researchers and students interested in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS). PBS are part of the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis.

Hamish O’Brien and Georgia Mitchell are the PBS leads for Beyond Limits and they attended a Positive Behaviour Support conference where they came across Paddy Behan who was presenting at the conference. They got chatting and inevitably the conversation turned to the work they have done with Ricky. Their work epitomises PBS (getting people a good life) and Paddy invited them, along with Ricky’s Nan, Carol, to go on the show and tell Ricky’s story.

Follow this link to listen to the podcast or search for PBS Matters in your favourite podcast player.

For more information about PBS Matters visit their website.

Frequently Asked Questions about the flu vaccination

Below are answers to some of the frequently asked questions people ask about flu and the flu vaccination.

You can get the flu from a flu jab? False

This myth really caught on over the years. Flu jabs are made with dead viruses or pieces (proteins) from the flu virus. You can’t catch the flu from getting one. Your arm might hurt after the jab. You might have aches or a low fever. But you’d feel a lot worse if you caught the flu.

You can spread the flu before you know you’re sick? True

Here’s one of the tricky things about the flu: You can pass it to someone before you have symptoms, while you’re sick, and up to a week after you start feeling bad. Some people, especially kids and those with weakened immune systems, can be contagious even longer.

The flu isn’t serious? False

Some people get so sick that they need to go to the hospital. They can get pneumonia or even respiratory failure. The flu is most dangerous for children, people ages 65 and older, and those with other health problems. About 90% of people who die from the flu are older adults. Flu is the top cause of vaccine-preventable deaths.

Who should get the flu jab? Everyone

Getting the flu jab is the best way to protect yourself. Everyone 6 months and older should get it every year. It will help guard you against the 3 or 4 strains predicted to strike hard that flu season. Scientists update the vaccine each year. Talk to your doctor if you have any health concerns or questions.

The flu virus changes all the time. True

The flu that’s keeping your partner in bed might not be the same one that made your aunt sick last year. That’s because flu viruses are always changing. They can vary from year to year. They can even change in the middle of a flu season.

Getting a flu vaccine in December is too late? False

Its recommended that people get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine becomes available and that vaccination continue in December, January and beyond. Influenza activity normally peaks in February most years, but disease can occur as late as May.

Stay safe from flu this winter with a flu jab

This is not a normal year! We all want to protect ourselves and those close to us. This year, the double dangers of flu and COVID-19 mean it’s especially important to protect ourselves from the flu.

The flu virus spreads from person-to-person and as frontline workers, you are at an increased risk of contracting flu. Sometimes you can get flu without symptoms which makes it very easy for you to pass it on without knowing.

There’s lots of myths about flu and the flu vaccination which is why we have put together a page of Frequently Asked Questions.

Even if we are healthy, we can still get flu and spread it to the people we care about and care for. Getting a flu jab is easy, you can access it through your GP, a practice nurse or your local pharmacy. It is free to all frontline workers, just be sure to take your ID badge with you.

The NHS and Lloyds Pharmacy websites have more information about the vaccination:

Time for a change?

If you’ve found yourself at a turning point in your career we may be able to help. Without the need for government quizzes and assessments, Beyond Limits could retrain and retain you. We’d love to hear from you if you’re someone who…

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ― Leo F. Buscaglia

Drop us a line and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.

We have our Restraint Reduction membership!

Beyond Limits are delighted to have had our pledge approved and accepted by the Restraint Reduction network. We understand that supporting people, especially those individuals who at times may present behaviours that cause concern, requires a commitment to place people at the centre of everything we do.

We vow to continue our work in this regard with people and their families and work with their best interests. Restrictive practice will only be used as a last resort, in an emergency to maintain safety and in circumstances where there is immediate or imminent harm and where alternatives cannot be used or have failed.

Under no circumstances…

Under no circumstances will any restrictive practice which is considered degrading or abusive ever be used and restrictive practices will not be used to enforce rules or to punish or coerce. We will continue our work, supporting people to be all they can be, having lives that make sense for them, free from restrictions and institutional living.

To learn more about the Restraint Reduction Network and their work, visit their website: www.restraintreductionnetwork.org

COVID-19 vaccination for front-line workers

Beyond Limits staff are starting to be called to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. As front-line staff we are classed as a priority group and indeed some of you may have already received your first vaccination.

We are working closely with our commissioners and preparing everything so that we have a safe and effective process. As soon as we get the go ahead again, we will be coming to you asking about your availability. We will try and co-ordinate where we can, but please be aware that this can happen at very short notice so we need to remain flexible.

COVID-19 vaccination – Protection for social care staff booklet

Please download the booklet produced by National Health England (NHE) which answers the main questions about the vaccine.

Download the booklet as a PDF here.

(file name: PHE_11920_AZ_Covid-19_SCS_leaflet.pdf)

Or read the booklet online below:

We are delighted that there is a vaccination and that we can play our part in keeping everyone safe. Please be patient and rest assured you will be called as soon as possible.

Thank you all for your continued commitment to the people we support.

Stay Safe Online – protect yourself and the people you support from cyber-attacks

Cyber security might seem scary and complicated but it doesn’t have to be, it is really just about protecting the devices that we all use on a daily basis (smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers) and the services we access both at home and at work from theft or damage. We must make sure that we are protecting ourselves and the people we support from cyber-attacks by following some simple rules.

Here’s a great video that helps you understand Cyber Security.

Limit your personal information

Not everyone needs to know your relationship status or your home address. You wouldn’t hand out personal information to strangers so don’t hand it out to millions online.

Here’s some Internet Privacy Tips from ‘TechSafety.org‘.

Be careful what you download

Criminals will try and trick you into downloading malware (malicious software) apps or programs that carry malware can steal your personal information. Do not download apps that look suspicious or come from a site you don’t trust.

Here’s a good guide to help you work out what’s safe to download produced by wikiHow.

Choose strong passwords

Select passwords that are harder for cybercriminals to demystify. A strong password is one that is unique and complex – at least 15 characters long, mixing letters and unique characters. Use a password manager tool to help you manage your passwords so you don’t forget them.

Read about what password managers offer in Wired magazine.

Here’s a link to a password generator, there are lots of others to choose from on the web.

Make online purchases from secure sites

Cybercriminals are keen to get their hands on your credit card and bank details. Only supply this information to sites that provide secure, encrypted connections. Always check that the address starts with https: (the S stands for secure) and look out for the padlock icon next to the address bar.

Keep your antivirus program up to date

It’s impossible to protect against every threat but internet security software will detect and remove most malware. Make sure it is up to date.

We’ve updated our Recommend a Friend scheme

Finding the right quality of care staff is a major challenge. It’s important that we don’t just fill the vacancies we have but that we fill them with the right people.

The right people are people like you, people who are already working here. That’s why we have launched our new and improved Recommend a Friend scheme because we know that you know the very next person you want to fill that vacancy in your team.

It’s why we are now offering bigger incentives than ever to make sure that we get the right people and you get the person you want. For each person that you recommend and that we hire, you will receive £150 once that person has completed their induction. We also know that sometimes having a new person join your team can be difficult and unsettling. Some of you might be asked to spend extra time with them showing them the ropes. We recognise it’s a team effort and so the biggest reward goes to the whole team. £500 will be paid when the person passes their probation and you can let us know how you want to use your reward to celebrate.

If you already have someone in mind please, get in touch.

Beyond Limits is a partner in the Small Supports programme

Beyond Limits has joined C-Change, NDTi, Positive Support for You and the Local Government Association to help develop and promote the Small Supports programme. The programme is generously supported by NHS England.

Visit the Small Supports page on the NDTi website

We are working with local areas to help them create the best environment for small supports to emerge and flourish and with existing and emerging small supports organisations to develop and share great ways of working. The partners are not seeking to establish or grow their own support activity.

Below is some background information about Small Supports

What are Small Supports?

Small Supports organisations have a lot in common. Small Supports organisations share nine key characteristics.

Background to Small Supports Activity

Small Supports activity is about thinking and working with people with learning disabilities and/or autism who have ‘hefty reputations’ (to borrow a phrase to describe people who are burdened by the reputations they have been given because of behaviours, reactions, support requirements and large funding packages).

Small Supports Networks

There are a couple of networks associated with our Small Supports programme: one for providers and another for commissioners.

We are so proud of Sue

We are proud of Sue and the person she supports for being involved in a Proud to Care campaign showcasing the very special job she does every day.

Sue is a great example of someone who started with us as a support worker and with training and development she has developed her career. It really is a fantastic job and a typical day often involves, swimming, attending the local Rock Choir and of course sampling cake. Nearly everything starts or ends with cake.

We are currently recruiting a Team Leader and Support Worker for this team, you can find details of the two jobs here: Team leader | Support worker

Follow this link to read the article on the Proud to Care website.