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New report highlights benefits of the Living Wage in home care

Belsize Village, London – A new report reinforcing the business case for employers to adopt the Living Wage was published on Wednesday, 21 January 2015, at a launch event held at KPMG Glasgow. The report includes evidence from six UK business including London-based Penrose Care, which is one of a small number of home care providers in the UK that has demonstrated the courage and leadership to be an Accredited Living Wage Employer.

2015-01-21 (Living wage study launch) 02 - Robert Stephenson-Padron John Swinney

Penrose Care MD Robert Stephenson-Padron & Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney

The report highlights clear evidence demonstrating how UK employers paying the Living Wage benefit from improved staff morale, retention and productivity – resulting in long-term business benefits.

The knowledge exchange project, carried out by the University of Strathclyde and the Living Wage Foundation – and commissioned by Barclays – uses case studies demonstrating business benefits and examples of how to mitigate associated costs.

Key findings include:

  • Implementing the LW encourages businesses to re-evaluate their approaches to staffing and payment [or similar] in the UK, leading to more effective and efficient working patterns in the long term
  • Implementing the Living Wage encourages businesses to re-evaluate their business model, leading to more effective and efficient working patterns in the long term
  • Increased skills development among existing staff
  • Increased staff performance and job satisfaction
  • Increased staff retention
  • Long-term reputational benefits for Living Wage employers

The study included evidence from five major accredited Living Wage employers, covering more than 327,000 staff, and a member of the Living Wage Foundation’s Service Provider Recognition programme.

Penrose Care co-founder and non-executive director, Dr. Matthew Knight:

“For me, paying the Living Wage is part of a mentality of treating our employees with respect and dignity. When we started Penrose Care we wanted to provide compassionate and human care to our clients- being a Living Wage employer has helped us attract and retain high quality and motivated staff which has been the foundation upon which we have built our service. I’d say to anyone in doubt about whether they should adopt the Living Wage- Go For It!”

Professional services firm and Living Wage employer, KPMG, hosted a breakfast briefing in their Glasgow office to discuss the findings in the report today (Wednesday 21 January).

Mike Kelly, Chairman of the Living Wage Foundation and Director of Living Wage at KPMG, said:

“While the report accepts initial costs of implementing the Living Wage can be an issue for companies, it clearly demonstrates the business benefits of becoming a Living Wage employer and provides working examples of how businesses can mitigate those additional costs.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP, who attended the launch, said:

“Tackling low pay is a key priority of the Scottish Government and we fully support the living wage campaign. Just this week the First Minister visited Scotland’s 100th Living Wage accredited company which demonstrates we are making real progress on this agenda.”

“We recognise the real difference the Living Wage makes to the people of Scotland which is why we are the first Scottish Government ever to pay the living wage to all employees.”

“The knowledge exchange project, carried out by the University of Strathclyde and the Living Wage Foundation – and commissioned by Barclays –gives evidence of the business benefits of paying the Living Wage. It isn’t simply good for individuals, it is also good for companies. It helps to increase staff retention, reduce absenteeism and enhance businesses reputation.”

Dr Andrea Coulson, Senior Lecturer of Accounting at the University of Strathclyde and primary author of the report, said:

“Reducing in-work poverty is a serious challenge for business and there is no doubt that paying a Living Wage and improving employee working conditions is an important step in the right direction.

“The report highlights detailed case study evidence of how costs of adopting the Living Wage are being mitigated and value created for employers, their employees and on-site contract staff.”

Since rolling out the Living Wage to all full-time staff and suppliers, including on-site contractors, KPMG has seen an increase in employee motivation, higher employee retention, and reduced absenteeism. This in turn has resulted in lower recruitment costs, more opportunities for staff development and the opportunity for KPMG to mitigate costs by broadening responsibilities of current staff. The firm has also seen improvements in bottom line performance in both financial and non-financial indicators such as employee engagement and overall customer satisfaction levels.

Jenny Stewart, Head of Infrastructure and Government at KPMG, said:

“KPMG has been firmly committed to the Living Wage principle for many years. We have been paying the Living Wage to our own staff since 2006 and ensuring it is paid by sub-contractors since 2007. We have seen the benefits”

“Facilities Management staff satisfaction levels are higher than before and as a result the business has become more efficient. During the first year of implementation, turnover in our cleaning staff dropped from 44% to 27%. Absenteeism has also since dropped by 10%. Our suppliers are also benefiting from being associated with Living Wage and are now experiencing greater numbers of applicants to fill vacancies then previously.”

Other case studies featured in the Living Wage report include Barclays, Aviva, Penrose Care, Enhance Office Cleaning and SSE.

Dominic Johnson, Employee Relations Director at Barclays, commented:

“Not only is paying people who work on our behalf a wage that supports a decent standard of living a responsible thing to do, there are also clear business, societal and economic benefits to doing so.

“We are pleased to support this knowledge exchange project conducted by the University of Strathclyde and the Living Wage Foundation which investigates further the qualitative and quantitative benefits to businesses of paying the Living Wage, and hope that the Living Wage continues to gain increased support from the business community.”

2015-01-21 (Living wage study launch) 03 Barclays Strathclyde Penrose Care KPMG

Left to Right: Dominic Johnson, Employee Relations Director, Barclays PLC; Philippa Birtwell, Head of Reputation Risk Management, Barclays Bank PLC; James Bonner, Independent Researcher & study co-author; Dr Andrea Coulson, University of Stathclyde & study co-author; Robert Stephenson-Padron, Managing Director, Penrose Care; Cllr Norma Austin Hart, City of Edinburgh Council; Tom Henderson, Welfare Reform and Regional Manager, North, Scottish Business in the Community; Michael Kelly, Head of CSR of KPMG UK and Chairman of the Living Wage Foundation

 

Link to the Living Wage study by the University of Strathclyde: Living wage report

ENDS

Media Contact

Penrose Care

Robert Stephenson-Padron

robert.padron@penrosecare.co.uk

0207 435 2644

University of Strathclyde

Dr. Andrea B. Coulson

a.b.coulson@strath.ac.uk

0141 548 3179

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities and elderly persons, including those with dementia. The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the country to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter.

Penrose Care’s ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.

Latest news

Penrose Care head named the UK’s Most Outstanding Leader in Care

London, UK: Penrose Care is honoured to announce that its co-founder and managing director, Robert Stephenson-Padron, was adjudicated as the “Most Outstanding Leader in the Care Sector in the UK” at the 2014 UK Over 50s Housing Awards ceremony held at the Westbury Hotel, London on the night of November 13th. The ceremony, held jointly with the Global Over 50s Housing Healthcare Awards, recognise excellence in the health and social care industry across the globe.

On the occasion of receiving the award, Robert Stephenson-Padron said:

“I am honoured to receive this prestigious award. Thank you to the Penrose Care team, especially our co-founder, Dr. Matthew Knight, who embarked with me in 2012 to build Penrose Care – the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK.

At the awards ceremony with some of the world’s most prestigious care firms, I called on those who can, to pay their workers a Living Wage as Penrose Care does. The UK’s care sector has sadly become known for low standards and low pay – this needs to change. By paying care workers a Living Wage vs poverty wages, we will start to transform social care into a career of choice rather than a job for those without choice. Indeed, at Penrose Care, we have shown that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation must be caring.

To my peers, I noted a recent public testimony of the family member of one of our dementia care clients that exemplifies why ethics in care matters. Before finding Penrose Care, her mother used a home care agency referred by her local authority that was meant to be their ‘best provider’. Despite the designation, within just six months, her mother was sent 35 workers with corresponding stress and dismay. The story improved however, after finding Penrose Care through our work with civil society charity Citizens UK. In the nearly six months supported by Penrose Care, her mother was seen by 1 primary worker and 2 back up workers – just 3 workers. By being ethical, Penrose Care is able to attract and retain special people with a vocation to care – ethics in care matters!”

Penrose Care is based in Belsize Village in Hampstead, a region in the Borough of Camden, London. On the occasion of Mr. Stephenson-Padron receiving the award, the Mayor of Camden Lazzaro Pietragnoli stated:

“I would like to congratulate Mr. Robert Stephenson-Padron on receiving the prestigious UK Over 50s Housing Award 2014 for ‘The Most Outstanding Leader in the Care Sector in the UK’.

As the founder and managing director of Camden-based Penrose Care, Robert has been committed not only to providing high quality standards of care for his customers but also to implement the best practices for his employees.

In a fast growing sector, where too often the focus is on containing the cost of the service rather than improving its quality, Robert and Penrose Care are a testimony that a private company may be unilaterally committed to provide the London Living Wage to its employees, to offer them specific and formal training, to guarantee to them set hours and pay them for travelling time.

Robert’s decision to comply with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter and with the Living Wage Foundation’s guidelines is really commendable, especially since Penrose is one of the few companies in the sector to do so.

This award is a testimony of his determination and enthusiasm in improving the quality of care in Northern London and a very encouraging message for everyone in the sector.”

The award ceremony included a variety of prestigious care firms from around the world including British residential care provider Barchester Healthcare, Nautical Lands Group of Canada, World Class Retirement Complex of the Philippines; world class health care investment firms Oaktree Capital and HCP; and British namesakes including Lloyds Bank and Knight Frank estate agents.

ENDS

Media Contact

Penrose Care

Robert Stephenson-Padron

robert.padron@penrosecare.co.uk

+44 (0)207 435 2644

Notes to the editor

Additional photographs from the UK Housing Over 50s Awards pending and expected on 17 November 2014.

About the UK Over 50s Housing Awards

The UK Over 50s Housing Awards have been created to celebrate and reward the best individual and company performances in the over-50s housing sector in the UK. The Awards recognise the rapid growth of the over-50s housing sector in the UK, and the capacity of individuals to influence and set new performance standards across the UK. The Awards focus on elevated performance; the creation of new business models; contrarian thinking; recognising and embracing new trends; market leadership; inspirational performance and the elevation of the customer experience. The awards have been running since 2009. 20 key national awards represent the pinnacle of performance in 2013 – 2014. In 2014, over 978 entries have been received. An additional 321 nominations have been made by third parties.

About Robert Stephenson-Padron

Robert Stephenson-Padron, aged 30, is a healthcare industry expert and former public servant. Prior to starting Penrose Care in 2012 with Dr. Matthew Knight, he was a healthcare research analyst at Merrill Lynch (2010-12), which he joined from Barclays Capital/Barclays PLC (2007-10). From 2003-2006, he served as a commissioner of the City of Berkeley, California, USA. Mr. Padron holds a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley and a Master in Economics & Finance from the Universidad de Navarra. Mr. Padron, growing up jointly in Gonzales, California and the northern cities of San Luis Obispo County, California, attended Gonzales High School and Templeton High School.

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities and elderly persons, including those with dementia. The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the country to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter.

Penrose Care’s ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.

2014-11-13 (Penrose Care) Robert Stephenson-Padron UK Housing Over 50s Award 03

Penrose Care’s managing director, Robert Stephenson-Padron, with his UK Over 50s Housing Award.

2014-11-13 (Penrose Care) Robert Stephenson-Padron UK Housing Over 50s Award 01 2014-11-13 (Penrose Care) Robert Stephenson-Padron UK Housing Over 50s Award 02 2014-11-13 (Penrose Care) Robert Stephenson-Padron UK Housing Over 50s Award 05

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Restoring a culture of dignity in health and social care

By Robert Stephenson-Padron

I have attended many conferences in the past, but I must honestly say, that Saturday’s Health & Social Care Conference of the Catholic Church of England & Wales was the most pertinent I have ever attended.

As the health and social care sector moves from crisis to crisis, most conferences I attend are about how providers must produce more and more paperwork to satisfy reacting regulations and how the crises will persist until chronic underfunding is remedied. This conference, focusing on what we can learn from the Good Samaritan story, was different, it focused on the heart of the matter: that the health and social care sector as a whole has lost its heart.

Revd. Dr. James Hanvey SJ characterised care in England as being reduced to checklists and Revd. Dr. Gerry Arbuckle SM argued that unless there is a cultural change in health and social care, crisis like Mid-Staffordshire will recur.

They argued that currently, respect for human dignity in the sector is too often violated by poor and bureaucratic systems that at times disassociates responsibility of decision makers, fosters bullying, and ultimately leads to material disconnects between providers’ missions to be caring and the reality on the front line.

The social care firm I lead, Penrose Care, recognised these ills of the sector when it was established, and tried something innovative. In a social care sector that the National Audit Office in March found likely pays 160,000-220,000 direct care workers less than the minimum wage, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first home care providers in the UK to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer. This meant the starting pay at our firm would be the voluntary hourly rate the Mayor of London estimates is the minimum a Londoner needs to be paid to live in the city decently.

The results? Penrose Care has attracted those with a genuine vocation to care, has very low staff turnover, and delivers care which garners consistent excellent client feedback. Penrose Care built a caring culture. It did this by first respecting the human dignity of those who care: our workers.

Revd. Hanvey argued that every human being’s dignity is honoured and enacted in the care of the disfigured and wounded. I agree. I would also argue that this must include our lowest paid workers – our social care workers, our health care assistants, our domestic staff. Being paid a poverty wage is disfiguring and wounding, it shows lack of respect for the dignity of those who support our mums and dads, our grandparents with their basic needs in hospitals, care homes, and the community; it shows lack of respect to the people who keep our health and social care institutions clean and sanitary.

If health and social care leaders respect the dignity of their lowest workers, I firmly believe it will indeed enact the dignity of their entire workforce, bridging the gap between our mission statements to care for the sick and support the infirm with the reality on the ground.

If we create a culture respecting the God-given dignity of each and every one of us, the necessity of compliance paperwork will reduce and the much needed, much talked about increases in funding will come as society will demand it.

Robert Stephenson-Padron is the managing director of London-based home care provider Penrose Care that supports the elderly and disabled with social care needs in their own homes.

Penrose Care home care worker assisting an elderly man

A Penrose Care home care worker assisting an elderly man in his garden

Latest news

Penrose Care sponsors the Mum, Dementia & I photo exhibition

Belsize Village, Hampstead, London, UK: Penrose Care is honoured to be sponsoring the Real Picture exhibition: Mum, Dementia & I being held at Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham from 12th-23rd November 2014 with a Private Viewing on the 11th November 2014 from 7:00pm-9:30pm which free tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite. The exhibition and related events are free and donations are encouraged to the Alzheimer’s Society.

The exhibit is by Annemarie Anang, 32, a civic activist of North London Citizens aiming to increase awareness of dementia and improve the care system. Mum, Dementia & I gives an intimate insight into life with her mother, Elizabeth, as together they attempt to make sense of the changes in their lives caused by the onset of dementia.

Annemarie said:

“As more of us live longer it’s inevitable that many of us will need help and support in the form of care services. But the current care system just isn’t equipped to cope.

“Although it is possible to live well with dementia with the right support from professionals, family and friends, dementia is a cruel disease that’s slowly taking hold of my mum. That’s tough enough, but on top of that we’ve had to also manage inadequate and inconsistent care from care workers, many of whom are kind and hardworking, but who aren’t given the right training for what is a difficult job. Most are paid less than a Living Wage and are constantly being rushed from one job to the next, leaving little time to give quality care, let alone build up a relationship with the vulnerable clients they support.

“I decided to create this exhibition to give a personal testimony as to why we should care about care services. Other people write papers and policy documents, and this my way. I hope these images will encourage more discussion about dementia, why care is important and get people talking in the build up to the 2015 election about why these issues should be on every politicians agenda.”

The photographs give glimpses into their everyday life, the coping mechanisms they’ve developed to help Elizabeth understand her own home and daily life within it.

Annemarie and her mum are both members of Stamford Hill’s, St Ignatius Church, where Annemarie has also run a series of ‘Dementia Friends’ information sessions that aim to encourage people to learn more about the disease and how to make their community more dementia friendly.

Robert Stephenson-Padron, Penrose Care managing director, said: “Penrose Care, as one of the handful of Accredited Living Wage Employers in London’s home care sector, is honoured to support Annemarie’s beautiful work. We strongly feel that art such as this helps engage the humanity of those who experience it. If the collective humanity of civil society is enacted to help improve the UK’s ailing social care system, then I believe those much needed improvements will happen.”

Citizens UK Social Care Campaign

ENDS

Media Contact

Penrose Care

Robert Stephenson-Padron

robert.padron@penrosecare.co.uk

0207 435 2644

 

The Real Picture

Gillian Owen

gillian.owen@citizensuk.org.uk

07876246150

About Mum, Dementia & I

www.therealpicture.org

Mum, Dementia & I’ is a photography exhibition that explores the reality of living with dementia. It gives an intimate insight into daily life for my mother, and myself and how we attempted to make sense of the changes in our lives caused by the arrival of dementia. Glimpses into our coping methods, as well as the difficulties encountered with the introduction of carers into our home, can be seen. The public are invited to view these personal photographs and engage in the issues surrounding social care as we become a nation where we are living longer and yet the way older people are cared for continues to be a concern. The exhibition also includes a short video featuring my mother and I, that was broadcast on London Live earlier this year. There will be an opportunity for the public to share their views on dementia and social care. The exhibition is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Citizens UK, campaigners for better Social Care, are our partners.

You can listen to Annemarie speak on BBC You and Yours at 32:30-41:30 in the following recording from 06 Oct 2014, which includes a praise for Penrose Care’s home care services: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04k9gjd

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities and elderly persons, including those with dementia. The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the country to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter.

Penrose Care’s ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.

Latest news

Penrose Care continues to lead on ethics in home care – implements Living Wage rate increase immediately

Penrose Care continues to lead on ethics in home care – implements Living Wage rate increase immediately

Belsize Village, Hampstead, London, UK: Home care provider Penrose Care has implemented immediately the increase in the London Living Wage rate announced by Mayor of London Boris Johnson this morning at Google UK Headquarters. The new London Living Wage rate is £9.15/hour from £8.80/hour.[1]

Penrose Care managing director, Robert Stephenson-Padron said:

“The Living Wage Foundation’s guidance is to phase in increases in the Living Wage over 6 months, but Penrose Care planned for the increase, and therefore – keeping with past practice at the firm – we have implemented the increase starting this morning.”

In October 2012, Penrose Care became one of the first four home care providers in the UK to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer out of then-nearly 6,000 providers. Uniquely however, Penrose Care also pays its workers for travel time between visits.

In comparison, the National Audit Office in March 2014 released a report finding that 160,000 to 220,000 direct care workers in the UK are paid below the national minimum wage “due to deductions for uniforms or due to travel time between visits”.[2] The current national minimum wage is £6.50/hour for persons 21 and over.[3]

“In a sector mired by scandal over the minimum wage, our Living Wage commitment is a credible message internally and externally of Penrose Care’s commitment to ethics. It has been at the heart of our caring culture which results in us attracting top-tier care workers, retaining them, and delivering support to elderly and disabled persons that generates consistent excellent client feedback,” said Mr. Stephenson-Padron. “Implementing an increase in the London Living Wage at Penrose Care is not without challenges, but those challenges are worth surmounting for doing the right thing for our workers.”

Penrose Care employees already on a wage rate higher than the London Living Wage will have their pay reviewed this month.

Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Today there are over 1,000 Accredited Living Wage Employers in the United Kingdom, more than double last year’s figure of 432.

[1] New 2015 Living Wage Rates Announced (Living Wage Foundation: 3 Nov 2014), available here: http://www.livingwage.org.uk/news/new-2015-living-wage-rates-announced

[2] Adult social care in England: overview (National Audit Office: 13 Mar 2014), pg42, available here: http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Adult-social-care-in-England-overview.pdf

[3] National minimum wage rates (Gov.UK, accessed 03 Nov 2014), available here: https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

ENDS

Media Contact

Penrose Care

Robert Stephenson-Padron

robert.padron@penrosecare.co.uk

0207 435 2644

Living Wage Foundation

Emma Kosmin

emma.kosmin@livingwage.org.uk

0207 043 9882

Mayor of London Boris Johnson London Living Wage increase

London Mayor Boris Johnson announces the new London Living Wage

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities and elderly persons, including those with dementia. The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the country to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter.

Penrose Care’s ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.

Latest news

England’s dementia care crisis highlights importance of Penrose Care’s mission

Belsize Village, London, 13 October 2014: Ethical home care provider Penrose Care expresses its sadness and deep concern over the Care Quality Commission’s Cracks in the Pathway report which found that 9/10 care homes inspected “had some aspect of poor or inconsistent care”, the Daily Mail reported earlier today.

“The CQC’s findings show that England’s care crisis continues, which although disheartening, confirms the importance of Penrose Care’s mission to provide and promote ethics in social care,” said Penrose Care managing director, Robert Stephenson-Padron.

Penrose Care aims to hire excellent and caring staff, supported by top of the range training – including dementia care training for workers providing dementia care – within an organisation that genuinely cares for them as human beings. This framework has resulted in feedback from the families of our dementia home care clients that is consistently excellent.

Further, Penrose Care is constantly working with policy makers to assist them in alleviating and eventually solving the UK’s care crisis. As such, we have participated at policy roundtables and policy papers both at the House of Commons and House of Lords. We will continue these activities as it is our firm belief that it is not sufficient to be ethical just within our own remit, but to promote such ethics outside our organisation as well.

Penrose Care will continue to promote ethics in social care, especially in dementia care, and indeed, aims to release some exciting news on this front in November.

Media Contact

Robert Stephenson-Padron, robert.padron@penrosecare.co.uk

0207 435 2644

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities and elderly persons, including those with dementia.  The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the country to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter.

Penrose Care’s ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.

Penrose Care dementia care

Penrose Care provides home care services to those with dementia

 

Latest news

London-based Penrose Care has been shortlisted for the Living Wage Champion Awards 2014 in London

Belsize Village, London, 30 September 2014: Ethical home care provider Penrose Care has been shortlisted by the Living Wage Foundation for the Living Wage Champion Awards 2014.

The awards recognise Living Wage employers that have made great contributions to communities and industries by implementing and celebrating the Living Wage.

The Living Wage Foundation offers a recognition mark for employers that commit to paying the Living Wage. There are now over 900 accredited employers.

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the ‘Minimum Income Standard’ for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; it is a social consensus about what people need to make ends meet.

2014-09-11 Penrose Care partial team photo with Living Wage mark

Penrose Care managing director, Robert Stephenson-Padron said:

“We at Penrose Care are honoured to be shortlisted as a Living Wage Champion. Since becoming one of the first four Accredited Living Wage Employers in the home care sector in 2012, we have shown that an ethical foundation to care leads to higher quality staff and low staff turnover which results in excellent services. In the care sector that supports the most vulnerable in our society, Penrose Care believes ethics is especially important and we see paying the London Living Wage as an important component of our ethical foundation.”

Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

Living Wage Foundation Director, Rhys Moore said:

“I would like to send huge congratulations to Penrose Care on being shortlisted for the Living Wage Champion Awards. The commitment of Living Wage Employers to responsible pay makes a real difference to families and communities across the country. We look forward to celebrating this even further when announcing the winners of the Awards during Living Wage Week.”

The Award Winners will be announced during Living Wage Week 2014, with one winner announced for each region of the UK: Scotland; Wales; Northern Ireland; the East Midlands; the West Midlands; the East of England; Yorkshire and the Humber; North East England; North West England; South East England; South West England; and London.

The awards are judged by an independent panel of community leaders from the Citizens UK Living Wage campaign.

ENDS

 Media Contact

Living Wage Foundation

Emma Kosmin, emma.kosmin@livingwage.org.uk 0207 043 9882

Penrose Care

Robert Stephenson-Padron, robert.padron@penrosecare.co.uk 207 435 2644

Notes to Editors

 About the Living Wage Foundation

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK. Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

The London Living Wage is currently £8.80 per hour. This figure is set annually by the Greater London Authority and covers all boroughs in Greater London. The UK Living Wage for outside of London is currently £7.65 per hour. This figure is set annually by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University.

The Living Wage Foundation recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK. There are currently over 850 accredited employers. We are an initiative of Citizens UK. We believe that work should be the surest way out of poverty.

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities and elderly persons, including those with dementia.  The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the country to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter.

Penrose Care’s ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.

Link to the Living Wage Foundation’s announcement: http://www.livingwage.org.uk/living-wage-champion-awards-2014

The organisations short-listed in the London region are:

ActionAidUK

Aquaterra

Bootstrap

Brent Council

Communications Workers Union

Enhance Office Cleaning Ltd, London

Faucet Inn, London

FormFormForm Limited

Grant Thornton UK LLP, London

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London

Julius Rutherfoord, London

London Borough of Islington, London

London Legacy Development Corporation, London

Middlesex University Students’ Union, London

Penrose Care, London

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, London

ShareAction, London

Southwark Council, London

Table Talk and Blue Strawberry, London

Thames Cleaning & Support Services Ltd, London

Unison, London

lw-champion-awards-logo-shortlisted

Dr Matthew Knight
Blog

Keep an eye out for enabling technologies out of Google X

Keep an eye out for the latest new technology to come out from Google X, its research division.

A recent acquisition of the firm Life Labs, brings to the Google X portfolio a spoon that uses a series of intricate sensors to compensate for disabling tremors experienced by patients with Parkinson’s disease. This is one such simple lifestyle enhancing technology that will hopefully be available in the not too distant future.

By compensating for tremor, this spoon enables users to feed themselves whilst reducing the risk of spilling the food contents.
Technologies such as these help promote independence and enhance quality of life.
Here at Penrose Care we will be keeping an eye out for these new technologies as they are released and keep our clients and anyone that follows our website and a blog we have on general issues on home care in London.
You can read more about healthcare developments at Google X at the following BBC article from: Google buys firm behind spoon for Parkinson’s patients
Latest news

Penrose Care appoints Rabbi Markus A. Lange to its Board of Directors

Belsize Village, London, 28 August 2014: Penrose Care, London’s ethical provider of home care services, today announced it has appointed Rabbi Markus A. Lange to its Board of Directors as a non-executive director.

“Dr. Matthew Knight and I are incredibly honoured and thrilled to have Rabbi Markus join us on the Penrose Care Board of Directors,” said Penrose Care’s board chairman and managing director Robert Stephenson-Padron. “Rabbi Markus brings to Penrose Care’s board a wealth of experience, especially in the merging of compassion and values into health and social care settings which is of fundamental importance to us. Rabbi Markus has been a long-time friend and supporter of Penrose Care and we are very pleased that he will now be helping us in this formal capacity.”

Rabbi Lange has been the Resident Chaplain of the Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead since 2010 providing Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care to all patients, families, staff and volunteers as a full member of the multi-professional teams for the in-patient and out-patient service of the hospice. He is acting Vice-President of the Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains and the founder and convenor of the Children’s Hospice Spiritual Care Network. He is on the professional register of the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplains. Prior to his posting at the Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead, Rabbi Lange held administrative and educational roles including at the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Council of Christians and Jews. He teaches and supervises chaplains and healthcare professionals on a regular basis.

Rabbi Lange holds an MA in Jewish Studies from King’s College London, and a diploma in Supervision in the Helping Professions from the London Centre of Psychodrama. He has received his rabbinic training in New York and London. In 2003-2007, during his time in the USA, he has specialized in healthcare chaplaincy in the context of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and through various internships with caring and therapeutic services.  Prior to that, he has studied and worked in Prague, Berlin and London.

Penrose Care’s board of directors consist of one executive director, former healthcare research analyst Robert Stephenson-Padron, and two non-executive directors: hospital physician Dr. Matthew Knight and healthcare chaplain Rabbi Markus A. Lange.

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care is an ethical provider of home care services London, United Kingdom to adults with disabilities and elderly persons, including those with dementia.  The company operates upon a fundamental belief that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. As the pioneer of ethics in home care in the UK, Penrose Care in 2012 became one of the first four providers in the country to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and in 2013 the first independent sector provider to be compliant with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter. Our ethical approach promotes higher quality social care workers and low staff turnover which in turn results in excellent care. Penrose Care is headquartered in Belsize Village, north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.

Contact

Robert Stephenson-Padron

Managing Director

Telephone: 020 7435 2644

E-mail: robert.padron@penrosecare.co.uk

2014-08-27 Penrose Care Board

Penrose Care board (left to right): Dr. Matthew Knight, Rabbi Markus A. Lange, & Robert Stephenson-Padron (27 Aug 2014)

Latest news

Superb CQC report of Penrose Care, ethics in home care works

Belsize Village, Hampstead, London, 30 June 2014: The Care Quality Commission (CQC), England’s regulator of health and social care providers, has published an outstanding inspection report of home care provider Penrose Care following a routine inspection on May 20, 2014 – concluding that Penrose Care was compliant with all care standards.

“Dr. Knight and I send a huge congratulations to the whole Penrose Care family following a brilliant inspection report by our regulator,” said Penrose Care managing director Robert Stephenson-Padron. “The CQC report further confirms what we believe and what our client feedback confirms: Penrose Care is a caring organisation that provides care of the highest quality.”

In the report, the relative of a client of Penrose Care is quoted: “The care is excellent.” A client relative also told the inspector, “[Penrose Care took] a lot off of my shoulders, they are marvellous.”

Since the publication of Penrose Care’s 2013 inspection report, its client base has more than quadrupled, with more and more families seeking care for their elderly parents choosing Penrose Care in recognition that to promote a caring workforce, the organisation itself must be caring. This growth has coincided with the organisation having no care workers leave voluntarily since its inception – allowing Penrose Care to provide an unmatched level of continuity of care.

Penrose Care’s management attributes much of the organisation’s success to its ethical framework of operating. This has included being one of the first homecare providers in England to become an Accredited Living Wage Employer and the first independent sector provider to comply with Citizens UK’s landmark Social Care Charter.

“As I explained to our regulator, if an organisation operates ethically, much of the risks compliance systems are intended to mitigate are tackled at the gate. Compliance systems are most effective when undue risks are not even allowed into the organisation,” said Mr. Stephenson-Padron. “A strong and positive workforce culture combined with effective compliance systems results in a social care service like that of Penrose Care, which provides home care that is caring, responsive, safe, effective and well led.”

About Penrose Care

Penrose Care was established in 2012 in response to what its founders perceived as a need to fundamentally reform the home care industry in the UK. The vision of Penrose Care is simple – we aspire to deliver an excellent and professional care at home services to our clients combined with compassion, so that all those that we care for feel just that – cared for. We believe that if we are to fulfil our mission of providing “home care with a human touch”, then we have to employ the best care professionals in the industry. We feel that we have just that team, and have built this up by focusing heavily on looking after our staff so that we can be confident in the superior quality of our home care services. Penrose Care is headquartered in north London and was founded by Robert Stephenson-Padron, a healthcare research analyst, and Dr. Matthew Knight, a hospital physician.