Care Home Support Team (CHST)

We work with care home staff to build their skills, knowledge, and confidence in the vital work they do to improve the wellbeing of residents.

How we can help you

Our focus is on prevention and early intervention.

We provide your care home staff with the right skills and advice to improve the quality of life for the residents they care for, and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

Support is provided by our specialist multidisciplinary team including nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, pharmacy, dietetics, and palliative specialist nurse.

We work in partnership with you and your staff to offer the right guidance and training to suit your needs.

Care homes can contact our team on an ongoing basis, as and when issues arise.

Training

Virtual training

Here is a list of the Virtual training we offer to Berkshire Care Homes.

If you are a Berkshire Care Home and would like to join the training, contact our teams to find out more.

Email East Berkshire Care Homes (Bracknell Forest, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead) Eastberkscarehometeam@berkshire.nhs.uk

Email West Berkshire Care Homes (Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham Council) Carehomesupport@berkshire.nhs.uk

Mental health

Shared across berkshire

Delirium awareness
Mental capacity act and best interests
Understanding dementia

Physical health and end of life

Shared across berkshire

Diabetes awareness
End of life
Epilepsy awareness
Great oral health
Healthy bladder and bowels
Hydration (berkshire)
Mastering must and the pathway to successfully completing a dietitian referral
Nutrition in the golden years: innovating best practice guidelines and fortification strategies
Restore2 – recognising a deteriorating resident

East berkshire care homes only

Wound care

West berkshire care homes only

Skin care
Verification of expected death (voed)
Wound care

Postural management and falls (therapist training)

Falls awareness

East berkshire care homes

Champions (falls and postural care)
Postural care

West berkshire care homes

Falls champions
Postural management

Our West Berkshire team also offers Postural Management Service.

Further training

We can also provide targeted and bespoke support to residents and staff with more complex needs, over a longer ongoing period.

Development and ongoing support of care home staff champions around key areas like pressure damage, dementia, falls
Support care home staff to make appropriate referrals to other services
Mental health assessments with a focus on psycho-social interventions
Encouraging person-centred approaches through MDT (Multidisciplinary Team) support
Liaise with local hospitals, identifying residents admitted from care homes and provide support to facilitate timely discharge

Contact times

Our teams are available for contact between 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

We're not an urgent service, so it can take up to 3 days for a response to your email.

East Berkshire

For staff training

Complete our referral form and email it to us

Email EastBerksCareHomeTeam@berkshire.nhs.uk

For assessment of individual resident

Contact our hub referral team

Call 0300 365 1234

West Berkshire

Email carehomesupport@berkshire.nhs.uk

No referral form needed.

Share your experience

We hope that we were able to support you.

You can use our online form to provide feedback, to help us shape how we work.

Use our online feedback form (new browser tab)

Support resources

Guides and videos

Dementia

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT) have information on understanding and managing Dementia for a person's daily life.

Visit the Oxford Health NHS Trust website

Read is your home dementia safe article on the OHFT website (pdf)

Read Dementia Communication Cards on OHFT website (pdf)

Read Dementia Conversation Cards on OHFT website (pdf)

Read Coping with Distress on OHFT website (pdf)

Read Changes in Sexual Behaviour on OHFT website (pdf)

There are national dementia charities which can provide further support for carers and families

Read about Doll Therapy on the DementiaUK website (new browser tab)

Read the This is Me leaflet on Alzheimers UK website (new browser tab)

Equipment

Read our Komfitilt 3 Vikta (Model 2022) guide (pdf)

Read our Toto Lateral Turning System guide (pdf)

Read our Seating Advice for Care Homes guide (pdf)

We also have a guide on the techniques for insertion of slide sheets and aiding an optimal seating position when hoisting.

Read our Guidelines for Reduced Contact technique (pdf)

Dietetics

The Food Services Specialist Group and Older People Specialist Group of the BDA have worked with the National Association of Care Catering to develop the first menu planning and food service guidelines for care homes for older adults.

The menu helps residential and nursing care homes provide high quality food and drink services for residents in their care.

Visit the BDA website to see the Care Home Digest menu (new browser tab)

Palliative End of Life

Read our Eating and Drinking towards end of life guide (pdf)

Read our Just in Case JIC Medications leaflet (pdf)

Read our Syringe Pumps guide (pdf)

Postural

Read our Postural Care: CPD Opportunities guide (pdf)

Read our Postural Management guide (pdf)

Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust have produced a video for carers to highlight the risks associated with the development of joint contractures and practical preventative steps.