Click here to watch Sharon Lane and Dave Peatroy's skydive videos.
Click here view the Summer 2009 Edition.
News
COMPLETE GROUP LAUNCHES NEW ABI TRAINING PROGRAMME
Complex care specialists The Complete Group is aiming to improve the support it provides for clients with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) by launching a new training programme for staff.
The programme was introduced last May and sees staff take modules in Basic Understanding of Acquired Brain Injury, Challenging Behaviour and an optional third module on the theme of Rehabilitation in the Community.
By keeping a record of who has taken the appropriate modules, The Complete Group can ensure that the best-qualified staff are assigned to work with clients who have ABI.
Any of the modules can be rolled out around the UK and, although new staff currently have priority, the new programme will also be made available to existing staff and, in time, it is hoped that it will also be offered to staff from other organisations.
Head of ABI services Harvey Kynaston said: “My aim is to generate a ‘Competency in Acquired Brain Injury’ certificate to staff who have passed all three modules.
“The rota department would then benefit from having a list of PAs who they know could be used to help out in ABI packages confident in the knowledge that they are equipped with the appropriate skills to carry out the job.”
For more information contact The Complete Group on 01952 293449
or visit www.completegroup.co.uk
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SKYDIVE DVD - 35th Anniversary of the Spinal Injuries Association
Following the recent 35th Anniversary of the Spinal Injuries Association, Senior Complex Care Manager Sharon Lane and Care Manager Dave Peatroy, took part in a sponsored Skydive to help raise money for the worthwhile charity. To view the videos, please click here.
SHREWSBURY CHRONICLE
Published Date: 16th July 2009
Care Staff To Take The Plunge For Charity
Two members of staff at The Complete Group whose head office is based in Telford will be taking part in a tandem parachute jump later this month to raise money for the Spinal Injuries Association, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.
Senior Complex Care Manager Sharon Lane and Care Manager Dave Peatroy, who both live in Shrewsbury, will be leaping out of a plane, strapped to an experienced jumper, at 10,000 ft on Saturday, June 27, at Hinton Airfield, in Oxfordshire.
The Complete Group specialises in providing complex care packages to adults and children with various disabilities, including spinal cord injuries, in their own homes and has frequently worked with the SIA to help patients over the years.
The company is preparing to provide a coach on the day, for staff to travel to the jump location and show their support. Family entertainment and a barbecue will also be laid on.
Sharon said: “I’m hoping it’s going to be an amazing and successful experience, and one that I will enjoy! I’ve had no experience, but hope this will make me a stronger person, having to put my life in someone else’s hands.
“I do hope to raise as much money as possible for the Spinal Injuries Association as it is a worthwhile charity.”
Dave added: “I’m very excited and really looking forward to it – I haven’t done this before although I have been paragliding, which hopefully gives me some idea of what to expect.
“I work with SIA all the time at work, and I know that it is a very good cause, so I was delighted to volunteer to take part.”
Anyone who would like to sponsor Sharon or Dave can contact Jenna Normington at Complete Group on 01952 204017.
For more information contact The Complete Group on 01952 293449.
Lindsey Facing Marathon Challenge
Telford-based company, The Complete Group, has sponsored one of its former employees to complete the London Marathon in aid of the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA).
The Complete Group, who specialise in providing complex care packages to adults and children with various disabilities, including spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, cerebral palsy and neurological disorders, has pledged £500 if Lindsey Worthington completes the 26-mile course.
Lindsey previously worked for the company as a carer, where she supported a client with a serious spinal injury, before going on to qualify as a Social Worker.
As well as securing sponsorship from friends, family and local companies, the support from The Complete Group has provided a big boost to Lindsey’s fundraising total.
She said: “I worked with a client with The Complete Group who had a spinal injury, and work with a number of others now. I work closely with the Spinal Injuries Association and see a lot of the good work they do.”
This will be Lindsey’s fifth marathon and she will also be running the Edinburgh marathon on May 30, but has still been training hard for the event.
She said: “Preparing for a marathon still involves a lot of hard work – I’m running three times a week, and going for longer runs at the weekend.”
David Burton, Managing Director from The Complete Group added: “We were very happy to support Lindsey both as a former employee, and also because we are well aware of the invaluable advice and support the Spinal Injuries Association provide for our clients and many others.”
The Complete Group is also sponsoring Mark Baines, the father of one of their clients, who is running the London Marathon in behalf of the SIA.
To sponsor Lindsey, visit www.justgiving.com/lindseyworthington
EVENING LEADER ONLINE
Published Date: 27 April 2009
New jobs as Chester care group expands
TWENTY-FIVE new jobs will be created in Chester as a care specialist group expands into the area. The Complete Group provides care services to clients with various disabilities and is said to be one of the leading companies in its field.
Personal care assistants work either individually or as part of a team to help clients live independent and fulfilling lives in their own homes.
Patients include people who suffer from spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, cerebral palsy, neurological disorders and locked-in syndrome.
The company, based in Telford, Shropshire, employs more than 800 staff in various locations across the UK.
Spokesman David Aust said: "The company is opening into four locations in the country, and in each location there will be 25 new jobs, including Chester."
Managing director David Burton added: "The group has expanded rapidly since we were first established in 1996, and we have quickly gained a reputation for quality and reliability, but this is only possible with the help and commitment of our staff.
"We give the opportunity to progress their careers within the company, and many of our senior staff started out with us as care assistants.
For information call 01952 20418.
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Complete Group backs Spinal Injury Support Group
A scheme which helps people who have recently suffered a serious spinal injury come to terms with their condition has received the support of care specialists the Complete Group.
The company - one of the UK's leading providers of care packages and advisory services for people requiring care, including those with spinal injuries - funded the recent 'Support Development Day' held by the Spinal Injuries Association's Peer Support Group.
The group consists of staff and volunteers who have themselves suffered spinal injuries, who visit spinal units around the UK to offer help and support. They all meet once a year to share ideas about the service they provide and how it can be extended and improved.
This year's gathering took place on Monday, May 18, and featured a presentation on the subject of 'independent living' from Complete Group clinical director Sheila Bowden.
The Complete Group has a team of personal care assistants who work either individually or as part of a team to help clients - both adults and children - live independent and fulfilling lives within their own homes. With their assistance the clients are able to pursue careers, further their education, maintain hobbies and activities or travel.
Managing director David Burton said: "We regularly work closely with the Spinal Injuries Association and the Peer Support Group, and are well aware of the great work they do with people who have recently suffered such injuries, so we were very pleased to be able to support them financially in this way.
"We were also delighted we were able to speak at the event and offer our own views on independent living for people with spinal injuries."
For more information contact The Complete Group on 01952 293449 or visit www.completegroup.co.uk.
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CARE STAFF GET SPECIALIST BRAIN INJURY TRAINING
Care specialists the Complete Group has launched a new training programme to help its staff provide even better support for people with acquired brain injuries (ABI).
The first training sessions took place at Complete Group's headquarters in Telford from June 8 to 11, under the leadership of Steven Shears, the head of brain injury training at Headway - the Brain Injury Association, the charity that works to improve life after brain injury. It is hoped that this will be the first step in an ongoing co-operation between the Complete Group and Headway on training, who are devising a new qualification for staff who work with ABI clients on a regular basis.
The Complete Group specialises in providing personal care to clients, including those with brain injuries, in their own homes. Personal Care Assistants work either individually or as part of a team to help clients live as independently as possible - including pursuing careers, continuing their education, and maintaining hobbies, activities or travel.
The training event was attended by nine senior managers, senior nurses and members of the new ABI team, which has been set up with the aim of improving ABI training at the Complete Group. A different subject was explored each day - understanding ABI, cognitive rehabilitation, challenging behaviour and sex and sexuality.
Complete Group's Head of ABI Services, Harvey Kynaston, said: "We've been carrying out training internally for the past eight years, and felt we needed some outside input to reinforce what we were already doing and ensure we were on the right track.
"We were given a lot of useful information and also took part in practical exercises on issues such as memory and speech, and Steven showed us clips of interviews with brain injury clients talking about how their needs were provided for, so it was very interactive.
"It was an overwhelmingly positive event, and I've had very positive feedback from those who took part, who can now use their greater understanding of brain injury to support staff working with ABI clients.
"I want to use this information to develop a better training programme at Complete and liaise with Headway to work towards our long term aim of being able to provide our staff with a qualification in brain injury support."
For more information contact The Complete Group on 01952 293449 or visit www.completegroup.co.uk. For more information about Headway visit www.headway.org.uk or call the freephone helpline on 0808 800 2244.
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NEW DRIVE TO RECRUIT NURSES
Midlands-based care specialists the Complete Group are stepping up their efforts to recruit more nurses, with a number of openings currently available across the area.
Nurses work in partnership with care assistants, managers and clients to provide specialist complex care services to people with disabilities and is acknowledged as one of the leading companies in its field, already employing over 800 staff in various locations throughout the UK.
Advantages include good rates of pay, ongoing training and the chance to work with patients who have a variety of complex needs, but without the disruption of shift patterns and night work.
An Open Day takes place at Complete Group's Telford headquarters on Thursday, 30 July, from 12noon to 2pm, where senior clinical staff from the company will be available to talk to potential recruits about the benefits of a career at Complete. Application packs and interview dates can also be provided on the day.
Many people who started working with the Complete Group as nurses have since moved on to senior positions in the company.
Clinical assessment specialist Ruth Fielding joined the company in 2004 as a nurse team leader, and progressed through a variety of roles before taking up her current position this year.
She said: "On leaving the NHS, I initially felt hesitant about joining the private sector, but I have never looked back. The company supports nurses with ongoing professional development and career progression, the roles have a great deal of autonomy, where you manage your own diary or case load of clients and there are lots of teaching opportunities, both formally at the office or more informally at people's homes.
"We provide holistic care and support independent living as much as the client is able, and personally I also believe the company cares about the Carers and has also supported me with any issues that may impact on my work, such as childcare. Working for Complete Group also means no more shift work, which is a definite bonus!"
Anyone interested is welcome to turn up on the day, although to give an idea of numbers, Complete Group would be grateful if anyone planning to attend could contact their recruitment team on 01952 293449 beforehand. Also, anyone who cannot make the event, but would like to find out more about working for the company can call the same number or visit www.completegroup.co.uk
