CrossReach: Providing a caring future in Scotland

Source: Healthcare Digital

Date :02/09/2008 14:07:34

Launched in June 2005, CrossReach is the latest incarnation of a caring charity that goes back almost 150 years to provide care on behalf of the Church of Scotland.

Written by Dan Cash and Produced by Paul Radbourne

The services offered by CrossReach are literally from cradle to grave. The organisation covers everything from children’s services, mental health and drug addiction care, right through to care of older people and those with dementia.

“CrossReach is an incredibly diverse care provider,” explains Chief Executive Officer Alan Staff (pictured). “I think it probably is unique in that sense, certainly in Scotland, and probably the UK in that it has this richness, this diversity. We look at generating work on the basis of local need and we’ll tend to set up work where, essentially, the local communities and local congregations have identified the need, where the local authority agrees that there is a need and where the local communities are prepared to back the work.

“Everything that we do has its basis in the community and their willingness to support that work.”

This means that people who are receiving the care that CrossReach offers won’t be pulled out of their communities and their existing care networks; CrossReach try to keep them in those networks and bolster the contacts they already have.

ASSISTING PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS

Of course, being a part of the Church of Scotland CrossReach is a Christian organisation. This is reflected in their mission statement, which says the work they do is done ‘in Christ’s name’.

In reality, they offer care to people of all faiths or none at all, but they are explicit in their statement that religion is a large part of their ethos. That’s not to say that the organisation consists of people whose involvement only stretches as far as going to prayer meetings and baking the odd cake for the church fete. Care workers are expected to gain a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) Certificate to Level 3 where the minimum standard is SVQ 2. Staff is clearly proud when he talks about the people who work for the organisation.

“We have an intensive training programme for our 2,300 employees,” he says. “Our staff are our biggest resource so both personal and professional development is absolutely essential if we’re going to maintain the quality of service we provide for more than 4,000 people every day. It’s all about helping our service users to have the best quality of life that they can possibly have – whether they have dementia, addiction problems or are homeless.”

ROLLING INVESTMENT IN CARE

Being a charitable organisation, CrossReach relies on donations to continue providing the care they give, but things aren’t as simple as collecting through charity boxes. The organisation maximises its revenue stream by looking at properties it owns and those that are gifted to it in legacies as well as financial gifts, bequests and donations.

The process is a rolling investment programme which has been in operation for approximately ten years. Many of the properties CrossReach has been given are not suitable for modern care and, if they don’t currently meet the requirements set up by the Care Commission, then a decision is made to either modernise or dispose of the property and invest the money where it will be most beneficial. It is also true that there are one or two properties which are retained for historical reasons.

Since CrossReach sells its care provision to local authorities, they are in some ways subject to market forces. If the requirement and therefore spend isn’t forthcoming then CrossReach has to simply go elsewhere.

When its services are no longer needed, CrossReach must decide whether to sell a property or retain it. In many cases a significant investment is necessary to guarantee the service it provides into the future. In fact, CrossReach has spent millions in the last few years to renovate buildings like Oversteps in Dornoch which recently underwent a £1 million upgrade to make it a magnificent home for older people.

CrossReach operates on a commercial model although it is a not for profit organisation. The charity re-invests its capital in further work; any surplus money that is made by the organisation, be that from donations or liquidating assets, is put back into increasing the level of services offered.

Building work which is currently ongoing features the Rubislaw Park development in Aberdeen, a 64-bed purpose built complex which will offer residential care for older people and those with dementia and which will be state of the art with carbon neutrality and energy efficiency, displaying CrossReach’s care for the environment as well as for its service users.

PEOPLE ARE THE BIGGEST ASSET

When asked the reason for the success of the organisation, Staff leaves no doubt: “CrossReach’s success is down to the staff putting all their time, effort and commitment into our work. The last 10 years have been difficult for the entire care sector, particularly when the Care Commission came into Scotland and said you’ve got to have minimum standards of accommodation – that affected all of our units.

“We’re suddenly having to spend huge amounts – we’ve already invested over £20 million in the last decade which proves our commitment to providing a caring future for our service users. The organisation has taken a lot of shakes and knocks but because of the quality of the people that work for us we stand strong. I think CrossReach has a very clear commitment to its staff and I think that commitment is what’s recognised by the local authorities and others who buy our services, as well as the people who use our services. We never say that the care or support we offer is any better than anyone else, but we do try to ensure that our Christian ethos shines through in the quality of care that we give to those who need our help.”