Anchor Trust
Encyclopedia
Anchor is England’s largest not-for-profit housing association
, providing housing, care and support to people over 55 years old. Registered as a charity, it is one of the largest in the UK, with a turnover of £286.5 million in 2009/10.
Anchor is headquartered in central London
, with main offices located in Newcastle
and Bradford
. It employs over 10,000 people nationwide, and was awarded Investors in People
status in March 2006.
Its patron is Princess Alexandra
.
to older people. By 1972, the organisation had completed its first new-build properties and begun diversifying into both leasehold and rented accommodation.
The organisation became Anchor Housing Association in 1975, and launched its first care homes in 1982.
Anchor has since continued to grow its existing services and diversify into new services such as care at home
, retirement villages
and extra-care housing, becoming a thought-leader in caring for individuals with dementia and promoting equality for minority groups, such as LGBT
groups.
The organisation rebranded from Anchor Trust to Anchor in 2010, adopting a new logo and refreshed brand image to reflect the range of services on offer.
of nine non-executive directors
, and an executive management board of four executive directors
. Anchor’s current Chief Executive, Jane Ashcroft, who also chairs the English Community Care Association, was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Social Care award at the Great British Care Home Awards 2010 in recognition of her "...[leading] the agenda on developing quality care services across the continuum of care."
The non-executive board members are:
Anchor’s services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission
and the Tenant Services Authority.
In 2010 the high salaries of housing association executives drew criticism from the incoming government
, in particular that the highest paid executive at a housing association was the chief executive of Anchor, earning £391,000 per year.
on television, lobbied parliament on the importance of older people's issues, and sought to underline the importance of person-centred care.
The organisation has recently campaigned to highlight the importance of retaining residential scheme managers at retirement properties.
Anchor’s specialist Dementia Team - headed by Victoria Metcalfe, previously Care Advisor to the Alzheimer’s Society
- has provided advanced training for staff. Of the Department of Health
’s stated goal of 3,000 Dignity Champions nationwide, Anchor has more than 500.
As well as recognition for this training, Anchor has also received praise for its work in palliative care
, and nutrition and catering.
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
, providing housing, care and support to people over 55 years old. Registered as a charity, it is one of the largest in the UK, with a turnover of £286.5 million in 2009/10.
Anchor is headquartered in central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with main offices located in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. It employs over 10,000 people nationwide, and was awarded Investors in People
Investors in People
Launched in 1991 Investors in People is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ....
status in March 2006.
Its patron is Princess Alexandra
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
.
History
Anchor was established in 1968, as Help the Aged (Oxford) Housing Association, to provide sheltered housingSheltered housing
Sheltered housing is a British English term covering a wide range of rented housing for older and/or disabled or other vulnerable people. Most commonly it refers to grouped housing such as a block or "scheme" of flats or bungalows with a scheme manager or "officer"; traditionally the manager has...
to older people. By 1972, the organisation had completed its first new-build properties and begun diversifying into both leasehold and rented accommodation.
The organisation became Anchor Housing Association in 1975, and launched its first care homes in 1982.
Anchor has since continued to grow its existing services and diversify into new services such as care at home
Home care
Home Care, , is health care or supportive care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals Home Care, (also referred to as domiciliary care or social care), is health care or supportive care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals Home Care, (also referred to as...
, retirement villages
Retirement community
A retirement community, or active adult community, is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors - especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age . It differs from a retirement home which is a...
and extra-care housing, becoming a thought-leader in caring for individuals with dementia and promoting equality for minority groups, such as LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
groups.
The organisation rebranded from Anchor Trust to Anchor in 2010, adopting a new logo and refreshed brand image to reflect the range of services on offer.
Services
Anchor currently offers four main services:- Retirement properties to rent - Anchor lets a range of property, typically either bungalows or flats, at more than 700 sites across England. Each site is overseen by a manager, and has access to a 24-hour emergency call system. Anchor also provides a number of extra-care properties, which provide a balance of care between the standard retirement property and a care home, and 14 almshousesAlmshouseAlmshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
.
- Retirement properties to buy - Anchor manages a portfolio of more than 300 leasehold properties, with the individual owning the property and Anchor providing the necessary property management service. Anchor has in recent years responded to the growing demand for higher-quality retirement properties, with the launch of the award winning Denham Garden Village, in South BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, and The Laureates, in GuiseleyGuiseleyGuiseley is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Otley and Menston, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000. The A65, which passes through the town, is the...
, near LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. The sites include a number of innovative features for retirement housing, such as spas, swimming pools, salons and cafés.
- Care homes - Anchor operates a number of care homes across England, each providing trained 24-hour nursing support. Anchor advocates the personalisation of care provision and has been politically active in promoting person-centred dementia care, for which the organisation provides specialised dementia care homes. These specialised dementia homes use the latest techniques and understanding to assist individuals living with dementia, such as sensory gardensSensory gardenA sensory garden is a garden or other plot specifically created to be accessible and enjoyable to visitors, both disabled and non-disabled. The purpose of such a provision is to provide individual and combined sensory opportunities for the user such that they may not normally experience.A sensory...
and contrasting colour schemes. 80% of Anchor’s homes were recently rated as being ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ by the Care Quality CommissionCare Quality CommissionThe Care Quality Commission is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. This includes services provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations -...
.
- Care at home - Anchor also runs a domiciliary careHome careHome Care, , is health care or supportive care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals Home Care, (also referred to as domiciliary care or social care), is health care or supportive care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals Home Care, (also referred to as...
service, providing care and assistance to individuals over 50 who wish to remain living at home. Local teams of trusted carers provide a 365-day-a-year care service directly in an individual's home. Each carer is employed directly by Anchor, as opposed to being outsourced to an agency or other third party.
Governance
Anchor is governed by a trustee boardBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of nine non-executive directors
Non-executive director
A non-executive director or outside director is a member of the board of directors of a company who does not form part of the executive management team. He or she is not an employee of the company or affiliated with it in any other way...
, and an executive management board of four executive directors
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
. Anchor’s current Chief Executive, Jane Ashcroft, who also chairs the English Community Care Association, was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Social Care award at the Great British Care Home Awards 2010 in recognition of her "...[leading] the agenda on developing quality care services across the continuum of care."
The non-executive board members are:
- Aman Dalvi, OBE – Chairman. Aman Dalvi is also the Corporate Director of Development and Renewal at the London Borough of Tower HamletsLondon Borough of Tower HamletsThe London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
, and is a board member of the Olympic Park Legacy Company. - Graham Watts - Vice-Chairman, Chairman of Audit and Risk Committee
- Paul Doona - Trustee Director
- Angela Horsman - Trustee Director
- Lesley James - Trustee Director
- Chris Wood - Trustee Director
Anchor’s services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission
Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. This includes services provided by the NHS, local authorities, private companies and voluntary organisations -...
and the Tenant Services Authority.
In 2010 the high salaries of housing association executives drew criticism from the incoming government
Cameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
, in particular that the highest paid executive at a housing association was the chief executive of Anchor, earning £391,000 per year.
Agenda and Influence
Anchor has frequently sought to use its profile to draw attention to issues within the care environment. The organisation has published white paper documents investigating ageismAgeism
Ageism, also called age discrimination is stereotyping of and discrimination against individuals or groups because of their age. It is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age based prejudice, discrimination, and subordination...
on television, lobbied parliament on the importance of older people's issues, and sought to underline the importance of person-centred care.
The organisation has recently campaigned to highlight the importance of retaining residential scheme managers at retirement properties.
Anchor’s specialist Dementia Team - headed by Victoria Metcalfe, previously Care Advisor to the Alzheimer’s Society
Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer’s Society is a United Kingdom care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers.It is a membership organisation, which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
- has provided advanced training for staff. Of the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
’s stated goal of 3,000 Dignity Champions nationwide, Anchor has more than 500.
As well as recognition for this training, Anchor has also received praise for its work in palliative care
Palliative care
Palliative care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients...
, and nutrition and catering.