Care & Repair
Conference 2024

Better Homes for a Healthier Future

19 September 2024, Venue Cymru, Llandudno

The biggest event in Wales dedicated to older people’s housing.

The Care & Repair Conference 2024 will explore how better homes in Wales can create a healthier future for us all. The day will feature guest speakers, workshops, discussion panels and an exhibition hall. Join us as we discuss the housing challenges and solutions faced by our older generations.

On this page you will find a full list of the conference speakers, exhibitors and useful information for the day. Detailed information on workshops can be found in the conference programme. Please note that on the day, the workshops will be first come, first served.

Our 2024 conference is sponsored by Wales & West Utilities.

Venue

We are thrilled to be in North Wales for our 2024 Conference.

The conference will take place at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. The full address is: Venue Cymru, The Promenade, Penrhyn Cres, Llandudno LL30 1BB. More information about the venue can be found on the Venue Cymru website.

Travel and Parking

Venue Cymru operates a Pay and Display car park at the rear of the building, with designated disabled parking bays to the left of the main entrance.

There is alternative parking in and around Llandudno, including some limited free parking. The nearest train station is Llandudno train station, which is about 12 mins walk from the venue.

If you have any questions about the event, please email events@careandrepair.org.uk.

Lunch and Refreshments

A buffet lunch will be available to all delegates. Tea & coffee will be available throughout the day, but please note that, for sustainability reasons, the venue does not place water on the tables. Therefore, you may wish to bring a water bottle with you.

Hearing Loop

Information about using the hearing loop at the Care & Repair Conference can be downloaded by clicking here.

 

Conference programme

2024 Conference Speakers

Jayne Bryant MS

Born and brought up in Newport, Jayne Bryant entered politics at the age of 17 and was elected as the Assembly Member for Newport West in 2016. She was appointed Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee in the Fifth Senedd, and also sat on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. Re-elected in 2021, Jayne was nominated to Chair the Children, Young People and Education Committee in this Sixth Senedd and acted as Vice Chair for the Cross-Party Groups on Dementia and Intergenerational Solidarity. All her working life, Jayne has tried to help advocate and support people and is particularly passionate about encouraging young people to be active and interested in politics. Jayne was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning on 17 July 2024.

Gwynne Jones

Gwynne had worked in social housing for 33 years until July 2020. He is proud to be currently Chair of Conwy and Denbighshire Care & Repair and has had links to the Care & Repair movement in Wales since 1996. Having worked for local authorities and housing associations in Wales and England, his last role was with Cartrefi Conwy as Managing Director. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Elizabeth Warwick

Elizabeth is an experienced engagement and communications professional, currently the Engagement & Insight Manager at gas distribution network Wales & West Utilities. Wales & West Utilities doesn’t sell gas; it uses its extensive network of pipes to transport gas to homes and businesses across Wales and the south west of England. Wales & West Utilities is a team of more than 1800 skilled and dedicated colleagues who keep 7.5 million customers safe and warm, with a gas supply customers can rely on combined with a level of service they can trust.

Jayne Ellis

Jayne has worked in healthcare for over 30 years as a nurse and educator. She is a published author and regularly speaks at conferences and events all over the UK. EF training provides quality, evidence-based training that pro-actively addresses the impact of Compassion Fatigue on individuals and organisations. Having experienced compassion fatigue herself Jayne is acutely aware of the emotional impact that working in any caring role has. She is committed to raising awareness about Compassion Fatigue and campaigns for emotional health and safety to be seen as having equal status to physical health and safety in every organisation.

Chris Jones

Chris has been involved in Care & Repair for 34 years, in Board member and executive roles, and as Chief Executive of Care & Repair Cymru since 2010. He worked for local authorities in Wales and England for 21 years between 1989 and 2010, in housing service delivery, policy development and leadership roles. Chris is passionate about Care & Repair and the vision of a Wales where all older people can live independently in warm, safe and accessible homes. He is determined to continue to build on Care & Repair’s strong reputation as an organisation that helps deliver better integrated housing, health and social care services for older people in Wales.

Faye Patton

Faye has worked for Care & Repair Cymru since 2020. She manages the policy and public affairs output of the charity, which takes a holistic approach to link housing, health, and fuel poverty to represent the challenges facing low-income older people to maintain the condition of their homes. Faye is also Vice Chair of the National Falls Taskforce in Wales and has managed the expansion and retention of the charity’s Hospital to a Healthier Home service to 17 principal hospitals across Wales.

Hayley Floyd

A Welsh Government communications and policy professional, Hayley has worked across a range of areas over the last 17 years, working in the HSS Department for the last eight years. Head of Urgent Care, Hayley has policy responsibility for NHS 111 Wales and out of hours services, supporting Ministers in making a positive difference for the Welsh population through the lens of urgent care, promoting national urgent care pathways and care closer to home. Hayley has worked with Care & Repair Cymru since 2018, on the establishment of the Healthier Homes service and securing sustainable funding for the service.

Chiquita Cusens

Chiquita is the National Nursing Lead for Primary & Community Care working with the Strategic Programme for Primary Care. She has extensive clinical and operational experience within community health and social care, identifying new ways of working, developing and transforming services. Chiquita is passionate about the role Nurses have in leading and enabling care for individuals to stay at or close to home, at both an individual, neighbourhood and system level. Chiquita’s role provides strategic nurse leadership and expertise to the programme as well as to other organisations and programmes of work in Wales.

Conference Sponsor

We are proud to have Wales & West Utilities as our conference sponsor. They are a valued partner of Care & Repair Cymru and of our fuel poverty work.

Visit the Wales & West website

2024 Conference Exhibitors (A-Z)

Age Cymru

We’re Age Cymru, the national charity for older people in Wales. We are proud to be a part of the Age UK Network. The network includes Age Cymru along with the three national charities, Age UK, Age Scotland and Age NI, and over 120 local Age UKs across England, five local Age Cymru partners and Age Orkney.Together with our local Age Cymru partners, we work to improve the lives of older people by delivering trusted advice and support services. We campaign, we research, and we fundraise to make sure we build a better life for all older people. We ensure older people’s voices are heard, we challenge and change attitudes and we fight discrimination wherever we find it.

AKW

AKW are the UK market leaders in showering, daily living and kitchen solutions for people with reduced mobility. Choice, competitive pricing, and first-class customer service make AKW the first choice for clients across the UK and abroad. We work closely with Occupational Therapists and Healthcare professionals, to design and manufacture a full range of easy access showering, kitchens and mobility support products.We are passionate about enabling people to stay in their own homes and retain their independence. Each of our products is rigorously tested, with fully inclusive design and made specifically for the end user

Carers Wales

At Carers Wales, we want carers to know that they're not alone. We're here to listen, to give expert information and advice, campaign for lasting change, and find new ways to support carers with their caring role.We want to see a world where carers are supported not only to cope with the challenges of looking after someone, but to build a life of their own too. A life which includes caring but is not overwhelmed by it, and one where carers are able to look after their own health and wellbeing too.

Centre for Sign-Sight-Sound

Support for people with a sensory loss, predominately people with a hearing loss or who are Deaf although we do have services for Disabled people. The services range from support to organise health appointments to support to find employment.

Conwy & Denbighshire Care & Repair

Gofal a Thrwsio Conwy a Sir Ddinbych help older homeowners and private tenants to repair, adapt and maintain their homes. Home visits are arranged to discuss clients needs and identify appropriate repairs, maintenance or adaptations, offering solutions, the likely costs and potential sources of funding. The Charity’s objectives are for the public benefit, the relief of need, sickness, disability and poor health, particularly but not exclusively amongst those over sixty years of age and resident in the areas of Conwy and Denbighshire.Our Mission: “To enable older or vulnerable people to remain independent in their own homes in Safety, comfort, warmth and security”

Closomat

We believe that dignity and independence are fundamental to our well-being. We do our best to make life a little easier for anyone who needs help when toileting. We achieve this by being the UK's only specialist manufacturer of wash and dry toilets for the less-able. Once installed, we service, maintain and customise our toilets for as long as they are required.

Easiaccess

Easiaccess are a leading UK modular ramp and step manufacturer, supplier, and fitter. We offer a nationwide supply and installation service. Our metal systems have a fully adjustable design, providing flexibility to suit any building and space.

HSF Health Plan

Our cash plans offer cash reimbursements for a whole range of healthcare and maintenance and treatments, GP Advice Line, Counselling Service and Legal Line as well as HSF Perkbox

Hearing Products International Limited

Hearing Products International have 32 years of experience in providing assistive technology and helping change peoples lives with hearing and sensory loss, we provide personal listeners, 2in1 TV and Personal Listeners, Smoke alarms, Alarm Clocks with Bed Shakers, Voice Amplifiers, Door Alert Systems with Telephone Signalers, Sound Sensors, Pagers and Bed Shakers all from a family run business.

The Key Safe Company

The Key Safe Company is the UK's leading provider of secure key storage solutions, helping millions share secure property access since 1996. As ISO-approved distributors, we worked with security experts to regulate the industry, developing the Police-Preferred Standard. Our groundbreaking ark Tamo™, is certified by LPCB as the most secure mechanical key safe, setting the standard in its class.

NAtional Energy Action (NEA)

National Energy Action, fuel poverty charity, operating across England Wales and Northern Ireland. We offer advice and support to fuel-poor households, as well as advocating for policy and regulation to protect the most vulnerable households. We also offer training to frontline staff of other organisations, to they can best support fuel-poor households.

Nest

The Welsh Government Warm Homes Nest scheme offers free, impartial advice and support to all households in Wales. If a customer is eligible, Nest also offers a package of free home energy efficiency improvements to help lower energy bills and improve health and wellbeing, such as insulation, a heat pump, solar panels, or central heating.

Sarabec

Sarabec provides a wide range of equipment to help people with a hearing loss. Products include TV Listeners, Amplified Telephones, Alerting systems for smoke detectors, Extra loud flashing doorbells and Personal listeners to help with hearing conversation. We sell direct to Local Authorities, the NHS, Sensory Charities and the public.

Solon Security

Solon is recognised as the UK’s leading supplier of community safety products. Having worked with an array of councils, housing associations and care providers for almost 30 years, we utilise this customer involvement to deliver market-leading solutions.

Stannah Lifts

Stannah is a family-owned business that has been manufacturing stairlifts since 1975 and has sold nearly one million globally. We serve thousands of customers nationwide using our three factories, eleven service branches, nine installation depots, and our teams of skilled engineers and sales consultants.We work with local authorities to ensure that we meet their customers’ need for reliable, high quality and safe products, which enable them to continue living independently in their own homes. Our long-established Stannah Stairlift Reuse Scheme enables local authorities to make savings by reconditioning and reusing Stannah stairlifts without compromising on functionality, usability or safety.

TACT (Trusted Assessing and Care Training)

TACT is an OT-led practice that specialises in training and programmes to support assessing for home adaptations. As an accredited provider of Trusted Assessor training, we offer a variety of courses in a range of formats including the national qualifications in Trusted Assessor at levels three and four.

Terry Lifts

We’ve been working in the lift industry for more than 50 years, meeting the highest standards in quality and safety – so you can be confident the lift you choose will become a trusted part of your life for many years to come. How do we know? Because we take the time to understand exactly what you need. Which means we can provide you with the perfect lift to fit your home and your lifestyle, giving you a whole new level of freedom and flexibility to enjoy your living space more fully.

Wales & West Utilities

We distribute gas to homes and businesses on the main gas network, offering support to people in vulnerable situations who experience a gas supply loss. We also provide the 24/7 365 day a year gas emergency service for people who smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide is being released. We offer free locking gas cooker valve installation for cookers with suitable pipework to support those caring for people with dementia.

Warm Wales Cymru Gynnes

Warm Wales Cymru Gynnes is committed to alleviating fuel poverty in Wales and the South West through a range of projects and partnerships. We offer a variety of services to support residents, including energy efficiency improvements, help with energy bills, smart meters, and discounts, as well as water tariff reductions and heating system upgrades. Our work extends to income maximisation, energy awareness sessions, priority service registration, and home safety measures, all aimed at enhancing the quality of life for vulnerable households.

2023 delegate feedback

“So good to be back at conference in person. Well-balanced programme, informative and thought-provoking; a very good day!”

Conference 2023 Photos

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