The examples below provide insight into how other Good or Outstanding rated services are succeeding in this area of inspection.
Use the filter to choose different types of examples or select based on related prompt.
Drawing on your learning in the workplace
In this from the Care Exchange podcast, Aeon Anderson talks about how putting your learning into practice in the workplace can stop people being complacent from mandatory courses.
You can listen to the full podcast . Access our whole Care Exchange series here.
Read more about this service .
Care provider: African Caribbean Community Initiative
Date published: May 2023
High staffing levels to meet people's care needs
Each person had a bespoke staff team. This ensured staff knew the person extremely well and provided consistent care and support.
There were always enough staff to support people. Where people's staffing levels were 2:1 and above these were never used in a restrictive way. People could choose who they were supported by for each activity and additional staff would do other tasks until they were needed.
Read more about this service .
Care provider: Orbis Support Offices
Date published: March 2023
Timing shifts to meet people's needs
Staff were deployed in ways that met people's needs. The length, and timing, of shifts reflected how people like to spend their time, and their needs for consistency.
Where this meant staff needed to work long hours consideration was given, and actions taken to mitigate, to the potential unintentional impacts of this for both the staff member and the person. This meant staff were well supported and people received consistent and compassionate care and support.
Read more about this service .
Care provider: Dimensions Dorset West
Date published: January 2023
Using workforce planning to develop my team and what we offer
In this blog we spoke to Les Latchman, Registered Manager at Radnor House about his approach to workforce planning.
Read more about this service .
Care provider: Radnor House
Date published: November 2022
How I planned the introduction of nursing associates at Kineton Manor
In this blog, we spoke to Paula du Rand, Registered Manger at Kineton Manor Nursing 不良研究所 who tells us how she identified the need for nursing associates at their organisation as part of her workforce planning.
Read more about this service .
Care provider: Kineton Manor Nursing 不良研究所
Date published: November 2022
How we provide a flexible approach to inducting new staff
In this Blog we hear from Julia Moor, the Quality and Compliance Manager for Harrogate Skills for Living. She talks to us about the organisation’s flexible approach to induction.
Read more about this service
Care provider: Skills for Living
Date published: August 2022
Please don鈥檛 go! Why the first 90 days of employment are so important
In this Blog, Neil Eastwood, CEO of Care Friends and author of ‘Saving social care’, gives his perspective on why efforts to reduce staff turnover in the first 12 weeks of an employee’s role are so valuable - and what works.
Care provider: Care Friends
Date published: August 2022
Creating the workforce of the future through work placements
In this Blog, Kirsty Armstrong, Registered Manager of Kelly Park Caring Agency, discusses how she has worked with local education providers to offer work placements for students and recruit younger people.
Read more about this service .
Care provider: Kelly Park Caring Agency
Date published: July 2022
Supernumerary staff and coaching as part of induction
All staff are supernumerary for the first two weeks. This means they’re not doing regular duties but are getting an overview of the organisation and getting familiar with systems and processes.
New staff get job coaching from managers and work alongside experienced colleagues who are their designated mentors. They’re also given time to read each person-centred care plan for the people they’re supporting, as well as communication passports and other guidelines, so they quickly become familiar with the people we support and how the organisation works.
This is a two-way process, and Nexus makes every effort to learn about every new staff member by asking whether they’re happy to fill out a one-page profile. This profile tells the organisation a bit about the staff member, including what’s important to them and how best to support them at work.
Profiles are displayed with their photo in the community building, for both staff and people they support to see. Profiles encourage positivity within teams. Staff can identify what they like and admire about their new colleague, who in turn can let them know what support they need.
Read more about the service .
Care provider: Lewisham Nexus (LN)
Date published: October 2021
Making the most of what people have learnt
In this from the Care Exchange podcast, Debbie Dry explains how they maximise staff training by ensuring it helps them to improve their colleagues’ understanding.
You can listen to the full podcast here and access our whole Care Exchange series here.
You can also read the related CQC inspection report .
Care provider: Windsor Lodge Care 不良研究所
Date published: June 2021
Different ways to learn and develop
We use lots of different types of learning and development opportunities within our service: a classroom-based induction followed by eLearning towards the Care Certificate; the Level 2 Diploma in Care and Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care; NCFE short courses across a range of subjects, and NHS training to support clients with complex needs.
Different learning suits different needs, whether it’s the needs of the learner or the subject area. Sometimes the classroom environment can be intimidating to some learners, especially if they’ve been out of this environment for a long time. For others, this is where they excel. Some learners are put off by technology, whereas others become more proactive in their approach to learning.
We identify different learning opportunities from individual learning needs, supervisions, and the wider needs of the service and sector.
Read more about the service .
Care provider: Bridgewater 不良研究所 Care
Date published: August 2019
A system to identify when updates to staff training are needed
Alphonsus Services uses the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) across all of their workplaces. They use ASC-WDS as a centralised training record database and download the summary to see exactly which training is overdue, due shortly or where there are gaps. Alphonsus told us they appreciate that home managers now have access to up-to-date training statistics.
In one of their ‘good’ rated inspection reports, CQC states: “There was a system in place to monitor training and help identify when updates to staff skills and knowledge were needed. There were some areas where staff required updates - these were identified by the registered manager and planned or in progress. Staff told us they felt well supported with training."
Read more about this service .
Care provider: Alphonsus Services
Date published: May 2019
Providing routes to advancement
The service promoted internal advancement for staff, with offsite training days for managers and supervisors to develop their skills via a new managers’ toolkit and developing a lead carer role for support staff to aspire to.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Routinely checking understanding
In addition to other training and supervision, we use bite-sized tests to check our care workers’ continued understanding on various subject matters (e.g. safeguarding). This helps us to identify where additional support, supervision and clarity is needed.
Read more about the service .
Care provider: The Good Care Group
Date published: April 2018
Empowering staff through enabling and accountability
Staff knew who to go to for support, seek advice and put forward suggestions, and when to refer to the registered manager.
Staff knew what was expected of them because enabling processes were in place for them to account for their decisions, actions and performance. The service actively consulted with staff, taking on board the suggestions staff made to improve the lives of people who used the service.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Setting clear expectations for staff
At our home, expectations of both the supervisor and supervisee are made clear through the use of a signed supervision charter or agreement. Staff support extends beyond the care workers.
All staff including office workers should be involved in team meetings, know what’s going on in the service and have an opportunity to reflect on how their work influences the care people receive and their contribution to the service.
Read more about the service .
Care provider: Rosedale Care 不良研究所
Date published: April 2018
A career pathway for each role
In response to staff feedback, the service also introduced career pathways providing staff with information for career development, including the level of qualification required for each role.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Identifying sources of training
Training was delivered both in-house and through external training from the local authority, as well as first aid specialists, the community pharmacy and local hospice, and through accredited trainers.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Keeping learning current during and following induction
New staff received an induction programme that was very detailed, thought provoking and thorough. The induction covered several weeks and during this time there was a buddy system in place that they found invaluable.
By adopting the Care Certificate, the owner and registered manager had regard to industry best practice when delivering training and incorporated updates to best practice when inducting new staff.
Staff completing induction had their progress reviewed after one, three and six months to ensure their understanding from the learning and to identify further training.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Developing role-specific champions
Staff in the service volunteered to be ‘role-specific champions’ in subjects they were passionate about. These roles promoted evidenced-based best practice.
Champions included end of life care, dignity, dementia, infection control and safeguarding.
All the champions undertook additional training and shared their knowledge within the team through championing and raising awareness in their topic area
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Training to deliver specialised care
The provider was accredited with the National Autistic Society. This involved an accreditation visit from the society to review the service’s practices such as admission plans and how staff supported people, particularly when they were anxious or distressed.
To be accredited, the service had to demonstrate staff were appropriately trained to provide effective care based on best practice. For instance, staff were trained in the use of specialist assessment tools and techniques.
Care provider: Anonymous
Date published: April 2018
Learning from experts-by-experience
People with learning disabilities are experts-by-experience and have a valuable role in training a social care workforce who are respectful, compassionate and able to offer personalised services.
Meaningful inclusion for people with learning disabilities in the delivery of training can enhance staff training to facilitate greater levels of insight, awareness of disability, personalisation, respect, inclusion and dignity.
Following a ‘train the trainer’ programme for people with learning disabilities, we’ve identified the following existing in-house courses where we use each new trainer’s skills and interests:
- moving and handling (safe use of wheelchairs)
- understanding mental health
- Positive Range of Options to Avoid Crisis and use Therapy and Strategies for Crisis Intervention and Prevention (PROACT-SCIPr-UK)
- induction: person-centred working, role of the worker and communication.
Read more about the service .
Care provider: LDN London Domiciliary Care Service
Date published: December 2017
Promoting values and keeping skills current
Our good and outstanding ratings and high standards of care have been achieved in part by our approach to recruitment, which involves inviting applicants to an ‘assessment day’ to test their willingness, aptitude and attitude to delivering support, as well as skills and knowledge. This ensures candidates are aware of our vision and values from the start.
We continue this focus during induction as new starters complete the Care Certificate and carry out shadowing sessions with confident and competent staff.
We ensure skills are current by conducting a training needs analysis for each service to identify which best practice to follow.
Programmes are needed. Employees attend courses based on the gaps in their knowledge and skills, as well as the training required to meet the needs of the people that they support, and changes to policy, procedure, legislation or best practise.
All staff receive regular supervision, which allows for learning needs to be discussed. This includes how learning can be applied into the workplace, and what additional support they need to achieve this. Continuous professional development is discussed at the time of formal supervision and staff are given the opportunity to discuss their own development needs. Line managers also discuss with staff any needs that may have been identified whilst observing the individual in the workplace, or any needs that may have arisen due to changes in legislation or best practise.
Read more about the service .
Care provider: Welmede Housing Association
Date published: December 2017