Old Rectory & The Old Hall - Investing in Carers

Old Rectory is a 30-bed nursing home in Ewhurst and The Old Hall is a residential home accommodating 40 clients in Send. Between them the two homes employ 110 staff ranging from home managers and Registered General Nurses to care assistants and administrative staff.

Getting Started

Some ten years ago, Paddy Geoghegan, who owned Old Rectory, had the foresight to recognise that the Care Sector was changing and with it a need for staff at all levels to possess recognised qualifications. He appointed, Heidi Cox, who was then Assistant Matron, to a newly created position of Training Manager and the business began investing in in-house training.

Heidi Cox explains: “While I was very interested in taking on the training role, at that time, there was very little external support. The Further Education Colleges were not really offering National Vocational Qualifications in Care and so we had little choice but to take on the training ourselves.”

The first step was for Heidi to qualify as an NVQ assessor so she could supervise care assistants keen to study for NVQ qualifications. Heidi explains: “At that point, I was not qualified as an Internal Verifier and so we needed to use a training centre to verify our qualifications. As the business grew and we took on a second home, Old Hall, we switched centres because we wanted to ensure our training programmes accurately reflected the needs of the two homes and our residents.”

As NVQs became increasingly part and parcel of the way Old Rectory and Old Hall trained, so the homes trained four more of its Registered General Nurses as assessors and Heidi undertook a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education and qualified as an Internal Verifier.

Heidi says: “I studied for the PGCE part-time which was made more difficult by the birth of my first child. Balancing home, children and work was tough, but the PGCE has proved to be one of the most worthwhile qualifications I’ve gained. It gives you confidence that you are adopting effective teaching and training styles and it really opens doors to other opportunities.”

Moving On

When the government announced the new National Standards in Care, Old Rectory and The Old Hall was already on the way towards meeting the new regulations.

Heidi says: “Now, thanks to Topps, the care sector skills council, we can now claim a £75 grant towards each NVQ unit completed by a candidate. This means that we receive a £600 supplement to help cover the costs of our candidates and assessors spending time away from the workplace in workshops and review meetings. Currently, 20 of our employees are working for NVQs.”

With the support of the Care Sector Development Project, a partnership between Surrey County Council and Surrey Learning & Skills Council, Old Rectory and The Old Hall are able to take advantage of a wide range of other free training courses and seminars.

Heidi explains: “Through the Care Sector Development Project, we have been involved in setting up a training network with other homes who run training in-house. This is crucial if homes are to successfully share best practice and expertise and help one another to meet the new standards.

In the light of the new regulations, Heidi and her team have also reviewed their induction procedures. “While we have always run an induction programme, we have now adapted ours in the light of Topss recommendations. The key thing is that it is still tailored to the particular needs of our homes.”

Results

Such is Paddy Geoghegan’s commitment to investing in staff training that Heidi and her training assistant between them deliver around 35 hours a week of staff training – whether NVQ orientated or standard health and safety training. “That is equivalent to one person being employed full-time as a trainer, says Heidi.

“People underestimate the benefits of training, often because it is difficult to measure. We aim for very high standards and believe that we can only achieve this if we first teach our staff how we want them to deliver care.

As the interest in NVQs has increased, so the demand to study is growing. We have had staff aged 60 years and people who work just six hours a week, sign up for NVQs and around five employees who worked their way through levels 2 and 3 have since used the qualifications as a direct route into nurse training. Without a doubt, it has helped us to create a strong learning environment.”

Judging by Old Rectory and The Old Hall’s recruitment and retention record, training is paying dividends. Around three quarters of the homes’ staff have remained for ten years or more and of the remaining 25 per cent, the homes have noticed they stay for longer when persuaded to embark on NVQs.

Both homes enjoy from full occupancy and have received high inspection ratings. Heidi says: “Most of our business comes through word of mouth and that is a direct reflection of the high standards we maintain through ongoing training.”

The Future

Old Rectory and The Old Hall plan to continue supporting staff through NVQs. Heidi says: “For those qualified, we will encourage them to move up to NVQ level 4. However, the nature of the care business is such that there will always be a percentage of new recruits with whom we will need to spend time on induction and study for the lower level NVQs.”

Looking to the future, the homes see a potential market for offering their training services to other homes and are exploring the idea of setting up a dedicated training home.

Heidi Cox says: “The best advice I can give to any home about to embark on a training programme is to start slowly and to expect that it will cost time and money. You have to believe in the benefits of training and be prepared for the commitment it takes. However, the upside is that well qualified employees, who give high standards of care, are the key to maintaining a full home.”