Forest Healthcare, a nationwide network of private residential and nursing care homes, has demonstrated how including care home residents in team member training sessions leads to positive outcomes. It has showcased new ways care homes can adjust their policies to provide greater inclusion and establish dialogues between care professionals and residents.
In a trial led by Forest Care Village, based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, the local Training and Development Manager, Mohamed Sabri Magd welcomed residents to participate in Moving and Handling Training – resulting in a case study that many others may wish to follow.
Introducing Joint Team Member and Care Home Resident Training Opportunities
Mohamed began consulting with residents at the care centre two years ago, engaging with those with the ability to provide feedback, ideas, and opinions. Taking those comments on board, the training lead was able to roll out inclusive training provisions, where residents and care teams alike were welcome to attend.
While manual handling is a necessary part of regular training for any workforce in a care centre or home, Mohamed recognised that including residents in that training would empower them to contribute by:
- Clarifying how their experiences with moving and handling had impacted them – addressing communications, vulnerabilities, trust, assurance and practical support.
- Explaining what they expect from care professionals, from the point at which a team member enters the room to lifting or hoisting a resident as required.
This dynamic approach proved worthwhile, where team members aren't solely trained in the functional basics of safe lifting practices – but how they can make that experience better for residents and make space for them to advocate for their needs, wishes and preferences.
Another focal point of the process was to ensure residents with the ability to participate could vocalise their experiences so that other residents who were less able to communicate had a voice or a resident with similar needs to speak on their behalf.
Outcomes of Delivering Care Home Training to All On-Site Parties
Team members working at Forest Care Village have reported excellent outcomes, noting that they welcomed the opportunity to hear first-hand from residents and appreciated the way this first-hand feedback enabled them to work with a greater understanding of how being lifted or supported feels.
Forest Care Village has adopted this as an ongoing process, using input to develop functional training plans that are fun, engaging and realistic with useful information delivered in a straightforward manner.
A resident at the care village is now invited to attend all training sessions, with others welcome to participate as they wish – laying the foundation for a caring environment where all opinions are respected. Residents are encouraged to share their views and ensure their experience factors into how new team members are trained, and how refresher training is delivered for current team members.
Mohamed says, ‘It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how this novel idea has expanded and to hear from residents and our brilliant care teams about how that collaborative training experience has been educational and enlightening for all involved.
My role as a Training and Development Manager isn’t solely about facilitating professional training for all the teams here at Forest Care Village but about exploring ways to advance our approaches, systems and policies to continue adding value to every resident's life.
While consulting residents about such a standard aspect of training in a care setting initially seemed unconventional, it makes perfect sense to confer with the very people we care for about how we can best meet their needs.’
About Forest Care Village and the Forest Healthcare Group
Forest Healthcare is headquartered in London and offers 13 residential homes across the UK, including specialist care centres and nursing facilities. Founded in 1994, the organisation is celebrating its 20th year, expanding from one initial facility, Ash Court Care Centre, to a wide network of high-quality residential settings.
The business today employs a skilled workforce of over 1,000 people. It is committed to its mission to provide family-feel, exceptional care built around respecting and caring for every person who lives or works at Forest Healthcare.
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About Forest Healthcare: Forest Healthcare is an established care provider dedicated to consistently delivering an outstanding quality of life to the residents they serve. With a network of care centres across South-East England, Forest Healthcare specialises in catering to a wide range of care requirements, including; residential, nursing, dementia and specialist care. The organisation’s mission is to provide a family feel to the exceptional care they deliver by valuing, respecting and caring for each and every person who lives and works at Forest Healthcare.
Media Contact:
Chris Salter
(020) 7250 0156
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Source Company: https://www.foresthc.com
