During their induction period, staff undertake shadow shifts alongside a supervisor in the area in which they will be working. This gives new staff a good overview of the tasks required and ensures they are guided through procedures in accordance with our policies. This links well with the induction training courses and staff gain awareness of the importance of following policies and procedures, the recording and reporting process and following the tasks documented in each service user’s care plan and risk assessment.

Specialised training is offered to staff in Palliative Care, Loss & Bereavement, Behaviours that Challenge and courses which gives staff more in-depth knowledge of particular areas such as Diabetes, Mental Health etc.

All supervisory staff are trained to Level 3 NVQ in Health & Social Care and attend specific courses to enhance their skills and development. These include Risk Assessment, Care Planning, Supervision & Appraisal and Manual Handling Train the Trainer courses. This gives supervisors the skills and expertise to support the team in the area in which they are based and ensure good practice is followed and high quality service delivery.

All staff are required to attend annual updates for each of the mandatory courses and home visit supervisions are carried out regularly to monitor and review staff skills and development.

All staff are supported to work towards the QCF qualification in Health & Social Care at the appropriate level for their working role.