The Good Care Group is well known for its extensive training programmes and we are delighted to announce that our Training Manager, Dan Little, has won the Workforce Development Award at the regional Great British Care Awards.
We are also pleased to announce that in addition to winning the Workforce Development award, we were Highly Commended for the Recruitment, Retention and Recognition Award, too.
For the Workforce Development Award, Dan, supported by the wider training team, had recently developed a new training programme called ‘Step Into Care’ to ensure that we do not miss out on recruiting good quality candidates. This programme is specifically catered towards individuals with either the care experience of a loved one, such as looking after a family member, or experience working in a health and social care environment. The programme provides trainees with the chance to obtain a Care Certificate and learn skills such as first aid and moving and handling techniques.
Award winner Dan Little said: “I’m very proud to have received this award. The Step Into Care programme has been a huge success and represents The Good Care Group’s commitment to pushing social care forward with a larger, more varied and better-equipped workforce. I hope the programme can serve as a model for how private and public sector care provision can be expanded to support our ageing population. This represents a great achievement for the sector.”
Dan and the team wanted to ensure that carers joining The Good Care Group felt valued and motivated, ensuring that they are accommodated in a five-star hotel in London whilst completing their course, as well as giving carers the chance to develop their skills and experiences. This programme has assisted the organisation to retain good quality carers and has been so successful, that they have introduced a range of new advanced courses in response; first-time carers can now complete fully-funded Level 3 training courses.
For the Recruitment, Retention and Recognition commendation, the Recruitment and Training teams have implemented several changes in 2022 to ensure we attract and retain the very best professional carers. This includes an increased pay rate – one of the highest in the home care industry – a ‘buddy scheme’ to pair new carers with an experienced carer to support them through their first few weeks, and a variety of benefits to promote carers’ well-being, such as an employee assistance programme and an online portal to connect carers remotely. All of these implementations have caused us to increase our retention rate of carers and for employee satisfaction to be at an impressive 99%.
Well done to all of the individuals and teams involved in both awards!
If you’d like to consider a career in care, get in touch with us today by calling 020 3728 7570.
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