Caring Homes’ training programmes recognised by HRH The Princess Royal for a fourth time
Caring Homes are celebrating after being commended by HRH The Princess Royal, for their inspirational commitment to learning and development, for the fourth time.
City & Guilds Group announced this week that 46 businesses will be recognised by the 2021 Princess Royal Training Awards (PRTA). Currently in its sixth year, The PRTA celebrate organisations across the United Kingdom which have demonstrated exceptional commitment to training and development.
Caring Homes have been recognised this year specifically in relation to the in-house programme to train overseas recruits to become nurses.
Several of this year’s Princess Royal Training Awards recipients have innovatively used training as a way of addressing skills shortages and skills gaps in their sector. In response to national skills shortages and increased pressure on the healthcare sector throughout the pandemic, Caring Homes created an in-house programme to train overseas recruits to become nurses. As well as securing a valuable workforce, Caring Homes has created a culture of inclusivity, fully supporting international trainees to pass the required exam whilst offering wider pastoral support. Pass rates for 2020-21 have increased by 11% compared to previous years.
Caring Homes are already part of The PRTA ‘Community of Excellence’ having been recognised by the awards in 2020 for the Chef Development Programme which upskills chefs and meets and exceeds industry criteria for care home catering and cooking for people living with dementia. Caring Homes was also recognised in 2018 for the Future Leaders’ Programme and in 2016 with the ‘My World’ Dementia Training Programme.
Commenting on the latest award, Liz Willis, Director of Learning and Organisational Development, said, “We are delighted that our training programmes have been recognised in this way and that we have been included among those organisations to receive one of these coveted training awards for a fourth time.
“At Caring Homes we wholeheartedly believe that investing in our colleagues, their learning and ongoing development is pivotal to the success of our organisation, the exceptional standards of care, safety and wellbeing we provide our residents and indeed the way in which we have risen to the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented.
“As an organisation, we pride ourselves on our openness and transparency and as such we are always keen to share our best practice approaches and initiatives with the wider nursing community in order to enhance knowledge, to improve the way in which care is provided and to ultimately promote patient safety and quality care.
“One way we have approached this is through sharing our Nurse Development initiatives at meetings involving Skills for Care, the Royal College of Nursing, and NHS Trusts.”
Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of the City & Guilds Group said: “The last 18 months have caused disruption to the way most organisations operate which has led to major changes for all of us in how we live and work. Despite these challenges, it’s fantastic to see so many organisations’ continued commitment to training and development as well as the positive and life changing impact learning can have on people.
“The applications have been truly inspiring, and we are really looking forward to bringing award recipients together and celebrating at our annual ceremony later this year.”
Previous recipients of a Princess Royal Training Award have reported clear positive impacts on their business, with 82% saying it has improved recruitment and retention and 62% reporting increased investments into training programmes. This will be paramount when it comes to helping businesses recover post-covid, closing sector skills gaps and promoting a culture of skills development.
