Bedhampton care home launches bold learning partnership to support staff interests and ambitions

A new partnership between Portsdown View care home in Bedhampton and Open Study College is set to open up hundreds of learning opportunities for the home’s team. The initiative has been designed to support staff not only in their professional development, but also in pursuing personal interests, hobbies and long-held ambitions outside of traditional care training.

Through Open Study College, colleagues will be able to access more than 400 discounted courses across a wide range of subjects. These include GCSEs, A-Levels and professional qualifications, as well as more specialist or interest-led options such as Animal Care, Beauty Therapy, Football Management and Indian Head Massage.

The programme will be supported by Portsdown View’s parent company, Connaught Care, which has committed to funding almost any course a team member would like to undertake. To take part, colleagues simply need to show how the skills or knowledge they gain could be used to improve, enrich or enhance the experience of residents.

The partnership adds a new dimension to parent company Connaught Care’s existing approach to staff development, which already includes apprenticeships, leadership programmes and role-specific training.

Laurence Feather, Head of People at Connaught Care, said: “There is already a very strong focus on professional development across the care sector, and rightly so. For me, however, what is often missing is a genuine investment in the personal development of staff. At Connaught Care, we believe that if you grow the person, you grow the professional. This has enormous benefits not only for the people who work here, but also for our residents – who benefits from being surrounded by a team of driven, well-rounded and, ultimately, happier carers”.

The idea for the partnership emerged from conversations between Laurence Feather and local teams about the many ways staff enrich daily life at the homes simply by sharing their hobbies and interests during the normal course of their work. Seeing an opportunity to build on this, he contacted Open Study College about creating a dedicated learning partnership – an idea the college immediately embraced.

The initiative is already in full-swing at several other Connaught Care homes, with many choosing subjects they have been fascinated with for years but previously felt they didn’t have the time or resources to pursue seriously.

At The Chase in Huntingdon, for example, Housekeeper Rebecca Turner has enrolled on a Beauty Therapy course to support her long-term ambition of working in the beauty industry. She will soon begin applying her new skills within the home by helping deliver the beauty and wellbeing sessions offered to residents at the home’s on-site spa.

At Willowbrook View, the home’s Chef de Partie, Lathino, has also enrolled on a Nutrition Consultant and Weight Management course. Aside from furthering his own interest in the food science and nutrition, he hopes this learning will help him further developing the home’s wellbeing-focused approach to dining and menu design at its bistro.

Meanwhile, staff member Tee at Waterhaven Place has enrolled on a Business Operations and Lean Management QLS Level 3. She said: "I have been working in admin/HR for many years now and am really looking forward to better understanding business management and implementing lean management directly into the home. I am excited to develop my skills further and hope this will directly reflect in making me a better manager and asset to the team".

Andrew Wrensch, Group Training, Learning and Development Manager at Connaught Care, shares his thoughts:

“When we began exploring new approaches to staff training, our aim was to create something distinctly different for our hard-working teams. For us, this partnership is about recognising that people have interests and ambitions that extend beyond their jobs, and that nurturing those talents means everyone around them benefits. Already we have seen participants bring a fresh wave of ideas, energy and knowledge to the homes – and we simply can’t wait to see what they do next”.

Laurence Feather also believes this more personal approach to staff development could offer a valuable response to the growing recruitment and retention challenges facing the UK care sector. Indeed, the industry is projected to need around 470,000 new posts by 2040 – an increase of 27% – to keep pace with the growth in the population aged over 65.

By giving employees the opportunity to learn and grow in their roles, while making those roles more engaging and rewarding, he hopes the partnership could provide a model for improving staff retention across the care sector.

Portsdown View provides residential, dementia and respite care, as well as day services through its Members Club initiative. The home operates an all-inclusive model with no hidden fees or additional costs. For more information, please contact [email protected], or call 02393 882154.