Accreditation Success for the Caring Homes Learning & Development Team

We’re delighted to announce that two of our Caring Homes Leadership Academy programmes have been awarded accreditation by the Royal College of Nursing.

Two Programmes Lead the Way

Leading with Vision and Leading Clinical Excellence were accredited following an independent external review of their educational content, learning outcomes, delivery methods, supporting evidence and evaluation approaches.

The achievement by the team - with a special mention to Talent & Development Manager, Lucy Hoddy who led the accreditation process for Caring Homes – is a huge step in Caring Homes’ leadership development journey. It also reflects our commitment to recognising the potential of nurses and colleagues working in adult social care.

Reflecting on their success Lucy said, ““When we started this journey, I wanted to create something that went beyond delivering another training course. I wanted to build meaningful development opportunities that challenge colleagues, strengthen their confidence and help them recognise their potential as leaders.

This accreditation is a fantastic milestone, but I hope it is also the beginning of something bigger. I want us to continue raising expectations of what leadership development can look like within adult social care.”

Leadership Academy Launches with Leading with Vision

We launched our Leadership Academy last year. The aim was to offer our staff the chance to develop by taking part in a series of engaging, practical learning sessions designed to strengthen their leadership capabilities. These sessions were specifically created to enable participants to apply what they had learned when they returned to work in our care homes.

The goal of our first development programme, Leading with Vision, was to develop our own future leaders and role models, ensuring that strong, values-led leadership continues to be the standard across Caring Homes.

Leading Clinical Excellence

The Leading Clinical Excellence programme was conceived in response to the need to invest in our nurses. Because they have clearly defined, valuable skills and roles, nurses can sometimes miss out on opportunities to develop as leaders within a structured career progression plan. This programme set out to change that.

Leading Clinical Excellence was developed in collaboration with Pauline Shaw from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) whose professional insight was a huge help, especially as the programme was put together specifically for our Caring Homes clinical teams.

A Great Place to Live and Work

Together, the two programmes reflect our belief that leadership development should be accessible, and most importantly, relevant to day-to-day life at Caring Homes. This means that what our staff learn will help them offer even better care to our residents.

These, and future programmes, also open up fantastic opportunities for anyone who would like to develop and progress at Caring Homes and we’ve been delighted by the impact of the Leadership Academy on colleagues who have completed the programmes. Some of their shared feedback shows how participants feel they have benefited:

“I’ve stopped feeling that leadership means having all the answers. Sometimes the most powerful thing I can do is listen.”

“I’m coaching rather than instructing, and I’m seeing my team take greater ownership as a result.”

“The programme helped me recognise my own potential and gave me the confidence to take the next step in my career.”

“I’m more reflective, more considered in my decisions and more confident in the way I lead.”

With further programmes in the pipeline focused on developing front facing care staff and creating a talent pool of future Home Managers, it’s fair to say that the Learning & Development team at Caring Homes has another busy year ahead at the Leadership Academy.

Caring Homes CEO, Peter Hill, said; “This is a great achievement – I am delighted for Lucy and the team. This creates an excellent platform that we can build on further as we develop the academy. Making Caring Homes a great place to work is a pillar of our mission and offering accredited career development is fundamental to that”.