Berwick Grange in national pilot

We're delighted to announce that Berwick Grange in Harrogate is to take part in ‘Teaching Care Home’, a ground-breaking project to improve how care and nursing staff working in care homes train and improve their skills.

The care home is one of five care homes across the country who are part of the nurse-led pilot being run through Care England, the largest representative body for independent care providers.

The Wetherby Road home is a specialist home for people living with dementia who need either residential or nursing care. It is run by national charity MHA, which provides services to 16,000 older people across England, Scotland and Wales through its care home, retirement living communities and Live at Home schemes.

Teaching Care Home aims to improve the learning environment for staff working in homes, undergraduate nurse apprenticeships and all learning placements in care homes.  As well as MHA, the pilot also includes Barchester, HC-One, Order of St John Care Trust and Jewish Care. Funding has come through the Department of Health and the project will also be working with ILC UK, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Foundation of Nursing Studies.

Deborah Sturdy, Visiting Professor at New Bucks University and Honorary Nursing Advisor to Care England, commented: "The social care workforce provides complex care for thousands of people living in long term care settings. It is imperative that nurses and care workers share and learn together; we need to raise the bar. 

“Care home nursing teams deliver complex, skilled care in nurse led units across the country.  The development of Teaching Care Home is one way in which we can change the narrative of nursing and how it is perceived.”

MHA’s Director of Marketing Sue Allchurch, added: “For MHA, it’s really important that we do all we can to value and support our carers and nurses to help them continue to provide excellent care for our residents. Working on this project with Care England will help us truly understand how we can create the very best learning and development opportunities for them within our care home communities.  

“It will also help us challenge and change the negative image of care home nursing and showcase instead the essential and valuable work they do – this in turn will help us to influence and persuade the next generation of nurses to join the care home nursing profession.”

Berwick Grange home manager Mandy Scott said: “We are delighted to have been chosen for this Care England project. We provide high quality care for people living with dementia so it is important that we have the right staff with the right skills for the job.

“Being part of the pilot will help us look afresh at the support, development and training we give to our nursing and caring staff. It will make sure we not only have the best possible people working for MHA but also to influence how caring for older people is seen as a worthwhile profession for others.”