
brighterkind has been shortlisted for an award for its training programme nurses and care teams.
The awards is for ‘The development of funded National Clinical Training programme for Nurses and Support Teams” is the first Nursing Times Workforce Awards.
brighterkind is shortlisted in the category for organisations with up to 1,500 nursing staff.
As a National Care Provider which employs approximately 800 nurses and 3500 care assistants across a wide range of services it was essential that the clinical schedule was inclusive to all levels of clinical employee and that it reflected the organisational priorities in relation to quality of care. Within brighterkind we recognise the key role that nurses and support teams play within our business and as such we were determined to offer the opportunity for them to undertake clinical training without the need for financial contribution or use of their own time.
For the duration of the programme, which is now in its second year, there has been a continuous evaluation of the experiences of nurses and other team members, engaged in the programme. Evaluations have been without exception, reported as good to excellent for educational content, delivery and venue. The programme supports nurses through their revalidation and is believed to be unique within the independent care sector, as it provides team members across the business with an opportunity not only to learn new and enhanced clinical knowledge, but also to network with other members of the wider team. There has been a year on year improvement in care quality from a regulatory perspective; increasing to almost 70% of Homes rated as good from a previous position of 27%. Plus the most recent (2018) employee engagement survey has demonstrated a clear increase in satisfaction amongst all team members which supports the recruitment programme across the business.
The award scheme recognises excellent work by employers to support nurses and midwifes. The winners will be announced in October.