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Award for university’s social care training initiative

Middlesex University has worked with community health organisations to support training in local care homes writes Rana Rastegari

Professor Shân Wareing, Middlesex University Vice-Chancellor, Louise Keane, Nurse Education Lead for NCL Training Hubs, Pam Hodge, Senior Lecturer in Practice Learning at Middlesex  University, and Dr Diana Beech, London Higher CEO, at the London Higher Awards ceremony.
Staff involved in the scheme at the London Higher Awards ceremony. – (Credit – Middlesex University)

Middlesex University is celebrating the success of an initiative bringing together community healthcare organisations to increase the skills of adult social care nurses working in North London care homes. 

This project was “highly commended” for the Healthcare Partnership of the Year award at the London Higher Awards 2024 ceremony held last week. 

A survey in 2023 found that nearly 500 adult social care nurses across 48 different nursing homes showed that there was a lack of high quality clinical training which had a negative impact on staff retention, the quality of care offered to residents and the level of support given to nursing students on care home placements. The collaboration was initiated as a result of the data found in this survey. 

Middlesex University’s Senior Lecturer in Practice Learning, Pam Hodge said:“Our partnership has made a significant contribution to developing the skills and confidence of adult social care nurses, and to helping to develop and retain the workforce in the locality, in a sector experiencing staff shortages. 

She added: “It has also enhanced the learning of our student nurses through positive placement experiences in care homes”. 

The collaboration consists of Middlesex University nursing academics working with North Central London Care System (NCL ICS). 

The three areas identified for improvement by the team were providing residents and their families with a say on the care they receive, offering placements that better prepare nurses for future careers, and upskilling adult social care nurses in North London. 

As part of the scheme, over 100 nurses have now been trained in ‘Verification of Expected Adult Death’ at Middlesex University’s Simulation Centre at the StoneX Stadium in Hendon. 

This means that nurses are able to confirm the death of an individual which reduces the demand for doctors to conduct this process. Ultimately, this prevents unnecessary delays in the confirmation which often causes distress for families. The programme has now been expanded to offer training in catheter insertion and removal, dementia and end-of-life care. 

A survey conducted to assess the quality of the training found that 90% agreed or strongly agreed that the course gave them the required skills to perform confirmation of the death and the confidence to support residents, their families and their team. 

The survey also revealed that participants felt more valued in their roles. In addition, some care home residents and their families visited the Simulation Centre to co-produce social care staff and student training in order to improve their experience and the care that they receive. 

A Nursing Home Manager involved with the scheme said: “The ASC nurses gained valuable skills to enhance the care they provide and increased their confidence to support nursing students on placements in the care homes. 

Pam Hodge added: “Our partnership has made a significant contribution to developing the skills and confidence of adult social care nurses, and to helping to develop and retain the workforce in the locality, in a sector experiencing staff shortages. It has also enhanced the learning of our student nurses through positive placement experiences in care homes.

“We are confident that our innovative partnership will continue to develop our future nursing workforce, support ASC nurses, enhance job satisfaction and aid retention. The aim is for all ASC nurses in the area to receive the gold standard training at StoneX, and this in turn will help to meet the increasingly complex needs of our local population”. 

The project has now led the university to begin working with 5 additional care home partners and is expected to offer 60 student placements a year for Middlesex University Student Nurses. 


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