Care Practitioners Graduate

Hartford Care is delighted to celebrate career progression in the biggest cohort of graduates from our Care Practitioner Programme launched in 2019.

This year’s class were all interviewed back in October 2021. 17 people applied and our class of seven were told of their successful application onto the course, which started in January 2022.

Why the course exists

The course was established in response to observations made of our society as a whole. People are living longer, and with more complex needs. As more and more research increases our understanding of syndromes like dementia, the lines between nursing and residential care continue to blur. Ten years ago, the majority of our residents in our residential homes would have been deemed to need ‘nursing care’ – now that is not the case, and our Care Practitioners will help to bridge this gap.

It is public knowledge that there are not enough nurses currently in the UK, with strikes over pay and conditions still coming up in the news. With a large percentage of nurses due to retire within the next 10 years, a reduction in the number of people training to be nurses, and the potential impact of Brexit on nurses coming from other countries, this is only set to become more of an issue. In our homes, having a Care Practitioner on shift will provide support to our Registered General Nurses.

Workshops

The course lasted for over a year and was comprised of 13 workshops in total.

1. Communication and Engagement
2. Positive Performance Management
3. Direct Clinical Observations
4. Acute Medical Conditions
5. Infections and Sepsis
6. Initial Assessment and Care Planning
7. Diabetes
8. Advanced Falls Training
9. Advanced Medication Awareness
10. Tissue Viability and Skin Conditions
11. Mental Health First Aid training
12. Hydration, Catheter Care and Stoma Care
13. End of Life

Each workshop consisted of specialist training, guidance from professionals, and various sets of course work to complete. All graduates had to put a presentation together for their graduation to cover the following:

• What they have learnt on this development programme
• How will they implement what they have learnt in their new Care Practitioner role
• Their commitment pledge

Post-grad

Following graduation, each year, every Care Practitioner has to complete 16 hours of additional Continued Professional Development, send in monthly reports, complete five reflective supervisions, and gain written feedback from staff, relatives, residents, and health care professionals. They then submit their portfolio at the end of the 12 months.

This course sets the graduates up for incredible career progression. The course teaches new skills, helps build confidence, and adds responsibilities in leadership and management. If you complete the qualification, you can go straight into year two of a nursing degree, undertake a L5 diploma, or go on to complete a Nursing Associate degree.

After such a successful year with our biggest class to date, we plan to continue supporting our graduates as they settle into their new roles.

Quote from Shirley

Course leader and Regional Quality Manager Shirley Bartlett stated:

“I am very proud to see all these Care practitioner’s graduate. They have worked so hard and showed commitment to the programme. It has been lovely to go on this journey with them and see how each of them has grown and developed over the course of the programme. To see them in their homes, in their new roles, putting what they have learnt into practice, has been amazing. To listen to each of their presentations, which were all very individual and heartfelt; and to hear what this journey has meant to them, was very touching and at times emotional. I wish them all the very best.”

Hartford Care is committed to being the most positive work place possible. Learn more about our employee initiatives, benefits and reasons to work for us at our careers page.