Lansdowne Care Services
Lansdowne Care Services, established in 1985,
provides residential and day care for adults with learning
disabilities.
With its head office in Bedford, it has three
residential and three day care centres in Bedfordshire and 80
staff.
A former student at Bedford College, Anne
(Senior Operations Manager) began her career after qualifying in
1986 with a preliminary certificate in social care and said:
“I always knew I wanted to work with people
and the course at Bedford College started me on my career path
working with adults with learning disabilities. I have worked
in both residential and day care centres and so do know first hand
what the job is like at grassroots level.”
“As Senior Operations Manager I now oversee
day to day operations at our homes and day centres, along with
responsibility for staff training and more. I love my job and
like to keep in contact with the adults that we support in our
homes and centres. There is nothing better than dropping in
for a cup of tea and a chat. I came into this profession to
care for people and am still doing that.”
Lansdowne Care Services employ staff to work
in homes and day centres and believe strongly as a company that
staff are the most important asset, investing in their training and
development. Well trained staff are at the heart of the
company and ensure that adults with learning disabilities receive
the quality services they deserve.
Residential homes are governed by the Care
Quality Commission, an independent regulator of health and social
care. Lansdowne Care Services are proud of their two
star rating reflecting the high standards of care and good quality
trained staff.
Anne explained that the government requirement
is for at least 50% of care staff to be trained to NVQ Level 2 and
commented:
“We aim for 100% of staff to be trained to NVQ
Level 2 and are delighted that many more then go on to Level
3.”
“Bedford College keep us in the picture about
new funding schemes and without them we would not be able to
achieve this level of training. We are not a huge corporate
company with endless money – it is important that we take advantage
of funding and training to the benefit of our staff, our company
and the adults we support and care for.”
“NVQ assessors from Bedford College are very
helpful and certainly know what they are doing. If you leave
a message for them they always get back to you – and that goes a
long way. The Assessors are very accommodating and work with
us and around us. They try to fit with what is best for our
business.”
Although NVQs are an important part of
training for staff, many more courses are undertaken at Bedford
College including management courses, which Anne has attended along
with her colleagues, and IT and administration courses.
What were your training objectives?
“The NVQ links to the requirement set by the
Care Standards Act and we need to meet that requirement.”
“As a company we want to make sure our people
are trained to a high standard, so that we can offer the very best
care.
“It is important that visitors to our homes
(such as family members, GPs, social workers and other
professionals) are treated well and by staff who are confident and
knowledgeable.”
“As a company we offer a good selection and
standard of training and it also helps us to retain staff.”
Were they achieved?
“Care is like a complex jigsaw where all the
pieces need to come together to form the whole picture. Care
workers need a variety of skills and knowledge and the NVQ is an
important part of that. Staff often find that the NVQ is a
starting point for them and from there they go on to complete more
training and increase their knowledge and skills.”
“Staff are encouraged to undertake training
and be proud when they achieve NVQ qualifications. The
fact that it is a nationally recognised qualification gives it
added weight.”
What has been the impact on your
performance?
“Residents who say they are happy where they
live and like the staff who look after them.”