MDX drive to upskill adult social care workforce scoops prize at London Higher Awards 2024

Drive to provide gold standard training to nurses working in care homes is ‘highly commended’ for Healthcare Partnership of the Year Award

An initiative bringing together Middlesex University with community healthcare organisations to upskill adult social care (ASC) nurses in care homes across North London was ‘highly commended’ at the London Higher Awards 2024 ceremony held on 6 June.

Teams from Middlesex University and community healthcare organisations have joined together in a project to upskill adult social care nurses working in care homes across North London and to improve outcomes for residents.

MDX Nursing academics have been working with North Central London Care System (NCL ICS), who work in partnership with the North Central London Training Hub (NCL TH), an umbrella group of NHS, council and voluntary organisations, to address training gaps, meet local needs, and support and expand the future workforce.

The teams identified three areas for improvement: upskill adult social care nurses, provide more placements to better equip student nurses for their future roles, and give residents and their families a voice on the care they receive.

This programme was devised after a survey in 2023 of nearly early 500 adult social care nurses in 48 care homes in North Central London found that a lack of high-quality clinical training affected staff retention, the quality of care, and the level of support for nursing students on care home placements, including clinical care skills.

According to the King’s Fund, an independent think tank, almost 10% of roles in adult social care in England in 2022/23 were vacant with national projections forecasting this will get worse in future.

Pam Hodge, Senior Lecturer in Practice Learning at Middlesex University, 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. It has also enhanced the learning of our student nurses through positive placement experiences in care homes.”

More than 100 ASC nurses have now been trained in ‘Verification of Expected Adult Death’ at the University’s state-of-the-art Simulation Centre at the StoneX Stadium in Hendon. This is a process whereby a professional confirms that someone has died. Providing this training to nurses reduces the demand for doctors to perform this role and unnecessary delays which can cause distress to grieving families.

The programme has since been expanded to offer training in catheter, dementia, and end-of-life care.

Ninety-nine per cent of those who responded to a survey agreed or strongly agreed that the course provided them with sufficient knowledge and skills to perform confirmation of death and the confidence to support residents, families and their team. In addition, they felt better supported and significantly more valued in their role.

As well as the training programme, some residents of the care homes and their relatives visited the University’s Simulation Centre to co-produce ASC staff and student training to improve their experience of care.

Nursing Home Manager, 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.

One of the most celebrated initiatives has been the positive engagement with some residents of care homes and their relatives who visited the University’s Simulation Centre and actively and enthusiastically contributed to discussions around their care and how this can be improved.”

The project has led to the University working with five additional care home partners which is expected to provide 60 student placements per year for MDX student nurses.

Pam Hodge added: “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 increasing complex needs of our local population.”

Learn more about studying nursing at Middlesex University.