Orchard Care Homes, one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist residential, dementia, nursing and short-term respite care for the elderly, has implemented an innovative programme for staff.
During 2020, the organisation identified key areas for improvement in quality and in April 2021 rolled out its Champion Programme to 24 homes across the North of England and the Midlands.
The Champion Programme enables individual staff to take on a champion role, with each champion able to contribute to enhancing the quality of life and well-being for Orchard’s 1000+ residents.
The programme is overseen by Irene Law, Practice Development Nurse, and she is delighted with the results already. “Our champions are key to our success in outcomes and goals. The champion is an active member of the team with enthusiasm for excellence in quality of care, with a clear vision for change and a desire to act as an advocate for supporting the homes in their chosen champion programme.
Each month the champions receive a newsletter which covers data across the business, allowing them to see first-hand where extra support is needed. In addition, they meet every three months on a forum to update each other and discuss best practice.
The objective of the Champion Programme is to deliver learning and understanding, have a positive impact on culture and team collaboration, enable career progression, offer accredited training programmes and ultimately make a difference in homes.
Irene continued, “The Champion Programme has already helped drive staff to reduce pressure ulcers and Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in our homes. The programme is designed to be basic level for care staff to empower education and support. The Champion newsletter, which measures each homes data, allows our champions to see where they are succeeding and where they need to provide support.”