Guild Care: A place where staff can learn and grow

It is essential that carers are equipped with the right skills and knowledge to provide the best possible care and support for the people they look after. A carer’s skillset is ever-changing, with new technologies being used in care homes, for example, or fresh research being done into conditions such as dementia that present new ways of improving care. So, for us and our staff, ongoing opportunities to learn at work are invaluable.

We believe that the training and development opportunities at Guild Care are what make us stand out as an employer in the Worthing area, enhancing the experience and qualifications that staff have gained before joining our family.

We have developed clear learning pathways for all roles within the organisation and we also run a buddy scheme, which means new starters are coached and mentored by more experienced colleagues as they start their career journey with us. In this way, we can ensure that they never feel lost and have always got someone to turn to when they have a question.

Also in the news: Worthing café closes for the summer for a 'pause and rethink' before relaunching in September

See also: Righteous Among the Nations: Award-winning Rustington woman celebrates 103rd birthday with family

In fact, the support we provide to our staff was recently recognised by local representatives from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which is the largest nursing union and professional body in the world, with almost half a million members. It delivers support and advice to nurses in the UK and internationally, on everything from training and welfare to career development.

Three of the RCN’s regional officers paid a visit to our Haviland House nursing dementia care home, where our staff deliver complex care to fulfil the needs of residents living with different stages of dementia.

Following their visit, Debbie Schilder, who is the RCN’s senior regional officer for Sussex, told us: “Being new to Sussex, I had not heard of Guild Care previously. We were very impressed with Haviland House and the plans that are being implemented there. All the staff seemed happy and well supported and the residents we saw seemed well cared for.”

While some of our staff are already registered with the RCN, we are hoping to be able to strengthen our ties with the organisation even further in the future – working together to better signpost our staff to information around financial advice, physical and mental wellbeing, worker protection and confidential counselling services.

We want everyone who works at Guild Care to feel like they have an opportunity to grow with us – because whether you are 18 years old or 68 years old, learning should never stop.

To find out more about the career and development opportunities that we offer at Guild Care, as well as current job vacancies, visit our website www.guildcare.org