Our trained team is made up of predominantly RMN’s (Registered Mental Nurse), complemented by RGN’s (Registered General Nurse) and RNLD's (Registered Nurse Learning Disability)– this is to ensure that all areas of need, both physical & mental, are assessed and met.
New care staff undergo rigorous induction, classroom based for 12 days where they cover all legally required training before they start to work in the home itself. This theory is followed by a week’s induction as a supernummary member of the team, where they are monitored at all times by both the trained nurses and the senior care staff.
Induction is seen as the beginning of learning and all staff go on to specialist work in all areas of dementia & mental health care, as well as dealing with physical care issues such as tissue viability, end of life care, diabetes management etc.
Training is a huge part of life for the team at Stonebridge. We have a Training Suite with three rooms, all equipped with screens and computers, and included in these is a Clinical Skills Training Room, which has a profiling bed, hoist, wheelchairs, catheterisation mannekins etc, where general training and workshops on practical skills can be completed.
We are an accredited training centre and access a number of learning streams to support the different learning styles, preferences and needs of our team. We have a team of fully qualified instructors delivering classroom training in all mandatory areas, including Manual Handling and Restrictive Interventions. We have two senior instructors (accredited by the Crisis Prevention Institute) among our team who deliver all teaching on Restrictive Interventions. They have been qualified for 13 years and in 2022 their training was observed and audited by British Institute of Learning Disability (BILD)
" Both trainers have been delivering CPI training for a long time and are passionate about reducing the use of restraint within their service. This was evident throughout the training by the language used and the themes and principles which were reinforced.
• Trainers were both observed to be professional and respectful both to participants, and when talking about the people they support. Trainers both worked in the home with the course participants and knew staff and residents well. This meant that they were able to talk to and with participants in a way that kept them engaged and motivated throughout the training.
• Despite the seniority of their positions within the organisation, both trainers came across as really approachable and relatable, and staff seemed at ease discussing the challenges that they face in the workplace. "
Staff are recruited and promoted not by virtue of traditional qualifications, but of their grasp of the concept of being person-centred, and the difference they make to the quality of life for our residents; this is a move away from old-culture nursing and embraces the concept that “feelings matter most”.
Managing Director Phil Edmunds, and Director Fran Edmunds are responsible for ensuring that the Home meets all of its regulatory requirements and that the business functions effectively and is viable; but the most important work of running the Home on a day to day basis falls to the senior nursing team: Julia Foley RMN (Registered Manager), Claire Cleaver RGN (Deputy Manager) and Margo Wicher RGN (Deputy Manager)