After three “blue sky thinking” sessions, cohort 7 identified training for care staff to empower them with new skills as a key area for QI.

This decision followed several conversations regarding current perceptions of care home staff as “deskilled” compared to their counterparts working in HSC Trusts, and inequity of opportunities, for example, access to training and professional development.

By session four the link between opportunities and retention was discussed, falling into the wider ECCF discussions held in the sector, and it was decided that a resource booklet would be developed to highlight opportunities for training and professional development, with a particular focus on healthcare assistants and domiciliary staff, but that would also be relevant to nurses and other health and social care professionals.