Lifelong learning for Belong Villages staff to be enhanced by Royal College of Nursing partnership

Belong Ltd care group and the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) has agreed a partnership that will enhance the service residents and customers receive from staff.

The formal learning agreement was signed this week at Belong Atherton in Manchester, which is one of the four Belong villages offering a range of care varying from independent living apartments to 24 hour residential environments.

As part of the agreement each village will now appoint a RCN learning representative staff member who will be trained by the RCN and aid colleagues in ensuring that they are providing the best care.

Their duties will include informing staff of the latest developments in care to ensure they act in line with best practice in nursing and other relevant fields of practise such as dementia support.

Phil Orton, head of people management and development for Belong, said: “As an accredited investor in people, the organisation already takes the professional development and training of our people extremely seriously. We are delighted to have signed this new agreement with the RCN and believe it will help us embed a culture of learning throughout the villages and ensure that the nursing skills and knowledge of our teams are up-to-date with the latest research and best practice.”

The learning representatives will also provide a mentoring role for staff members to receive support, information and guidance on learning opportunities that are available to them.