Specialist rehabilitation and care group’s first-ever cohort of Assistant Practitioners pass with flying colours
A specialist Cambridgeshire rehabilitation and care group has seen its first-ever class of Assistant Practitioners pass their training to enter new roles in supporting its nurses and physiotherapists in delivering extraordinary care to residents.
Askham Village Community, a family-run group of five specialist rehab centres and care homes on the edge of Doddington, saw eight Assistant Practitioners qualify this month and become ready to offer their newly developed skills in ensuring excellent outcomes for the group’s young and elderly residents.
A newly created, national role to address the nationwide shortage of nurses, Assistant Practitioners are able to deliver care, administer medications and write care plans for nursing residents. Askham is an early adopter of this new role, recognising the value in supporting care staff to develop their careers in health and social care and progress both personally and professionally.
The hybrid role, a cross between a care worker and nurse, has recently been rolled out across the UK by Care England to provide a solution to the care sector nursing shortfall.
Michelle Barker, Askham Village Community training and development manager, said: “We’re thrilled to see the first-ever group of assistant practitioners qualify at Askham. They have undergone a period of extensive training and competency assessments, enabling them to be ready to provide professional care and clinical interventions to enhance our residents’ experience.
“This is an exciting time at Askham Village Community, and I know our nurses and physiotherapists will welcome the support. Ultimately, by training and developing our care team we can ensure that a high level of person-centred care is continually delivered across all five of our homes.”
Assistant Practitioners can deliver high-quality, patient-centred care in a variety of settings including respiratory medicine, occupational therapy, monitoring patients recovering from surgery, providing personal, social, therapeutic and rehabilitative care, supporting adults or young people with mental health issues, and dietetics.
Aliyyah-Begum Nasser, Director at Askham Village Community, said: “You can see the difference in the approach these APs take to resident care – taking a holistic view of their needs and engaging professionally with all stakeholders to ensure the best outcomes for those in their care. Here at Askham, we believe strongly in supporting staff to improve and develop professionally. Through continuously learning and pushing ourselves we can together deliver the best service for our residents. This cohort have embraced the learning and we are proud to promote them into this new role.”
A family-run business for over 30 years, Askham Village Community prides itself on being an Investor in People for more than 15 years. Askham is one of the biggest employers in the Cambridgeshire area with over 180 staff across a number of roles in care, nursing, rehabilitation, maintenance, catering, and housekeeping. A growing team, the group continues to bring staff onto the team who show an appetite for learning and a passion for quality care.
For more information on Askham Village Community, including its current vacancies, please visit https://askhamvillagecommunity.com/.
