The Enablement Champion is an emerging role for experienced care staff who will act as the expert within their teams on particular health issues and become experts and influencers in delivery or rehabilitation and reablement. Care City is working alongside BHR CEPN, Unique Training Solutions, Havering Social Care Academy, Skills for Care, NELFT, LBBD, London Borough of Havering and Redbridge and UCLPartners to co-design the Enablement Champion role and develop the new Level 4 apprenticeship training programme to build on the current ‘champion’ care model. It has subsequently enrolled 13 apprentice enablement champions in seven Care Homes across Barking, Havering and Redbridge.

Enablement Champion apprentices will work closely with their Care Homes or Allied Health Professionals to support and deliver care plans with their residents. Through this collaboration and training, Enablement Champions will become competent in delivery of a number of clinical support skills including the understanding of the principles of rehabilitation and reablement and specific clinical skills training relevant to their place of work (e.g. nutrition, behaviour management, physical rehabilitation) and be competent in the development of effective referral pathways between the organisation and health services.

Enablement Champions will also act as the organisational lead promoting principles of rehabilitation and reablement within the organisation’s everyday practice and they will support the team to develop their skills and understanding through information, training, and advice. 

Why is this important?

1. There has never been a more important time to support the social care workforce. The sector has faced challenges for some time with staff recruitment and retention and Covid-19 has brought further pressures. Utilising this apprenticeship standard will provide a career development route to an unusually high level, recognising the value of care staff. 
2. Care home residents’ needs are increasingly complex with many living with multiple long-term conditions. Close collaboration between care homes and health services can result in significant improvements for residents, avoidance of acute care and prevent some of the inequalities often experienced by people living in care homes. 
3. Covid-19 has shown how innovative deployment of the workforce can create solutions to increased health and social care demands. Many staff have successfully worked beyond their normal role and scope. AHP capacity is limited and will be further stretched due to the rehabilitation needs of people recovering from Covid-19. This project will increase capacity and consistency of AHP rehabilitation and reablement within care homes in BHR.

What benefits will the Enablement role bring? 

• Improved outcomes for service users – potentially reducing individual level of care need and preventing unplanned hospital admission
• Improved collaboration and working with health colleagues, resulting in streamlined and more consistent support for service users 
• Increased staff morale, productivity and retention 
• Increased flexibility and resilience of care workforce

What are participants saying about the Programme?

“I’ve worked as a care worker for 20 years. I’ve not had the opportunity to study until now. This has given me the opportunity to get new skills, do better in my job and for the first time, to think about the future of my careers and opportunities for me” Enablement Champion participant

“Studying at my age is hard, but I know it will be worth it. I wanted to grab this opportunity because I know it will open doors for me that might not have been there for me before. I’m excited” Enablement Champion participant

“We’re really excited about hosting an Enablement Champion at Lodge Group Care. It’s a great way to invest in your staff, boost morale and strengthen links with health services” John Timbs, Managing Director, Lodge Group Care