Supporting employers to be well-led
09 Jul 2019
One of Skills for Care’s most popular leadership programmes is the Well-led programme which has been running for over three years. It has been delivered by a dedicated team to over 500 participants across the country.
The Well-led programme is aimed at managers of all adult social care services, in particular registered managers. It’s a very practical programme using real-life examples from managers of organisations rated good and outstanding to show what is needed to achieve and sustain high standards to deliver high-quality, person-centred care. The focus is on understanding what well-led looks like and finding solutions to improve the quality of care.
The programme has received some fantastic feedback:
Best training programme I’ve attended in a long time. I recommend to everyone!”
Never have I undertaken a programme that has given such practical examples of how to get the best from my team.
Thank you, without attending this programme I would never have been able to describe myself as a leader, I feel good being able to say this. Your programme has empowered me, challenged me and made me a better person.”
Why did we develop the programme?
“Are you well-led?” is just one of the five questions that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) asks of all care services. Skills for Care’s ‘Good and outstanding care’ guide reveals that the 74% of services that achieved good and outstanding for ‘well-led’ have qualified leaders and managers with the right values and dedication to provide high quality care and support.
The Well-led programme was designed to support leaders and managers to deliver care in-line with the expectations of a well-led service. We all know good managers and leaders are essential in developing a motivated, confident and caring workforce that’s both highly skilled, and most importantly, valued by all those needing care and support. They lead by example and make their staff feel motivated, empowered and confident.
One fantastic example of the impact of the Well-led programme, is Tamara Brown, Registered Service Manager at Saint John of God Hospitaller Services. Following a routine CQC inspection in February 2017 where the overall rating of her service was requires improvement, she undertook the Well-led programme which she completed in April 2018. At the next CQC inspection they were rated as good which she credits to undertaking the Well-led programme.
Following the Well-led programme, our recent CQC inspection came back ‘good’ across all areas. Prior to this we had all ‘requires improvement’. This programme was a massive inspiration to myself and my team and I do feel that attending this programme encouraged a culture change for my service and enabled me to work and support a stronger team of whom I am very proud to be a part of.
Tamara Brown, Registered Service manager who completed the Well-led programme in April 2018
What’s next for the Well-led programme?
From October 2019, the Well-led programme will be delivered under licence by Skills for Care endorsed providers.
Skills for Care endorsement is the bespoke quality mark that is given to the best learning and development providers within the adult social care sector. Our endorsement is unique, as to become endorsed, learning providers must demonstrate that the training makes a significant difference, not only to the learner, but to those accessing care and support.
You can search for an endorsed provider in our endorsed provider directory.
Is there any funding available?
In 2019-20, £3 million of the Workforce Development Fund has been allocated for the development of managers and deputies to meet the growing need of the sector. For the first time, employers can claim money towards their employees completing the Well-led programme. For every learner completing the Well-led programme, you’ll be able to claim up to £500.
Click here to find out more about the Workforce Development Fund.
Find out more
Take a look at the Well-led programme here. You can also register your interest in commissioning a programme for your organisation, participating in a programme or delivering a programme here.
You can also follow our June/July campaign around ‘Developing managers’ here and on Twitter at #DevelopingManagers
Print this page