Behind the Scenes with Beverly Brown – Training Manager

Beverly Brown (Bev) has been in the care industry for 23 years so there is no one better placed to train others how to do the job!

Although she hasn’t always worked in care, having started her working life as a hotel receptionist and then a nanny before joining the care sector after having her first child, when she needed a career that could be more flexible around the needs of her family. However, it’s fair to say since joining the industry she has embraced her career and has achieved her NVQ Levels 2, 3 and 4 in Health & Social Care and NVQ Level 5 in Leadership & Management in Health & Social Care. In addition, she is also a Registered Accredited Trainer. She has worked at Cavell Healthcare since 2019 and in recent months she has been working with our Managing Director, Gordon Anderson, to establish the Cavell Healthcare Training Academy. We caught up with Bev to find out what makes her tick…

What is it about the care sector that has kept you in the industry for so long?

It is such a rewarding job. Whether you are an office-based administrator, supporting the team out on the road; a hands-on carer; or a trainer, like me, you are playing a positive part in the quality of someone else’s life – I think that is amazing. What a gift to be able to give.

Why did Cavell Healthcare decided to set up their own Training Academy?
Prior to setting up the Academy training was done by an external provider who came in one a month but obviously this had its limitations, not least of which was how many new recruits we could take on and how quickly we could get them fully qualified. I am a full-time Registered Accredited Trainer, so I can deliver the training in-house whenever it is required. This also means that we can ensure that all training is delivered to the very high Cavell Healthcare standards and I am on-hand to support staff in between training if needed.

What is your maximum capacity for training?
Prior to Covid (and hopefully again very soon!), we are able to offer training for up to six delegates in our Academy at any one time. Sadly, social distancing means that we have had to reduce this number to three. In the future, we also hope to deliver training not just to Cavell Healthcare staff but to external carers, for example for care homes.

Why have you moved into training?
I love being able to share knowledge and to help others and the best way for me to do that is to ensure as many people as possible are professionally trained and out on the roads helping our clients across the county and beyond. I get such pleasure from helping someone to learn something new – particularly if they have been in the industry for a long time and have always done something a certain way – helping show them there might be a better, more efficient method is really exciting!

What sort of training are you delivering on a daily basis?
Healthcare is a highly regulated industry, so there is a huge amount of basic mandatory training that must be undertaken before a new recruit can go out on the road. For example, Basic First Aid, Moving & Handling, Medication, Health & Safety, Equality & Diversity, Infection Control, Fire Safety, Food Hygiene and much more. I’m a great believer in “it’s not practice that makes perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect” – there can be no shortcuts in training.

Who do you spend most of your time training? New recruits or existing staff?
It’s a mixture of the two. When people work in care for a long time, they can pick up bad habits, plus, of course the legislation changes which involves adapting how they work – sometimes it is harder to get people out of bad habits than it is to train someone who is entirely new to the industry.

What do you love most about training?
I know that training has a reputation for sometimes being a bit boring so I have always set out to banish boredom from my training rooms. My experience is that if someone is genuinely interested in learning and you present what they need to learn in a fun and engaging way, then that is the best recipe for success. So, we have lots of fun with plenty of practical demonstrations and interactive learning. Once new recruits have completed their mandatory training in the Academy, we then send them out on ‘shadow shifts’ where they can apply what they’ve learnt in the classroom in practical situations by shadowing more experienced team members on their care calls. This also helps boost confidence before they go out on care calls on their own.

What would you say to someone considering a career in care?

Definitely do it! It is the most rewarding job you could possibly do. Plus, Cavell Healthcare is such a supportive company to work for – you aren’t just another member of staff, you become a member of the Cavell family.