One of Wales’s leading specialist healthcare providers ended the year with record numbers of staff undertaking qualifications and training courses.
Ludlow Street Healthcare (LSH), which offers transition-focused healthcare and bespoke step-down services, including specialist assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and education, invested heavily in staff training during the last year, with numbers leaping from 90 in 2016 to 500 in 2018.
The Cardiff headquartered organisation, which supports adults with neuropsychiatric and acquired brain injuries, mental health issues, learning disabilities, and autism, has enrolled staff into leadership and management courses, as well as specialist health and social care training.
Recognising that its dedicated, multidisciplinary teams are the key to successful outcomes for its service users, the organisation has made a significant investment into staff training over the last two years.
Training manager John Williams said:
“We are obviously delighted to have seen such a vast increase in the number of staff members undertaking qualifications and training.
“To have over 40% of our staff currently taking part in training courses is a huge achievement and a testament to LSH’s dedication to its staff and service users.
“Better trained staff translates into better care for service users, which means better health and wellbeing and more successful outcomes for everyone overall.”
Mr Williams added:
“Thanks to the significant increase in training over the two-year period, we are thrilled to have been able to fill many more of our senior roles with internal candidates.
“Staff training and progression is vital to us at LSH, and is something we are proud to have been rated highly for. To see these qualifications directly benefit our staff and their careers is incredibly rewarding.”
Clinical Director, Andrew Hider added:
“At Ludlow Street Healthcare the high level of training undertaken by our expert teams means we are able to utilize complex behaviour support strategies when working with our service users. These techniques have been shown to have far wider reaching and longer term benefits than some of the controversial seclusion methods that are still being used elsewhere.
“We believe focusing on the positive ways in which we can support and empower our service users, is more beneficial for them long term; aiding transition towards a more independent life.”
Ludlow Street Healthcare was set up in 2005 in response to a lack of appropriate NHS provision for people with mental health conditions. Ludlow Street Healthcare has developed a reputation for its person-centred approach, community-focused settings and specialist staff, all of which have contributed to consistently successful outcomes for its service users.
For over a decade, it has worked in partnership with the NHS, developing services and investing in the necessary health infrastructure and staff training, to support patients on their journey to recovery and a more independent and fulfilling life, through step-down to community living – improving social integration and inclusion.
The organisation operates a hospital for patients with neuropsychiatric and acquired brain injuries, a purpose-built secure hospital for patients with mental health issues, a learning disability rehabilitation centre, a specialist further education college for students with autism, and a portfolio of community homes accommodating residents with both mental health conditions and learning disabilities or autistic spectrum conditions.
Since its inception it has supported and cared for over 220 people and it has seen over 76% of patients progress from low secure hospitals to community step down services within 12-18 months of being placed with them, regaining self-responsibility, independence and social integration.
