Care providers contributing to a session on staff development said that culture change was essential for training to make a difference. Lynne Phair, who has advised East Midlands care home group Milford Care, said introducing the Montessori Way in dementia care had “transformed the culture” of the organisation.
“We agreed that all staff needed to be trained in the Montessori Way; it’s not an activity but a way of life, an ethos for the whole care home regardless of role,” Phair said. “Whether a director or a Saturday afternoon potwasher, everybody has to buy in, otherwise the culture does not change.”
West Country care home group Brunelcare changed the culture by embracing Worcester University’s FITS intervention, “Focused Intervention Training and Support”. “The aim of FITS is to embed a person-centred approach and reduce the use of antipsychotics,” said dementia care lead Stuart Wright.
“We started with a new care home opened just before the pandemic. That was hard but now we’ve created 45 more dementia coaches across our six care homes this year which is great. Care staff learning is much more respected across the team.”