Godfrey Care are excited to announce the launch of our Oliver McGowan Mandatory Autism and Learning Disability Training, commencing from 2025.

The Health and Care Act (2022) introduced a statutory requirement that regulated service providers must ensure their staff receive Learning Disability and Autism training appropriate to their role. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government’s preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff. The training is named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training.

Godfrey Care’s service teams receive specialist Autism and Learning Disability training as part of our established model of care and support for highly complex needs, and we are committed to providing the highest possible quality of training. From 2025, our new training programmes will be delivered by our Oliver McGowan Certified Trainers, who are experienced clinicians within our Specialist Support Team, and our Experts by Lived Experience of a Learning Disability and Autism.  The programme will be licensed by NHS England.

Andy Fairman, PBS Clinical Lead at Godfrey Care, said:

“While we appreciate that some parts of the adult social care system have not adopted this training and have selected their own training pathways, Godfrey Care have pledged to deliver this programme as we firmly believe that, as a specialist provider, this is the right path for us to pursue as part of Oliver McGowan’s legacy.”

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism has been co-produced, trialled with over 8,300 health and care staff and independently evaluated by the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi). It ensures that the UK’s health and social care workforce has the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability.

We all benefit from stepping out of our comfort zone every now and then. At Godfrey Care, we always like to encourage the people we support to try something new and broaden their horizons.

KW, who lives at our Station House service in Rolleston, recently had a go at doing something unfamiliar and found the experience to be extremely rewarding.

Keen to help KW become more active in the community, the Station House service team arranged for him to go on a bike ride in the local park. The Shobnall Fields Leisure Complex offers Friday slots to rent adapted bikes, providing KW with an excellent opportunity to don a helmet and take in the scenery. KW thoroughly enjoyed his excursion, and the positive experience has inspired KW to participate in more outings.

Nadine Hutchings, Deputy Manager at Station House, said:

“We were delighted to see KW having such a great time. This is a big achievement for KW, as historically he is very-routine orientated, preferring to do his favoured activities in and out of the home.”

Godfrey Care services have never been afraid to sink their teeth into Halloween festivities and they’ve been hellishly busy again in 2024 to mark the scariest day of the year.

Our Ash Tree House service in Burton-on-Trent has certainly been in high spirits, starting the Halloween celebrations with a fun-filled day of pumpkin picking. They headed out to nearby Garden King to participate in the garden centre’s annual Pumpkin Woods event.

Everyone followed the 300-metre autumnal woodland walk, full of spine-chilling surprises, and explored the pumpkin patch to hand-pick their own pumpkins. The trip was full of smiles, laughter, and a wicked sense of adventure. 

On returning to Ash Tree House armed with their orange bounty, the fun continued with a pumpkin carving session. The people we support and the service team were frightfully creative, turning their pumpkins into a unique assortment of demonic designs.

Heather Wilkinson, Registered Manager at Ash Tree House, said:

“It was heartwarming to see the service team and the people we support working side-by-side, sharing ideas, and enjoying each other’s company. They also collaborated really well when we organised some Halloween arts and crafts. These kinds of seasonal activities are so important in creating a vibrant and connected environment within our home. They allow the people we support to engage in hands-on experiences, socialise, and express their creativity, all while celebrating festive traditions together.”

Similar scenes are taking place at our services throughout the region, with homes packed with Jack-o’-lanterns and festooned in all manner of blood-curdling decorations. When it comes to Halloween fun, Godfrey Care always put in a monster effort!

Facilitating new experiences is a big part of the support that Godfrey Care provide at our services, but we also pay a lot of attention to the everyday things.

We all benefit from improving our life skills and it’s especially valuable for the people we support. It’s enormously beneficial in helping to increase their confidence and independence.

Residents at Godfrey Care’s Ash Tree House service in Burton-on-Trent have embraced the opportunity to develop their daily living skills. Many are trying out recipes in the kitchen, preparing a variety of meals and exploring different cooking techniques. They are also managing their own laundry and helping with regular household routines including cleaning and emptying bins.

The people we support have also taken charge of their shopping, drawing up grocery lists and picking out a few clothes to update their wardrobe in regular trips to supermarkets and stores in the town.

Heather Wilkinson, Registered Manager at Ash Tree House, said:

“The service team has put a lot of focus on living skills and there has been some wonderful progress over the past few weeks. It’s great to see our Ash Tree House residents challenging themselves and thriving with more responsibilities.  Supporting personal growth is one of the most satisfying and rewarding aspects of life in our service and I’m very proud of everyone involved.”

Well done to all our residents and colleagues at Ash Tree House – keep up the good work!

The team at Godfrey Care’s Station House service in Rolleston has been doing some outstanding work in supporting the physical rehabilitation of one of the residents.

GF recently spent time in hospital with health issues. Due to her existing diagnosis, the stay had an impact on her mobility, causing her to be bed-bound.

Our colleagues at Station House worked in close partnership with external professionals, including an occupational therapist and a specialist physiotherapy team from Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, to develop a plan to help GF, mapping out a gradual process of recovery. The service team has been hands-on in offering support and training to ensure that GF has been able to reach a series of small milestones in improving her mobility.

GF has shown lots of determination in following the recovery plan. Her efforts have come to fruition, and she has been able to do transfers in and out of her vehicle through stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand exercises.

GF is delighted to be able to get out and about again, resuming access to the community after a frustrating period of inactivity. Her achievement has been supported by the skill and commitment of the service team. Collaborating with clinical professionals is a big part of Godfrey Care’s approach to care, and we are grateful for the expertise of the occupational therapist and the physiotherapy team in supporting GF’s recovery.