Right at Home franchise hosts first ever CareGivers conference

CareGivers from our southern franchise teams came together for the first annual Right at Home CareGivers Conference earlier this month.

The event, organised by Right at Home Bournemouth and Poole, took place at the Bartley Lodge Hotel in the New Forest on March 11 to recognise the vital contributions of care professionals and drive excellence in community care provision.

It is believed to be the first conference in the UK to be curated exclusively for frontline social care staff.

The aim was to upskill attendees in specialist care services and improve outcomes for those they support.

Natalie Rich, event organiser and Registered Manager at Right at Home Bournemouth and Poole, said: “At Right at Home, we truly value the learning and development opportunities that we provide for our frontline workforce, so it was an absolute pleasure to be able to organise a prestigious conference especially for them.”

The event featured a full day of expert training in areas including diabetes management, dementia care, nutrition and hydration and achieving excellence in homecare – in particular, how they can support their teams to achieve and maintain an ‘outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission.

Attendees included 30 CareGivers from eight Right at Home franchise offices based across southern England, as well as senior leaders from Diabetes UK, Bournemouth-based care home group LuxuryCare and Right at Home UK’s national office.

From left: Andrew Davis, Owner of RaH Bournemouth and Poole, opens the conference; a group shot of all attendees; and RaH UK CEO Lucy Campbell (centre) welcomed the launch of the event. 

Right at Home UK CEO Lucy Campbell, who gave a welcome address at the conference, said: “In my role, I engage with professionals across various fields, but I can honestly say there's nowhere I'd rather spend my time than with a group of individuals who embody what it means to be a care professional in every sense - our Right at Home CareGivers.

“A huge thank you to the wonderful team at Right at Home Bournemouth and Poole, not least Natalie Rich, for pulling off such a spectacular event - and of course immense gratitude to our Right at Home CareGivers, not just for their wonderful company, but for truly living and breathing the difference our brand strives to make on a daily basis.”

The idea for the event came from Marta Sorrentino, CareGiver at Right at Home Bournemouth and Poole, who suggested a “special event about being a CareGiver” in an annual employee feedback survey.

“I thought it would be a good idea for care professionals to come together and learn from external experts as I believe we learn better together,” she said.

“I gained a huge amount of knowledge from the conference, especially during the dementia training session. I now have a deeper understanding of the experiences faced by my Clients who live with dementia; and the necessary adjustments in behaviour and environment that could be made to enhance their lives.”

Reflecting on the event, Natalie said the CareGiver Conference not only fostered learning and knowledge sharing among attendees but served as a platform to celebrate the entire social care workforce.

Natalie added: “Frontline care professionals are the beating heart of everything we do, so it was amazing to see so many of them come together for a day of specialist training and networking.”

Right at Home Bournemouth and Poole intends to make the CareGiver Conference an annual event to empower care professionals to develop their skills and knowledge.