A Gwynedd care home group has opened the doors to a new training centre as part of bold plans to increase high-quality dementia support within North Wales.
Meddyg Care, which has two homes in Criccieth and Porthmadog, has completed work on the dedicated space next door to the company’s head office along Bank Place in Porthmadog.
The facility, which occupies the former Cambrian News office in the town, has been renovated from the ground up to allow for staff development and specialised courses focused on the care sector.
However, it won’t just be Meddyg employees which will be able to take advantage of the new building, with the premises also available for other care groups and businesses within the region for use.
Organisations utilising the new site will have access to a lecture theatre which will seat 10 under social distancing regulations, an e-learning centre, and a practical exercise simulation room.
Learners can examine online educational resources and simulate on-site situations utilising technology such as hoisting machines to help ensure the best manner of practice is undertaken in the home when dealing with residents.
Meddyg Care training and development manager Samantha Bowley said: “This investment will ensure Meddyg staff are kept up to the highest possible standard within the industry and we are thrilled to be in place in the new centre.
“One of our major goals for 2022 is to ensure all our employees are meeting and surpassing the relevant frameworks necessitated by Social Care Wales, and the new centre will allow these courses to be completed in ease and comfort.
“We want to further take advantage of the new space over the coming 12 months to further enhance the range of educational programmes we offer our team and having these additional resources will allow us to make that push in a more focused manner.”
The opening of the centre marks the second phase of Meddyg Care’s overhaul of staff professional development, following a revamp of its induction programme for new starters in 2021.
Meddyg Care managing director Kevin Edwards said: “We are dedicated to ensuring all of our team members have the resources and opportunities available to them to not only better themselves and their skillsets, but also provide the highest quality of care to our residents.
“This training centre is the bedrock on which this directive is built on, and I believe this development will be a major boost not just to Meddyg but the entire region’s care sector as it provides a dedicated space for education within Gwynedd which is open to all.
“Having a specialised site employees can attend which is close to where they live and work will cut out the need to travel for hours to attend similar locations and will further encourage them to put their own personal development more in the spotlight.”
