Barchester leads the way with online learning for entire nursing workforce

Barchester Healthcare will be the first private care provider in the UK to offer ‘Nursing Times Group Access’ to its entire nursing workforce.  The agreement will give its nurses access to the online learning, clinical information and award-winning rolling news.

The roll-out will begin in April, enabling all Barchester nurses to access a growing bank of online learning units on essential nursing topics, over 5,000 peer reviewed practice articles, news on nursing and healthcare policy and the Nursing Times tablet and mobile app.

Barchester employs around 2,500 nurses and providing them with Nursing Times Group Access is part of its commitment to helping nursing staff further their learning and ensure they have the knowledge they need to continue practising safely.

Nursing Times Learning units have the added benefit of helping nurses to prepare for the launch of revalidation. This new process will require nurses to demonstrate they have undertaken continuing professional development (CPD) in order to remain on the nursing and midwifery register. Through ‘Group Access’, nurses can undertake some of this CPD at their own convenience.

Trish Morris-Thompson, Director of Quality and Clinical Governance at Barchester Healthcare said: “Barchester is committed to supporting staff to do the best job possible and improving resident care. Providing our nurses with Nursing Times Group Access will offer every nurse an engaging and convenient way to continue learning and updating their knowledge throughout the year. I am proud that we can offer this to every nurse working for Barchester.”

Jenni Middleton, editor of Nursing Times, said: “I am delighted that Barchester has become the first private organisation to buy Nursing Times Group Access for all its nurses. Nursing Times is committed to helping nurses provide the best and safest care for their patients, and this proves Barchester’s interest in and commitment in that, as well as to its nurses. It’s a great way to motivate nurses and incentivise them to stay with the organisation – particularly as it will make revalidation much much easier.”

Care England's chief executive, Professor Martin Green OBE, said: “In making Nursing Times available to nurses across Barchester, the company is ensuring that nurses have access to a range of training materials and up-to-date information about the current issues affecting nurses across the UK and beyond. "