The idea for the programme came from audits of care home resident attendances at emergency departments in 2023 and 2025. These showed that many operational staff didn’t fully understand the complexities of their local care home sector, which was leading to frustration, reduced trust and challenges when planning discharges.
But instead of seeing this as a problem, the Quality Development Team – which includes Queen’s Nurses Marianne Walmsley (Head of Quality for Care Homes), Kara Roberts (Quality Matron for Commissioning Services), Helena Jolliffe (Quality Development Nurse) and Anna M Jones (Quality Development Nurse) – saw it as an opportunity to bring people together, build understanding and improve how we work as one system.
Learning together
At the heart of the programme are interactive learning sessions delivered in hospitals and universities across north Wales.
What makes these sessions special is that they’re co-designed and co-delivered with care home professionals. These colleagues generously give their time to share their experiences and insights, making the sessions practical, honest, and grounded in real life.
Together, the team explores topics like what nursing and residential care homes actually do day-to-day, what needs to be in place for safe and appropriate discharges, the real impact of poorly planned discharges, common misconceptions (and what the reality looks like), and wider system challenges, including access to community services.
More than anything, these sessions create space for open, honest conversations. People are encouraged to ask questions, challenge assumptions and learn from each other in a supportive way.
Collaboration in action
One of the strongest aspects of this programme is how collaborative it is. So far, 18 care home representatives have volunteered to co-deliver sessions alongside the Quality Development Team. Sessions are interactive and engaging, with discussions, quizzes and opportunities to explore real scenarios together.
Just as importantly, these sessions help people connect on a human level. They bring together professionals who might usually only interact during busy or pressured situations, helping to build understanding and trust.
Feedback is regularly gathered and used to keep improving the sessions, ensuring they stay relevant and useful.
Growing reach and impact
Since the pilot session at Ysbyty Gwynedd in February 2024, the programme has grown rapidly with 469 attendees, 26 sessions delivered, 18 care home presenters from 13 different settings, and sessions delivered across six sites, including hospitals and universities. This growth shows just how valuable and needed this kind of learning is.
Changing culture, improving experiences
This programme isn’t just about training, but about creating lasting culture change too. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, with many saying they feel more confident, better informed, and more appreciative of the care home sector.
Some comments include:
- “This is the best discharge training I’ve attended in 40 years.”
- “We need more sessions like this – it’s essential for hospital staff.”
- “There was a real sense of care, dedication and collaboration in the room.
Care home partners have also shared how valuable it’s been for them, saying:
- "It’s helped me to see things from the hospital’s perspective.”
- “It’s been great to be in a room with hospital teams we normally have challenging phone calls with.”
- “This has been a really valuable thing to be part of.”
By bringing people together, valuing different perspectives, and encouraging open conversations, it’s supporting a more joined-up, respectful and responsive system. Ultimately, this means better experiences for care home residents – with discharges that are timely, safe, appropriate and person-centred.
As the programme continues to grow, it’s a great example of what can be achieved when we work together.
The team has produced a short video about the Care Home Awareness project. Watch the video.
