One of my goals in setting up the Leading in a Crisis (LIAC) programme was to create a learning opportunity designed specifically for nursing staff in the Independent Health and Social Care (IHSC) sector. Having worked in the IHSC sector myself for 10 years ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥“ including 8 years as a Nursing Home Manager ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥“ I know from first-hand experience how rare and valuable this kind of opportunity can be.
The LIAC programme was developed in response to the Department of HealthÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™s report , which identified the need for care home staff to enhance their ability to manage effectively during a crisis. A key pillar in our design of the programme was promoting closer collaboration between IHSC staff and Health and Social Care (HSC) staff in Northern Ireland.
From the start, we had key stakeholders inputting into the programmeÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™s design, with members of the RCN Northern Ireland Independent Sector Nurse Managers Network co-creating the content alongside RCN staff. After a successful pilot programme in December 2020, this content was further refined based on feedback from learners who had taken part.
Once we were satisfied that the content was as robust as it could be, we began rolling the programme out across Northern Ireland. Between December 2020 and February 2022, the programme was delivered six times to over 100 delegates, with each cohort taking part in four one-day sessions in a virtual learning environment. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 97 to 100% of participants at each session saying they would recommend the programme to a colleague.
