Care Champions - providing training to the care sector

15/09/2025

With the start of flu season, schools, care providers, and health settings are getting ready for one of the busiest times of the year.

At Care Champions, we’ve already begun delivering our Immunisation and Intramuscular Injection training, helping staff feel confident and competent in keeping the people they support safe.

This course covers both the theory and the hands-on practical skills needed to prepare and safely administer injections, manage the cold chain, and respond to adverse reactions.

Today's delegates enjoyed the opportunity to practise their technique in a safe, supported environment, as always

Whether you’re a school, a care home, or a health provider, this training ensures your staff are ready for flu season and beyond.

If your team needs training or refresher sessions, get in touch. We'd be happy to help.

15/08/2025

Glowing client feedback on a sunny autumnal Friday… all thanks to our amazing trainers.

That’s me grinning from ear to ear all weekend, then.! 🥰

13/08/2025

Oh, I love this idea. Bravo 👏

Fish & Chips Friday at Mill House - Friday 29th August!

At Mill House Care Home, we’re proud to support our local community and create welcoming spaces where people can connect, share stories, and enjoy time together.

That’s why we’re inviting those aged 55 and over to join us for our monthly Fish & Chips Friday – a lovely opportunity to make new friends and enjoy a classic lunch in warm and friendly surroundings, taking place on the last Friday of the month.

Join us for a delicious fish and chips lunch, great conversation, and a relaxed atmosphere – all part of our commitment to bringing people together and building stronger community connections.

August’s Fish & Chips Friday is on Friday 29th August at 1:30pm

📍 Mill House Care Home, Chipping Campden, GL55 6DR

👥 For members of our local community, aged 55+

🗓️ A monthly event – spaces are limited!

Booking is essential and places are completely FREE! To book your place, please contact our Community Relations Manager, Paul, at pturvey@ariacare.co.uk

We can’t wait to welcome you! 💛

11/08/2025

We deliver practical hands on clinical training for nurses carers and support staff in care homes hospices and community settings.

Our courses focus on the skills your team actually uses every day from venepuncture and wound care to catheterisation medication administration and more.

Real skills and real confidence ready for the real world.

Message us today to book your next training session.

05/08/2025

What a turnaround

It's official. A care home we’ve been supporting over the last 12 months has gone from Requires Improvement to Good across the board.

In that time, we’ve delivered all of their staff training, from safeguarding and medication to dementia care and Mental Capacity Act. The CQC report highlights how staff used that training to improve care, change their practice, and deliver better outcomes.

That’s the difference between training that ticks a box and training that changes care.

When CQC comments on the quality of the training, they recognise that it was effective in building staff confidence and improving care standards.

Huge credit to the fantastic team here at Care Champions. Our knowledge, energy and high standards made this all possible.

We’re proud to have played a part in this journey with our client.

03/08/2025

It's hard to believe we are reading about yet another avoidable death due to food related choking in our care homes and confusion around DNAR

Attached is a recent inquest into how a resident choked and became unresponsive in her care home. The staff DIDN'T start CPR because there was a DNAR in place.

Can you imagine? An elderly lady is choking to death right in front of you but don't know what to do, or who to call...so you do NOTHING because there is a DNAR in place.!

Her DNAR was wrongly interpreted by nurses and that misunderstanding cost her life. Of course, this dreadful, preventable death wasn’t just about the DNAR situation. There were so many errors I literally lost count.

LET'S BE CLEAR

DNAR stands for Do Not Attempt Resuscitation

It DOES NOT mean

• Do not give back slaps or abdominal thrusts if someone is choking
• Do not call 999
• Do not offer first aid or support
• Do not treat the person
• Do not help if they are in distress

If someone is
• Choking
• Collapsing
• In pain
• Having a seizure
• Confused
• Struggling to breathe

You help them
You call for support
You give emergency first aid

DNAR does not stop you from acting. It NEVER has. It NEVER will.

Shockingly, this story is not new. In the last five years, more than 1,300 people in England and Wales have died from choking.
Most were older adults. In care homes, choking deaths happen every year.

Some cases, like Joan Whitworth and Ivy Dixon, involved staff not helping because they misunderstood DNAR orders.Coroners have raised serious concerns about this. It is not uncommon.

Choking is a medical emergency that absolutely CAN be REVERSED if acted on quickly. DNAR does not mean do nothing. It is not a reason to hesitate.

This is NOT a grey area. Understands the difference TODAY.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/health/much-loved-grandmother-who-knew-32189598?fbclid=IwY2xjawL8jyNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETE1UUxkU0dhVVNrUmdjUUxOAR4wJaSOlG2iXRkxZPYrhnKRr-d7R4-Tc6J2ER56SDToS-xS1nLnmNLUgU2K_g_aem_4YYUSM063-rmQNQe9zzZwg

Blyth grandmother Joan Whitworth, died in March 2023 when she choked after care home staff gave her a meal that did not meet her needs

17/07/2025

There’s been a big shift in what happens after someone dies expectedly in your care. And this has caught a lot of people off guard.

Since September 2024, all expected deaths now go through the Medical Examiner before a death certificate can be issued. That means the days of doctors automatically notifying the coroner (especially if they hadn’t seen the person recently) are over.

What does this mean for you?

If you’re a care home manager, nurse or senior carer, you need to know:

When a coroner does need to be notified
What your role is now the Medical Examiner is involved
What’s changed on the death certificate
And what mistakes could hold things up or cause problems

If you’re a nurse you need to know:

The minimum observation time before confirming death.
The legal requirements of confirming death
The six clinical processes to be performed before confirming death

We are running live Zoom sessions to explain it all clearly, using real examples from care settings.

It’s practical, it’s straight to the point, and there’ll be time for questions.

If you want to book a place on our next session or just want to know more, drop me a message, or tag someone who you feel should attend.

01/07/2025

Just 1 week to go until our next Dementia Cafe! Pop in for a friendly chat, a warm cuppa, and some cake in good company. Everyone’s welcome – we’d love to see you there!

📍 Saintbridge House
🗓️ Monday 7th July, 10.30am - 12pm

27/05/2025

"I was unaware of how much I was missing."

During our most recent training, one of our delegates made that statement, which is precisely why training courses like these are so crucial.

For those who are not familiar, RESTORE2 is a tool that is intended to be used in care settings to assist care professionals in identifying early indicators of physical deterioration, particularly in those who might not be able to express their feelings verbally.

To facilitate prompt escalation to medical specialists, it integrates the NEWS2 grading system, SBARD communication, soft indicators, and basic observations.

In our latest session, we saw a real shift in delegates’ confidence.

They went from -

“I think something’s wrong, but I don’t know how to explain it”
to
“I’ve noticed these soft signs, taken these observations, and here’s my SBARD report.”

It was, as always, practical, engaging, and eye-opening for many.

We bring all the necessary equipment with us
Digital blood pressure monitors
Pulse oximeters
Digital thermometers
Observation recording charts and escalation tools
Demo scenarios and SBARD prompt cards
RESTORE2 charts and escalation guidance
Training manikins to simulate taking basic observations
Role-play packs to practise SBARD conversations in realistic situations

Delegates get hands-on, practical training, not just theory.

The biggest difference we saw in our delegates by the end of the course?
Confidence
Clarity
Action

Exactly what good care should look like.

If your team could benefit from training like this, we’re ready to help.

22/05/2025

During our recent PEG Feeding training, something brilliant happened.

A lovely lady supported by the care home, who actually has a PEG, asked to join in. Not only did she sit through the whole session, she shared her experience, made everyone laugh, and brought the topic to life in a way no textbook ever could.

She even insisted on a group photo with our trainer and her care team. When we asked if she’d like to feature on our socials, she lit up with excitement. “Yes, please,” she said. “That would be amazing!”

This is what makes our PEG training different. It’s not just clinical. It’s real. It’s human. It’s full of stories, shared understanding, and a few unforgettable moments.

We don’t just train staff. We bring everyone into the conversation, including the people we’re all here to support.

If you’re looking for PEG training that puts people first, get in touch. We’d love to bring sessions like this to your team too.

And when they smile like this 👇 we know we’re doing something right.

20/05/2025

A 93-year-old man.
One leg.
In a wheelchair.
Pepper sprayed.
Struck with a baton.
TASERED.

Let that sink in for a moment.

This is what happened to Donald Burgess inside a care home in East Sussex.

He died 22 days later in hospital.

As a clinical trainer working in the care sector, I’ve read the details of this case with a deep sense of anger, disbelief, and sadness. What unfolded that day was an appalling failure of care, of communication, of judgement, and of basic humanity.

The force used was disproportionate. Police arrived and within 83 seconds, pepper-sprayed, beat, and tasered a 93-year-old disabled man. He posed minimal risk. He was seated. He was frail. This was a catastrophic overreaction.

There was a failure to de-escalate. Neither police nor staff managed to calm him safely. But it appears the police didn’t even try. There was no rapport-building, no attempt to understand the situation, no consideration of alternatives.

Care home staff had spent 30 minutes trying to manage the situation before calling police, but clearly didn’t have the tools or strategies needed.

Pain, infection, delirium, dementia. These are often the real causes of so-called "challenging behaviour". If we don’t train police and care staff to recognise this, we are failing the people we support.

Where was the risk assessment?
The care plan?
Was the man’s cognitive status explained?
His vulnerability made clear?

Or was he simply described as aggressive?

And here's what truly baffles me:

I see police officers show far more restraint week after week at major marches in London. They face aggression, abuse, and hostility. They’re shoved, screamed at, even spat on. And they barely raise their voices.

No batons.
No tasers.
No pepper spray.

Yet here, alone in a care home room, an elderly man with one leg is met with overwhelming force.

This incident wasn’t just a bad call. It was a systemic failure. And unless we speak out, honestly and constructively, it will happen again.

Train better.
Communicate better.
Respond better.

Because people like Donald Burgess deserved more than this.

20/05/2025

Jim Rownsley, aged 89, died in February this year after a fire broke out in his home in Mexborough.

He had been using his usual gas heater to stay warm. What no one realised was that the emollient cream he used every day had soaked into his clothes. When he sat near the heater, his clothing caught fire. He didn’t stand a chance.

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. There have been many stories like Jim’s.

Emollient creams, used to treat dry skin conditions like eczema, are not flammable on their own. But when used regularly, they can build up in fabrics like clothing, bedding, dressings, and furniture. This creates a fire risk that can be triggered by:

🔸 Gas heaters
🔸 Ci******es and lighters
🔸 Electric blankets
🔸 Tumble dryers
🔸 Sparks from cookers, candles, or matches

In care settings and in people's own homes, these creams are used daily by people who may be immobile or unable to react quickly in an emergency. Yet many have never been informed of the potential dangers.

This is why we include this topic in all of our fire safety training sessions.

We talk about how to recognise the risks, how to support people safely, and how to prevent tragedies like this from happening again.

I’m sharing this because it matters. Yes, I deliver fire safety training for care teams, but this goes beyond that. It’s not about selling training courses. It’s about making sure no one else loses a loved one in a situation that could have been avoided.

If you work in care or support someone who uses emollient creams regularly, please talk about this with your team.
Make sure people are aware.
Make sure safe heating options are in place.
Make sure bedding and clothing are changed regularly.
Take extra care when using tumble dryers.

Even after washing, creams can remain in fabrics, and the heat from a dryer has caused fires in some cases where residue was still present.

No one should lose their life because of a cream meant to ease their pain.

But it has happened. Again and again.