Grey Matter Learning to continue supporting social care across Devon County Council

Following an impressive first year, Devon County Council have renewed its contract with leading social care training provider, Grey Matter Learning.

In January 2022, Devon County Council (DCC) began working with Grey Matter Learning (GML). The partnership provided training for individuals and organisations across social care in Devon.

GML is a nationally recognised social care eLearning provider, with its Learning Management System ‘Click’ boasting an impressive 125 courses. Since its inception in 2006, GML has worked with over 30 Local Authorities to deliver funded care training.

This unique offer enables Local Authorities to centralise training and development for social care providers in the local area.

As a Skills for Care ‘Centre for Excellence’, GML has supported thousands of care providers to improve the quality of care, reduce staff turnover, and enhance CQC ratings.

Before working with GML, Ruth Haynes, Workforce Development Advisor for Training & Education at DCC, was aware of some challenges facing care providers in the area. The absence of a centralised system meant quality and effectiveness of training varied.

Ruth said: “We needed a ‘Care Passport’, whereby social care staff could hold all their training certificates in one place and transfer training if they chose to move to a different organisation.”

Ruth was keen to see how a centralised system would support care providers and individuals working as Personal Care Assistants. The Click platform does just that. It enables care providers to benchmark the learning and progression of staff, ensuring quality standards remain high.

Ruth said: “The relationship is very much a two-way partnership. The team at GML are always open to new course ideas and works with us to ensure our providers have access to the best training opportunities.

“We have only scratched the surface of our partnership with GML, and I hope this year we can level up even further and support our providers to do what they do best – deliver fantastic care.”

Head of Customer Engagement at GML, Peter Humphreys, said: “It has been a pleasure to work with DCC for the last year. We have set the foundations for a thriving partnership that places the quality of care at its heart.

“Our mission has always been to drive quality standards and help those working in the sector access training and development opportunities that directly impact care quality.”

DCC serves East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, and West Devon. Access to GML’s platform is available to all care providers who fall within those areas. Care providers can access funded learning here.