What is the Skin Care Champions education programme?

The pandemic highlighted the essential role that carers play in the healthcare system. It also showed just how important it is that social care workers have the training and support they need to deliver the very best care. The Skin Care Champions education programme was created to provide people working in care homes and home care agencies a trusted programme of cost-effective and easily accessible education and support with skin health and wound healing.

Our ambition is to create and empower a Skin Care Champion for every care home or agency that joins the programmes  – someone who can help to make sure that excellent care is provided to their clients and residents and be seen as a source of information and knowledge for their peers.

Training any time, any where

Training is delivered online, making it convenient for participants and cost-effective for care home and agencies. Members of the Skin Care Champions Programme get access to our clinicians and educators’ expertise, thoughts and ideas. All the educational material is evidence based, free of any product bias or promotion, and of the highest quality.

How does Skin Care Champions work?

The Skin Care Champions programme runs over one year. During that year the training covers the following six modules:

• Module 1 – The skin
• Module 2 – Acute wounds
• Module 3 – Infection prevention
• Module 4 – Pressure ulcers
• Module 5 – Wound care
• Module 6 – Lower limb

The training is given over the Zoom Meetings platform by Heidi Sandoz, our Skin Care Champions Educator. Heidi has been a Tissue Viability Nurse since 2002 and her passions centre around education, improving services for patients and team development. She is published under the names of both Guy and Sandoz. As part of being a Skin Care Champion, you have access to all of the following:

• Training sessions/meetings – Monthly for the Champions and quarterly for the Managers. These are all recorded so that if you miss one, you can easily catch up
• Heidi’s ‘Expert Webinar Series’ – a series of recorded webinars that can be watched on demand covering a range of relevant topics with leading speakers in wound care
• The modules – online resources which support all of the 6 modules above
• The Skin Care Champions monthly newsletter – focuses on hot topics
• The capability/competence assessment – tools and frameworks that help build education plans
• Quality Improvement – a comprehensive selection of quality improvement tools from a variety of sources
• Useful links – a whole range of useful links that will help with understanding skin health and wound healing
• The News – keeping you up to date with the latest news in the skin health and wound healing world
• Private website area – all assets mentioned above are stored in a private area on our website which is only accessible to Skin Care Champions and Managers. Over the course of the year, content is continually added as the modules progress.

The Skin Care Champions programme is a supportive community of like-minded people who have the opportunity to network and share experiences under Heidi’s guidance.

Visit the Private Area for Skin Care Champion members

When does the programme start

The next Skin Care Champions Programme starts 17 May 2023

What does it cost

The programme costs £200 for the year for one Skin Care Champion and one Manager. If a Care Home nominates a registered nurse as their Skin Care Champion in addition to the manager, a free place is also available for a carer or support worker.

If you have already been a part of the Skin Care Champion Programme, renewal costs just £150.

If you belong to an organisation that would like to have more than one Skin Care Champion we offer a group membership which is £750 for 5 Skin Care Champions and Managers.

If you’re ready to sign up, click the relevant box below and you can pay immediately by credit card to secure your place.

If you are interested but would like further information, complete the expression of interest form below and we will be in touch.

It’s more important than ever to be proactive in identifying areas of concerns and this programme will offer you the skills to do just that. The trainers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about providing exceptional skin care to residents. After completing the programme I’m now the key source of support for the whole team, and provide a link between the residents and local district nursing team.

– Rebecca Etherington
Health and Wellbeing Lead Abbeyfield (Lakeland Extra Care) Society
Participant in the Skin Care Champion pilot scheme