We know that finding the right training at the right price is an ongoing challenge for care providers.

Training costs are rising, availability can be limited and releasing staff to attend training can be difficult. For smaller providers in particular, it can be harder to achieve the economies of scale available to larger organisations and it can be difficult to quality control the training offer.

That is why we have been working with Portsmouth City Council and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to explore ways of making quality-checked training more affordable and accessible locally.

We’re pleased to announce that the first Oliver McGowan Tier 2 face-to-face session is now available for providers based in Portsmouth or delivering care in the city.

Funding to cover the cost of the training is available through the LDSS scheme for eligible providers, subject to the requirements.

If you're a Portsmouth CQC-registered provider delivering services in Portsmouth City you can book your place here

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

This is initially being offered as a pilot. If uptake is strong and the pilot is successful, we hope to make further training dates available.

While this particular opportunity is focused on Portsmouth-based providers and providers delivering care in Portsmouth, we recognise that providers across Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth face many of the same challenges when it comes to accessing affordable, good-quality training.

We are therefore looking more broadly at how we can work with partners to develop training offers that help providers reduce costs, access quality-assured learning and make better use of their staff time.

This includes exploring whether we can scale successful local training opportunities so that they can benefit more providers across the HCA area.

We know that training is only one part of the wider pressures facing providers, but we hope that by working together with councils, the NHS and other partners, we can help make good-quality training a little more accessible and affordable.

We’ll share more opportunities as they become available.