Frailty Academy

  • To have a frailty academy to provide consistent high quality education and training for our workforce aligned to the core capabilities framework, investing in our people and helping them develop their knowledge and skills.​
  • To ensure people living with frailty, or those who are vulnerable, have access to the right learning and training in order to live well and age well. Carers and families will be supported to understand frailty and recognising frailty crisis. ​​​

Achieving this goal will improve the effectiveness and capability of services for people living with frailty and empower people living with frailty (as well as their family, friends and carers) to understand the condition, make the most of available support and to plan effectively for their own current and future care needs. ​

Frailty training

The Frailty Academy is making available a range of learning opportunities to support people who have frailty and health and social care workers who provide care. Below is a list of some of the products available and in development.

Information to increase understanding of frailty on the website.

A Frailty Basics learning pack for families, volunteers and staff who want to know more about what frailty is and how to help a person who is frail.

A Frailty Awareness pack (tier 1 of the Frailty Capabilities Framework) for people living with frailty, as well as their family, friends and carers, to ensure they are making the most of the support on offer and can plan effectively for their own current and future care needs. This tier is also for all those working in health, social care and other services who have contact with people with frailty including those who will go on to further training at tiers 2 and 3.

Frailty Champions weekly learning sessions (tier 2 of the Frailty Capabilities Framework) relevant for health and social care staff and others who regularly work with people living with frailty but who would seek support from others for complex management or decision-making. This tier is for those who provide care and support for people living with frailty as part of their work, but who would not be responsible for complex decisions regarding management of frailty.

A Frailty Experts course is currently under development (tier 3 of the Frailty Capabilities Framework). This will be relevant for health, social care and other professionals with a high degree of autonomy, able to provide care in complex situations and who may also lead services for people living with frailty. It is for those with responsibility for complex decision-making and to whom others refer for management, guidance and support.

In addition, the Frailty Academy will continuously look for opportunities to encourage understanding and learning on frailty.

Frailty Steering Group

The Frailty Academy has a Steering Group led by a Royal Surrey Consultant geriatrician. The purpose of the Steering Group is:

  1. To identify, agree, prioritise and mobilise frailty training opportunities that support the implementation of the NHS Frailty Framework of Core Capabilities and the ambitions set out in the G&W Alliance Frailty Strategy. 
  2. To undertake governance of any relevant frailty training and/or projects funded through the G&W Alliance (and/or its sub-committees). 
  3. To review and report to the G&W Alliance Board (and/or its sub-committees) on frailty training, funding and competencies in G&W if requested to do so. 
  4. To identify and report on risks/issues to the delivery of the G&W Alliance Frailty Strategy in relation to training. 
  5. To support the progress and improvement of training more generally in G&W where the training is relevant to improving competencies and supporting patients, their carers and families in relation to frailty. 
  6. To identify future funding potential to further deliver and develop the Frailty Academy. Use of such funds will be tracked by the Frailty Academy Steering Group to demonstrate outputs, outcomes and value for money. 

The Steering Group has reported to the Guildford & Waverley Workforce Development Committee and is further developing its role and reporting.