MANAGERS have produced their own guide to running a successful home or care service.

It is believed to be the first guidebook written for managers and owners of small care homes and domiciliary care services by managers themselves.

Wayne Laurence, of Marley House in Winfrith, has been involved.

The project has been funded by Dorchester-based Skills for Care South West, which supports development of the workforce in the care sector, and was led by Bristol-based consultants InPerspective.

Regional development manager for Skills for Care South West John Nash believes the project has the potential to be adopted nationwide. He said: "The guidebook launch brings together the strands of the first phase of this exciting project for the South West.

"The way it has been received shows that there is a real thirst for sharing knowledge and experience among care providers."

One of the principles in the guide is that valuing and investing in the training of staff will pay dividends in recruitment and retention, and improve the quality of care for service users.

The guidebook sets out tips and practical ideas for helping staff to develop.

The managers taking part in the project said that they found the quality of care that their staff provided improved as they tried out the new ideas in the book over a two-year period.

The guidebook also marks the launch of a regional network to be known as The Learning Exchange.