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TRAINING & EDUCATION


the care sector. Recruiting new staff members who already possess a Care Certificate will help to speed up the induction process. As a company, we can decide whether to repeat the training with the individual, or assess their current abilities and competencies through shadowing sessions and knowledge assessments.


While the Care Certificate is not part of any legislation, it’s viewed as best practice by the CQC, with the independent regulator expecting all providers that employ health and social care workers to demonstrate that new staff hold the right skill set for the type of client group they service.


The Care Certificate is therefore seen as a robust benchmark for staff inductions that the CQC will look for during inspections. Any providers that don’t offer the Certificate will still be required to demonstrate a robust and comprehensive training process.


With the date for expected compliance looming closer, providers that haven’t yet begun to plan for the changes run the risk of failing to meet CQC standards. As a business, we commenced preparations well in advance and since January 2015 have been analysing the variety of tools available.


The market is saturated with training providers, some far more advanced than others. By testing the products, we’ve been able to source a cost-effective solution that matches the training needs and staff requirements of our business, all while delivering a sound theoretical understanding of the processes, procedures, legislation and concepts.


To ensure new staff members and entrants to the care sector are well-versed in the fundamental care requirements, we’ve also introduced additional training courses covering dementia, safeguarding and mental health provisions specifically within a homecare environment.


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Without having started this transition well in advance, we’d be up against the deadline in an attempt to source a suitable training provider and ensure we’ve the right licenses in place. The Care Certificate can be a costly change to implement, but early and thorough preparations can help to source cost-effective solutions.


The Care Certificate also provides


reassurance to patients and clients that


newly-appointed staff members possess the


requisite skills, needed to provide them with quality care.


While the new induction standards will create a more valued, career- focused workforce, employers are ultimately responsible for enforcing it and providing the quality teaching and assessments required. The potential danger is that providers may not take it sufficiently seriously enough and view the changes as a simple box ticking exercise rather than observed practice.


A lack of senior staff members could also hinder those providers that don’t have the resources available to act as competent assessors, which could result in increased recruitment and overhead costs.


Another drawback of the new induction model is that staff members are unable to work independently and unsupervised within the community until the basic training is complete and a Care Certificate is issued. The training cannot be fast-tracked, which means that providers won’t have access to a fully competent member of staff until around three months after their start date.


Top Tips To ensure a smooth implementation of the changes set out in the Care Certificate, here are three top tips for providers:


1


Make sure your company has a robust support system with a


network of experienced staff members who are competent to observe and assess, as this will be pivotal to the success of the Care Certificate programme. While employees do not need a specific qualification to become an assessor, they must know what competencies to look for when signing off suitably-skilled inductees. Those experienced staff members working on the frontline are often the ideal assessors, having worked with clients day in, day out.


2


Do your homework and be confident in the product you choose to


deliver the Care Certificate. Versatility is crucial, for example, our in-house training software prompts the user when observations and assessments are due during the knowledge-learning phase. The system must support your business and its staff so be sure to source efficient software that requires little manual input.


3


The new Care Certificate could hinder business growth,


particularly when new staff are unable to work on a solo basis until the induction process is complete. The structure has, however, been designed in conjunction with health and social care employers to ensure its requirements aren’t overly burdensome and, when implemented correctly, can in fact have a positive effect on the provider and its team.


While the Care Certificate isn’t a formal accreditation – something which many professionals have been calling for – it will provide a foundation for an industry whose workforce has increasingly overlapping skills and help to breakdown the silos between them.


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