Roll out a legally recognised framework across the care sector, where qualifications on offer are accredited and recognised by the relevant authorities, ensuring the quality of training is consistent. This should include induction and refresher training. Allow face to face training to be completed online where necessary, and explore other types of training, such as shadowing. Require care organisations to have a legal responsibility to provide training of a set standard, which is part of the CQC inspection process. Create a register of staff training in England, as is already in place in Wales and Scotland. Log care staff’s training and development to ensure they’ve done the necessary training. Ensure that training and qualifications are attached to the person, so they don’t have to repeat training when changing jobs. Create a nationally recognised care qualification, with a set of basic modules everyone must complete. Provide more detailed and specialist modules for staff to add to their qualification if necessary. Take inspiration from the Scotland Higher National Certificate. Create a qualification that is the ‘gold standard’ that is highly thought of, providing a higher wage to encourage people to complete this qualification.
There should be a social care nursing qualification and register.. This should be such that it contains the basic knowledge that would be transferable to adult nurse registration following a clinical skills module (possibly a years top up course.) A Health and social care degree currently is worthless, it requires updating to provide the basic knowledge that a nursing degree contains, with social care modules in place of the clinical skills. The two degrees would then have transferable elements with the option to top up with modules to gain the other qualification. If all social care qualifications were linked into a degree pathway, keeping the current levels and qualifications already on offer, it would be a way for some of the best carers to work towards registration status. This would foster a sense of pride and would help to retain staff.
The problems nursing has is that there are many employees wearing a nurses uniform who are really unsuited to the job. They are only employed as nurses in the main because they are academically minded. Similarly, the NHS has lost thousands of people who could be excellent nurses who, because they aren't academically minded are ineligible to apply. The same risk applies here. Nursing is not a profession, it is a skilled trade, and the danger is that if SC follows the path of NC the quality of care provision could decline in just the same way that the quality of nursing care has declined.
Yes. Higher wages following qualifications.
Start training earlier eg in school Make sure qualification/training is recognised as the best and only one that should be considered Updates annually No qualification no benefits
Should include existing qualifications that trainers and colleges provide, if they are of a high enough standard. Qualifications should be placed onto a national register that can be easily checked, e.g., carers given a QR code that links to a page with their information and qualifications for piece of mind.
There are lots of appropriate courses provided by local colleges let’s not invent the wheel. Transferable qualifications are important
Brilliant idea. The concept that care workers can work towards qualifications that are nationally recognised (like nursing staff) can only be a positive both for the staff & for the quality of care provided.
I like this idea. However, this sort of professionalism training is required across the public sector. The current government will not like it, since they like to control 'low wage' peoples pay, especially in the public sector.
The qualification should be made free, for example for someone who commits to work in the sector for a certain time after qualifying, or look at the binary eduction in Germany, where students/ trainees work supervised half time in a work place and go to college half time.They get payed a (smaller) wage for their work, and no cost for the college.
NVQ qualifications would meet many of the requirements of care work. They are practical, can be assessed in the normal course of the carer's working day, and cover all levels, from basic to very advanced skills. A carer can start from scratch and work their way up. NVQ are practice-based, so written work or theory are only necessary when it applies to the work. So many FE/HE course relate to theory rather than the living skills and quick thinking needed for health and care work.
The usual one- unwillingness of past and present Administrations to address the needs of Health and Social Care providers. Care agencies have been allowed to become the rich man's playground. Local Authorities are not perfect, but I still feel they would be the best guardians of H and SC in their areas. Currently they simply do not have anything like sufficient funding to adequately finance H and S C
Take the training away from care setting and have classroom teaching with hands on care much later when some learning has been done. Training and hands on care shpuld encompass all disciplines, so that trainees can see which area they like, before committing to a role.
A health and social care degree is not in any way transferable to a nursing degree, nor should it be. A health and social care degree does not give any credit towards a nursing degree. Registered nurses already work in nursing home settings where nursing is required. The roles of a hcsw and a carer in social care have some transferable skills which is recognised in training such as the care certificate and should the carer move to an hcsw role they will need to complete clinical competencies. The carer in community might be trained to carry out some clinical tasks but these are delegated tasks and the care manager carries the accountability for this, not the care worker. The people who work in our care services deserve much more than they get but so do care staff in nhs hospitals and services who do a completely different job.
To really work, training should be linked to pay - this incentivise people to gain qualifications and to see care as a career, aiding retention. Alongside this, there needs to be a change in culture 9very hard to achieve, but an aspiration) regarding procurement - at present procurement of care by local authorities is often almost entirely on price, which translates into low wages.
The key challenge will of course be budget - cost of training, paying staff for their time, investing in CPD, and developing a pay strategy that rewards training and experience.
Have training but also practical training - someone goes to both 'normal training' and on the ground training
A worry is that, there is so much training that doesn't translate into the actual training. So what would ensure that this would be different?
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