How good quality health and social care training will benefit your care workforce

Training staff is a given and health and social care training is very crucial. It’s usually a mandatory requirement of local authority and clinical commissioning group contracts, the Care Quality Commission check training on their inspections and it’s vital to delivering a good quality service with high customer satisfaction.

Although regulation and contractual obligations are important aspects of training, businesses should not overlook the other benefits that training provides. Training improves staff retention as employees prefer to work with organizations that invest in their growth. Additionally, it can improve staff morale and lead to better quality of care.

Training can be effective in decreasing staff sickness. Especially illnesses resulting from poor manual handling techniques or work-related stress in challenging environments.

The changing face of social care users

The increasing complexity of social care users highlights the significance of investing in training for your care workforce. As a result, providing adequate training becomes even more critical for the delivery of quality care.

People entering social care have increasingly complex needs. Those receiving local authority-funded support at home tend to have higher needs than seen five years ago.

Providing complex care training to your staff can instill confidence and enhance their ability to manage and deliver quality care. This reassurance empowers them to handle complex situations and enhances their overall job satisfaction. It also reassures customers, their families and friends that they are in safe hands.

The changing face of the social care workforce

Many staff members joining the social care workforce today have little to no experience in the sector. Providing sufficient training and support is critical to ensure quality care delivery by inexperienced social care staff.

Recruiting staff for social care is becoming increasingly difficult. Employers are now considering candidates with relevant values and transferable skills, regardless of prior care experience.

Providing them with a robust training programme, and investing in them early will pay dividends. Staff receiving the

Care Certificate from Caring for Care will undergo an intensive five day programme covering all the standards, so that they feel truly prepared to go out into the field.

Providing a foundation of training can help social care staff manage the challenges that come with the job. This training can improve their ability to provide quality care and enhance their confidence in their role.

Increasing staff retention

Staff retention is a big issue in the care sector. The National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) State of Adult Social Care Workforce Report 2017 highlights that staff turnover is currently 27.8% and has been increasing year on year. Employers report they are unable to find and train skilled staff.

A robust training package during the induction period and ongoing development training can improve staff retention. Regular training opportunities help maintain staff engagement and commitment.

Staff will feel valued, more skilled and able to do their jobs. A values-led organization recognizes the importance of well-trained staff and integrates it into its workforce culture. It ensures that training is an integral part of its overall mission and values.

Increased motivation

Employers in domiciliary care agencies and care homes report that training is a way of increasing staff motivation and staff morale.

Staff who know what they should be doing, are well trained, particularly in more skilled areas such as PEG feeding and catheter care, feel more confident in their abilities, and feel valued by their employers as they can see their employers are willing to invest in them and develop their skill-set.

Reduced staff sickness

Social care requires a resilient staff culture as stress and burnout are common themes in staff sickness. The NMDS report states that 6.7 million sick days were lost in the previous 12 months. Often, workplace well-being was indicated as a factor.

A good quality training package can include elements like safe moving and handling. It can also include managing challenging behaviour, which can reduce staff sickness.

Increasing quality of care delivery

Training delivered by Caring for Care is personalised, quality-driven training which aims to increase the quality of both the care workforce, and also the care delivered.

Feedback on care providers is often around concerns about quality, and a workforce that is well trained, knows how to deliver complex care, safely administers medication and moves and handles safely is one that will deliver a quality service.

A care workforce that is knowledgeable on safeguarding will be able to differentiate between good care, poor care, and neglect. They will also understand their responsibilities in delivering a service

This leads to fewer complaints and less safeguarding and quality concerns, resulting in better staff morale. It is also likely to win repeat business as a ‘safe pair of hands’ to deliver services.

Good and outstanding ratings at inspection

Inspection ratings are incredibly important to contracting authorities, family and friends of people receiving care, and the people receiving care themselves.

Inspectors like to see a personalised training programme, including care certificate training where applicable, and that training also contributes to the development of each member of staff, over and above mandatory training.

Use appraisals and supervisions to identify staff development, and create champion roles to develop expertise in staff (a catheter champion, a dementia champion, a medication champion) – who will support newer staff and take the lead to ensure continued standards.

Investing in the right training partner for your staff

Caring for Care offer quality-driven, face to face and e-learning delivery.

The expertise offered will skill your staff with the knowledge they need to excel.

This sentence is already reduced and can be considered as two separate sentences. The training courses will meet all the needs of your business in the ever more complex social care sector.

Alongside this training, you can skill your staff up in Train the Trainer courses, so they will be able to continue to refresh staff knowledge and skills and deliver courses directly in medication, dementia, infection control, epilepsy medication, people moving and handling, and safeguarding.

We also offer integrated competency assessments to assure you that your staff have taken in the training, and are able to undergo both generic and specific care delivery.

We offer on-site, individual/open and e-learning so there’s a range of methods to suit your budget and your business. Contact us today to find out more, and to begin skilling your workforce up to deliver the best care that they can.