Training is absolutely critical to the continued functioning of healthcare services and person-centred care. This may sound self-evident, but the sheer breadth of the need for high quality training across the care sector may surprise you. Training of staff in any healthcare related organisation is important in ensuring the safety of people receiving and giving care, and in maintaining appropriately high-quality standards of care provision.
The core purpose of training of care staff is to ensure that safe, high-quality and person-centred care is provided at all times. Good training fosters the approaches, attitudes, skills and knowledge required for staff to deliver the required levels of care. Not only that but it enables them to take appropriate steps to lower risk and to respond correctly as and when a risk is identified within their care setting. This lowers the chances of harm occurring to patients.
Training is instrumental in reducing the chance of something going wrong, which could put people at serious risk of harm. This might be practical, technical training but it could just as easily be learning how to communicate more effectively or managing patients with behavioural difficulties.
Staff training is also important because as a registered provider it’s a regulatory requirement to ensure all staff have a basic, appropriate level of training and to have undergone a proper induction before they start their role. It’s also a requirement to ensure staff have the training needed in order to complete certain activities or care for people with particular care needs. A good example might be if a certain piece of equipment is used as part of a person’s care- the person assigned to their care needs to know how to use that equipment properly and safely.
Staff training is particularly important in health and social care, because good training helps organisations retain good staff- something which is even more critical in the care sector than others. Social care in particular is facing mounting challenges in terms of recruiting and keeping staff.
How does good, well-targeted training help retain staff? It can provide them with greater recognition for their efforts. It can help give them a clearer understanding of possible routes for career development. It can give them a greater feeling of “professionalism” and pride. It can make them feel more confident and equipped to deal with whatever situations may arise in what can be a complex and challenging job- which can lead to lower stress levels. These factors alone are key to giving people motivation in their day-to-day roles, and well-motivated staff members tend to be happier in their work so less likely to be looking for occupations elsewhere.
Not only that but organisations that are seen to be training their staff properly and comprehensively tend to attract more applicants to whichever roles they happen to have available. This in turn makes it easier for them to be able to invest in good people and offer them training, because the interest generated by the quality of their existing training framework (and, increasingly, a healthy and progressive work culture) provides them with a greater pool of applicants to choose from.
There are numerous other reasons for organisations to invest heavily in their training programme:
It allows workers to keep up to date with changing technologies, best practices and approaches to care, as well as changes in the way medication and prescriptions are handled and used.
It promotes the safety of patients in the care of the organisation’s workforce.
It makes it easier for staff to uphold professional standards and ethics (for example, patient confidentiality) as well as legal guidelines.
It helps to create a culture where ongoing learning and continuous improvement are encouraged and rewarded.
It makes it easier for staff to communicate effectively and encourages collaboration between various teams within the organisation.
At ACI we offer a wide range of training courses- online or face to face, whichever suits you best. Contact us to discuss any training you’re interested in. We’d love to help!
