Regular refresher training for care teams will always be on the agenda of any successful Manager. It’s no secret that your team’s ability to deliver great care relies on competence levels, skills and up to date knowledge. However, it’s also no secret that fitting refresher training into the daily demands of running a busy care service can sometimes feel like a challenge too. But without regular refresher training, Managers could be facing issues in their care services that could easily have been avoided. The nightmare of standards slipping, incidents, mistakes and the dread of a CQC inspection that doesn’t do you justice, could all become harsh realities.
In this post I’m sharing my 3 top reasons why refresher training will absolutely benefit your care organisation:
1. Things change in the care industry
Legislation and regulations are constantly changing and evolving. There are often updates and tweaks in procedures that your care staff have a right to know about. Keeping staff updated and aware of changes will only positively develop their skills and best practice. The outstanding care services stay ahead of the game in this respect.
2. Roles and people change
Staff in care settings often move around and therefore their roles and responsibilities may change too. The previous training they have received may no longer be adequate or relevant to their new roles.
And for care staff who have stayed in the same role, the needs of the individuals they support may have changed over time. Having the right training in place so that they can continue to meet people’s needs is crucial.
3. The motivation factor of refresher training
Training goes beyond skills and knowledge. In fact, it runs much deeper than that. Providing your staff with regular access to refresher training makes them feel valued and invested in. Even for staff who appear to know it all, it’s amazing how many say they have learnt new things on training. The benefits of training are vast in terms of morale. With engaging and interactive training, staff develop both personally and professionally.
Refresher training should not be a case of IF it happens, but WHEN it happens
How often care staff refresh their training depends on the needs of the service and the people who they support. As an example, take a care worker who provides daily support to individuals with physical disabilities. Where people moving and handling forms the biggest aspect of their role, annual refresher training would be recommended.
Another example would be care staff and food safety training. If they only deliver meals to the people they support but it is the main role of kitchen staff in food preparation, then it may be adequate to refresh every couple of years.
An unpopular fact about refresher training for care is this…..
There is no definitive list of timescales for refresher training. Nevertheless, what is expected is that Managers assess the risks and provide adequate and appropriate training in line with the needs of each individual and service.
The main thing to remember is that training should be a continual process from induction right through to regular refreshers. For the safe and effective care of the people you support and your staff team, it should NOT be a one-off event. Care services where there is a positive culture around training as a continual process succeed far better in CQC inspections according to studies by Community Care. What’s more, CQC will expect to see clear evidence that plans are in place for training. Not just that it has happened, but evidenced in training records and ideally a matrix. The likelihood of things going wrong or care standards slipping reduces significantly with competent and motivated staff teams. And aren’t we all here in the health and social care sector to ensure we all deliver those outstanding levels of care?
A word from me, Rachel Hannon:
As the Business Development Manager at TH Training Solutions, I’m constantly striving to help care providers with the many challenges that they face regarding training for their care teams. We have 18 years’ experience actually working in the sector and therefore understand how the operational side works and of course, both the stresses Managers face and the value of having fantastic training in place.