From April 2015, all new staff starting work as healthcare support workers in England will have to gain the Care Certificate before working without direct supervision.
The first set of materials has now been published covering the content of the certificate and assessment guidance.
UNISON is preparing materials and guidance to support our members and reps, which will be ready to roll out from April.
The Care Certificate was recommended by the Camilla Cavendish review into healthcare support worker training. Her review was prompted by the Francis Inquiry into Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust.
The certificate that has now been developed sets out minimum standards for induction training before healthcare support workers and care workers are allowed to work unsupervised.
UNISON has been involved and consulted during its development. In healthcare, it applies to healthcare assistants, assistant practitioners and support roles where there is direct patient contact, such as maternity support workers, OT assistants, and physiotherapy assistants.
In social care, it covers care workers including residential, daycare and homecare.
The certificate covers 15 key standards, including duty of care, communication, privacy and dignity, fluids and nutrition, and infection prevention and control.
The Care Certificate:
- is not a qualification – although evidence collected for it could also be used as evidence toward QCF qualifications;
- is focused on new starters, although some employers may decide to assess existing staff so they too can be awarded the certificate;
- is expected to take around 12 weeks for full-time staff to achieve. Until then, staff should not work without direct supervision;
- assessment is by each individual employer, with no external validation;
- is intended be transferable between employers and roles.
UNISON welcomes the commitment to minimum standards for induction training.
Healthcare support workers and care workers form a vitally important workforce, which needs and deserves good training from the outset.
UNISON believes that there should be a system of external checking to make sure it is being delivered to a consistent standard by different employers. We want to stop any employers being able to cut corners on training or taking a tick-box approach.
We would also like to see the certificate accredited so that, when you achieve it, you can count it towards gaining a qualification.
In the meantime, UNISON will support members and work with employers so that the Care Certificate can be introduced to the best possible standard for the benefit of patients, service users and staff.
