The Cavendish review has put the spotlight on healthcare support staff, meaning organisations are now in an exciting position to establish lasting changes that increase both productivity and the overall quality of care.
Confidence in the competence of your staff
Over the last year, Skills for Health has been collaborating with Health Education Yorkshire to devise an innovative programme that enhances the skills, flexibility and effectiveness of the support workforce – and helps them to “Get in, Get on, and Go further”.
We are delighted to report that the programme is near completion in seven trusts offering mental health and community services throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region.
This programme is now ready to roll out to other organisations across the country. As ever, we will harness our unrivalled expertise as the sector skills council for health to ensure that the healthcare workforce has the knowledge they need to provide the best possible care.
How does it work?
It’s a multi-threaded approach, one that varies according to the needs of your patients, the services your organisation offers and the level of support from your local employers.
Working with your executive teams, we can examine, review and redesign services – and formulate new roles that meet nationally recognised competences, so you can be confident in the knowledge and ability of your support staff.
Which sort of roles?
We will explore those within integrated health and social care, as well as assistant and associate practitioner roles.
All support staff development plans will adhere to the certificate of fundamental care and align with the applicable national and local policies and initiatives, including:
- The Cavendish report
- The talent for care
- The widening participation Health Education England workforce strategies
Increasing employment inside – and outside – your organisation
There is also space to grow your own registered clinicians through a comprehensive framework that will allow you to manage talent and encourage career progression from entry level.
We can look at increasing the number of apprenticeships, and help you to implement these programmes, linking them to the relevant qualification and constructing guidelines for support.
Looking beyond your organisation, we can create employment opportunities that integrate local workforce plans and improve the skills of local residents. It also has the added advantage of cementing close partnerships with the surrounding community.
You can choose to carry out one or all of these services – the choice depends solely on the needs of your staff and your organisation.
Questions?
If you’d like to learn more about how Skills for Health can help your organisation with the development of your workforce, please contact your Skills for Health regional director to see what kind of support we can offer you.
To find out more, visit the Skills for Health website
Content on this page is produced and paid for by Skills for Health, sponsor of the Guardian Healthcare Professionals Network’s workforce development hub
