Skills for Care issues guidance regarding staff training during the COVID-19 outbreak

Topics covered: Anna Maria Lemmer, care home, COVID-19, training

The charity, Skills for Care, has issued guidance for adult social care providers in relation to staff training during the COVID-19 outbreak.

It is stated on the Skills for Care website that:

“During this period, we remind you to stop face to face training and to use digital solutions only.” 

Skills for Care acknowledges the pressures that care providers are under currently and states that, Quality care can only be achieved through having a skilled and competent workforce in place, but we appreciate that, at this time, keeping staff up to date with their training requirements and recommendations is simply not possible.”

As a result, Skills for Care have reviewed the information provided in their ‘Guide to Developing your staff’ in relation to core and mandatory training and amended it to provide timely and relevant advice on what training and refresher training remains relevant at this time.

A copy of the guidance can be accessed here.

The guidance covers the following training areas:

  • Assisting and moving people
  • Basic life support and First Aid
  • Fire safety
  • Food safety
  • Health and safety awareness
  • Infection prevention and control
  • Medication management
  • Safeguarding adults

Skills for Care, reminds providers that, This is not to say that other training opportunities shouldn’t take place.  Your workforce still needs to provide person-centred care and support and be able to meet the diverse needs of the individuals they support.” 

Kate Terroni, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at CQC, issued a statement supporting the Skills for Care guidance.

Ms Terroni said, “We welcome the new guidance from Skills for Care on training staff during the COVID-19 crisis. We recognise that at this time providers will be prioritising providing care to people and that this may mean that training will be delayed. However, providers should make every effort to ensure that staff are competent, confident and skilled in providing safe care to the people using their service. We understand the pressures that providers are facing and the difficult choices it may require them to make. We want to support providers in whatever way we can during this crisis period. We are on your side: we are here to work with you, to listen to you, and to support you with the inevitable tough decisions you will face.”

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