The Care Quality Commissions new registration system becomes effective for all adult social care providers from October 2010.
Registration is a legal licence to operate, with providers being monitored against a new set of standards for quality and safety. To help providers understand and prepare for registration, CQC has produced a series of 'Quick Guides' which can be accessed from their website www.cqc.org.uk
Following our original post; 'Confusion over Administration of Medication' we have been inundated with requests to purchase our 'Administration of Medication' training course from both single site operators right through to major PLC's. Whilst the recent BBC news item; 'Fears over care home drug errors' has no doubt helped to raise the issue amongst the wider public, the main driver for most of our current clients is the need to meet expectations of CQC inspectors. Care providers are now being asked to demonstrate appropriate training to support Administration of Medication over and above the Safe Handling of Medicines which forms part of the standard Common Induction Standards.
It's reassuring for our clients to know that Care Academys Administration of Medication course outline has been reviewed by CSCI (now CQC) who confirmed (when supported with appropriate workplace supervision) meets the specification required for any inspection.
To find out more about our Administration of Medication course please contact us on 0161 228 1712 or via or online form.
The Department of Health has launched a capital investment fund named 'Get Connected' to enable registered providers of adult social care in England to access digital technology more effectively. The fund will be administered by Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and is intended to allow those who use, visit or work in adult social care to benefit from the learning, knowledge and access that the internet can bring.
The launch of 'Get Connected' is particularly timely given that Care Quality Commission will require registered providers to provide their returns online from April 2010.
Details of how to apply for the grants will be posted via the SCIE website
If you are considering making a bid once funds have been announced, Care Academy will be pleased to provide support in creating and submitting a bid. To discuss further please contact us on 0161 228 1712 or via our online form.
New Administration of Medication Course LaunchedThe handling of medicines by care workers is often difficult to manage due to a lack of guidance and confusion regarding the level of training required. Many care workers fail to recognise the difference between “administration” and “assistance” (often referred to as “prompting'). A common misconception is that training provided as part of the Common Induction Standards (CIS) requirement is sufficient. Unfortunately this often focuses on the Safe Handling of Medicines commonly referred to as Level 1 and not “Administration of Medication” which is a Level 2 requirement. Care Academys’ “Administration of Medication” course meets the requirements for Level 2 training which should be supported with workplace supervision to ensure best practice.
Failure to recognise the difference between “Administration” and “Assistance” can leave both care workers and service users at significant risk and ultimately lead to claims of negligence and non-compliance. Following recent Care Quality Commission (formally CSCI) inspections, a number of our clients have had to review their training as well as their policies and procedures to ensure the correct level of training is provided. By deploying our latest course in conjunction with our unique Policy-Safe solution, Care Academy users have been able to respond and implement changes with the minimum of fuss.
Care Academy's Administration of Medication course outline has been reviewed by CSCI who confirmed (when supported with appropriate workplace supervision) meets the specification required for any inspection. In outline, the course covers the knowledge requirements for Health and Social Care NVQ 3 optional unit 375 including:
If you would like to find out more about our Administration of Medication course please contact us.
For further reading on Administration of Medication:
Keeping up to date with regulatory and compliance training is never easy let alone cheap!
The cost of traditional classroom based training is often compounded by fairly high levels of staff turnover, resulting in significant recurring cost's such as trainers, classrooms, travel and resources.
Even before the economy slipped into recession, many organisations were looking for ways to ensure maximum value from their training budgets, whilst ensuring compliance with CSCI (Commission for Social Care Inspection) audits.
After talking with some of our clients, we identified two common problems;
In order to address these key issues, Care Academy has taken the bold step of introducing two new pricing models.
Learning Pathway 1 - Induction
Under this innovative pricing model, customers can purchase access to all Care Academy Induction programmes under a single licence fee. Once agreed, clients are then free to 'mix and match' employees to the appropriate training programme. This concept provides customers with maximum flexibility and the opportunity to respond to the changing needs of the organisation without incurring further cost.
Current induction programmes available within Learning Pathways include:Common Induction Standards (CIS), Childrens Workforce Development Council (CWDC), Learning Disability Qualification - Induction Award (LDQ-IA) to name but a few.
Learn Now - Certify Later
From April 2009 we are offering Learning Disability Qualification - Induction Award customers the opportunity to split both the learning content and certification. This means you can register staff on a dedicated LDQ-IA learning programme without registering (and paying) for the full certified qualification.
This provides a number of benefits including:
This is great news for learning disability services in particular, who can now take a significant step towards meeting their regulatory training requirements without incurring significant upfront expense.
To find out more about these offers please contact us on 0161 228 1712 or via the online form
CSCI have implemented improvements to their directory, which is the the only independent source of information about adult social care services in England.
These improvements follow CSCI request for comments and suggestions from users about their services, which has been reflected in the changes, with improved accessibility and a better design for the services directory.
What’s new?
The directory has held onto many features and users can still use the directory to find reports and quality ratings on all your local care homes, home care and other registered services.
But in addition to this the service will also offer:
CSCI have released their performance ratings for the 150 local councils with statutory responsibility for adult social services in England.
The performance ratings summarise CSCI independent judgement of how local authorities carried out their responsibilities to young adults and older people. Ratings are based on a continuous, rigorous and structured assessment process using evidence drawn directly from people using services, performance indicators, inspections and reviews.
This is the last year of CSCI star ratings before the introduction of comprehensive Area Assessments, which is being instituted following framework amendments in cross agency concordat on transforming adult social care, Putting People First.
Key Findings include:
With Key improvements focusing on the things that really matter to people, such as:
For more information, please click here.
On August 1st the new NVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management for Care Services will be implemented. This will replace the Registered Managers Award (RMA) that practice managers currently have to undertake.
Practise managers, who work within the residential child care sector will, as before, have to hold both a level 4 qualification related to working with children and a Level 4 Qualification in Management. The NVQ Leadership does not replace the need for both these qualifications.
The implementation of this qualification across the UK does vary, with practise managers in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland being affected slightly different by this new NVQ. For more details Skills for Care and Development has released a Qualification Requirements document which outlines the requirements to practice
In addition, candidates in England can refer to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) for the latest information.
CSCI have recently launched their new ‘quality rating’ for care services. This will allow the public to look at the quality of care services in their area using a new 3 star rating system. With three star meaning ‘excellent’, two stars ‘good’, one star ‘adequate’ and zero stars ‘poor’ purchaser's, including local councils, will be able to make more informed decisions when purchasing care services.
The directory will be updated weekly and gives the clearest information available on the quality of care as judged by CSCI inspectors.
CSCI Chair Dame Denise Platt said:
"These quality ratings reward the best providers with recognition they deserve. They are also an incentive for the poorest to improve, or risk losing business in a competitive marketplace"
For details of care services in your area click here.
Following consultation with Care Providers, CSCI (Commission for Social Care Inspection) have recently announced they will be using a new approach to summarising national minimum standard (NMS) outcomes and improved rules for working out quality ratings from January 2008.
To view the new summaries for NMS outcomes and the rules for working out quality ratings please visit CSCI's website.
Care Academy is one of the largest e-learning providers for the health, social care and housing sectors in the UK.
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