Need to know – The Care Certificate

Introduction

The Care Certificate came into force at the beginning of April 2015. Its aim is to set a standard minimum level of training in non-regulated health care and social care roles where training can differ substantially from one organisation to another.

Supporters of the new certificate believe that its introduction into non-regulated health care and social care roles will improve the quality and safety of care and support being delivered and, in theory, will make it easier for staff to move between jobs in both sectors.

The significance of the Care Certificate has been overshadowed somewhat by the simultaneous introduction of the Care Act, with more focus on the latter. Nonetheless the changes it proposes to make represent a significant change for both health and social care and will have a different impact depending on your role within these sectors.

Frontline staff

Frontline staff need only to take the care certificate if they are new to care, and new to the organisation, i.e. they started working there on or after 1 April 2015. If they were working as a care worker or healthcare assistant prior to the changes coming in, they are not under an obligation to take it. Their employer may however still offer them the opportunity to do so.

It has been designed to be completed within 12 weeks.

To get the Care Certificate frontline staff must meet the following 15 standards:

  1. Understand your role
  2. Your personal development
  3. Duty of care
  4. Equality and diversity
  5. Work in a person centred way
  6. Communication
  7. Privacy and dignity
  8. Fluids and nutrition
  9. Awareness of mental health, dementia and learning disability
  10. Safeguarding adults
  11. Safeguarding Children
  12. Basic Life Support
  13. Health and Safety
  14. Handling information
  15. Infection prevention and control

Each standard is broken down into sub-sections, which staff must meet in order to achieve the overall standard. Staff are assessed on their ability to explain, describe and demonstrate that they understand what their role requires of them in each category. Anything that involves “demonstrating” or “showing” something is assessed on the job by a more senior member of staff. Anything that involves “explaining” or “describing” something is assessed through written work, an interview with the assessor, or through group work.

The care certificate is awarded to staff, as proof of their training, once all 15 levels have been met. It does not replace the specific induction employers are required to give for particular job roles and places of work.

Managers

Managers do not need to complete the care certificate; it is for “unregulated” job roles such as care/nursing/occupational therapy assistants and home/domiciliary/residential care workers.

The manager’s role is to disseminate information about what the care certificate is and what it means to both existing and new staff. The manager is also responsible for appointing suitable assessors within their organisation who will go on to determine whether employees taking the certificate have successfully met the criteria of each standard.

Most assessors should have a qualification relating to the role that they are assessing, and should be competent in that role. More than one assessor may be required if, for example, the ‘primary’ assessor does not hold a qualification for one of the 15 standards.

When assessing frontline staff for the Care Certificate, assessors do not need to evaluate each standard separately because the same evidence could demonstrate that staff have achieved the required result across more than one standard. For example, if staff communicate with their patient/client while working with them in an inclusive way, respecting their values and beliefs, then that would count as supporting evidence for two standards – communication, and equality and diversity.

Skills for Care, Skills for Health and Health Education England advise that: “The assessment of the care certificate should be as rigorous as the assessment of any formal qualification.”

Employers

Employers cannot legally be forced to provide the Care Certificate; it is however seen as ‘best practice’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC released the following statement to clarify their expectations: “We require that providers who employ healthcare support workers and adult social care workers should be able to demonstrate that those staff have, or are working towards, the skills set out in the care certificate.”

While employers have no legal obligation to provide the certificate, the CQC are campaigning for there to be so and it is expected that, by August 2015, most employers will do so as standard.

If an employer does not provide employees with the Care Certificate they must be able to demonstrate that they have a rigorous and thorough training programme in place.

An induction process which trains new employees for their specific role within the organisation needs to remain in place. This process should stand separately to the Care Certificate and will need to be undertaken by all new staff members.

For further details of each standard visit: http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Standards/Care-Certificate/Care-Certificate.aspx

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