Caring Together: The Carers Strategy for Scotland 2010 - 2015

14. CARER AND WORKFORCE TRAINING

The purpose of this chapter is to set out the positive outcomes from training provided to carers and the need for a skilled and knowledgeable health and social care workforce. Various actions are set out to help roll out carer training and to provide training to the paid workforce.

Carer Training

14.1 in recognition of the key role they play in providing care, carers should get similar opportunities for training as the paid workforce. Carers who receive training feel better supported in their caring role and more confident. Training should address the broad spectrum of the emotional impact and practical demands of caring. It should include moving and handling, managing medication, managing carers' own health and well-being, and personal development.

14.2 Consideration needs to be given to how best to meet the training needs of specific groups of carers such as BME carers.

"The trainer helped me to better understand how I could deal with the difficulties I have coping with the way my son behaves because of his problems. It helped to be given some good ideas and the way these were explained in Punjabi afterwards made them easier to understand."

A Pakistani carer in Glasgow.

14.3 NHS Boards, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations need to support improved outcomes for carers achieved through carer training, including: being more positive about caring, being more confident in the caring role and having a more positive impact on the carer's health.

14.4 A lot of valuable and outcomes-focused carer training is being undertaken . NHS Fife, with the local carers centre, has used Carer Information Strategy funding to run training sessions for carers caring for people who have had a stroke or who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD), and for carers who care for people with autism. The Lothian carer training pilot, Caring with Confidence, run by NHS Lothian and the VOCAL Carers Centre, provided training to carers on manual handling. VOCAL has since introduced spot-purchasing of manual handling training in order to fast-track support for carers in greatest need.

14.5 There are lessons to be learned, such as having learning pathways so that carers can see the way forward to meet their knowledge, skill and support needs. One-off training is not enough in most cases. There is also some duplication of effort in the provision of training to carers, as well as gaps. More consideration needs to be given to e-training and to meeting the training needs of carers in rural and remote locations.

14.6 The Scottish Government has provided a grant of £281,000 to the national carer organisations in 2010-11 to help promote and provide carer (and workforce) training. The proposal has the following three strands:

• Carrying out a full audit of carer and workforce training provision across Scotland to get an accurate and up-to-date picture in order to enable a strategic view to be taken and to develop plans and funding requirements to address needs;
• Developing a Carer Training Consortium to support work at local level and to develop a quality assurance framework promoting high standards of training, with systematic carer outcome evaluation;
• Delivery and development of carer and workforce training by inviting applications from across the sectors, and funding carer and workforce training through the allocation of funds in a transparent way.

14.7 Subject to the outcome of the Spending Review, we will also work with NHS Boards so that they will make a carer training offer to carers.

ACTION POINT 14.1

The National Carers Organisations will use the £281,000 grant from the Scottish Government to allocate grants to a range of organisations for carer and workforce training in a transparent and outcome-focused way. The NCOs will ensure dovetailing with the NHS Board Carer Information Strategies.

ACTION POINT 14.2

NHSBoards will build on the carer training provided under the Carer Information Strategies and continue to train carers beyond 2011. Subject to the outcome of the Spending Review, the Scottish Government will also work with NHS Boards so that they will make a training offer to carers.

Workforce Training

14.8 A well-informed, knowledgeable, trained and skilled health and social care workforce is essential to help improve the lives of carers and young carers.

14.9 Health and social care staff should have a proper appreciation of the role of carers and young carers and commit to engage with carers as equal and expert partners in the design and delivery of health and social care services.

14.10 NHS Boards and local authorities need to continue to take forward workforce training through induction training and continuous professional development. Relevant good practice includes Glasgow City Council's mandatory training module for health and social work staff and NHS Lothian's e-training for the workforce.

14.11 The Scottish Government will take forward workforce training issues with the Scottish Social Services Council ( SSSC), with NHS Education for Scotland ( NES) and with others.

14.12 The national carer organisations will be using part of the £281,000 grant from the Scottish Government to allocate grants in 2010-11 to a range of organisations for workforce training. The NCOs will ensure dovetailing with all other workforce training, including that being taken forward by NHS Boards.

ACTION POINT 14.3

In 2010-12, NHS Education for Scotland ( NES), in collaboration with NHS Boards and the national carer organisations, will review existing training, education and learning modules for working with carers and young carers; identify core competencies for NHS staff in identifying and supporting carers and young carers; and identify packages and materials to be incorporated within core induction, education and training curricula.

ACTION POINT 14.4

NESwill communicate to the relevant regulatory, professional and national bodies the importance of identifying and supporting carers and young carers in workforce training and education.

ACTION POINT 14.5

From 2010 onwards, the Scottish Government will work with NHS Boards to ensure that identifying and supporting carers and young carers is embedded in workforce training.

ACTION POINT 14.6

From 2010 onwards, the Scottish Government will continue to promote the benefits of workforce training through the Scottish Social Services Council ( SSSC), the national carer organisations and others.

ACTION POINT 14.7

In 2011-12, NHS Education for Scotland ( NES), and the national carer organisations will produce a good practice guide to workforce training. This will be widely distributed.