Unit Five
Education and training
Unit key benefits
Reading this unit will:
- decribes the benefits of providing health care assistants (HCAs) with education and training
- explains why it is important to ensure that HCAs are properly supervised.
People who feel valued by having access to training and career progression (see Unit 6: Career planning and development) are more likely to stay with their employer.
Historically, HCAs were seen as individuals who would undertake the role of housekeeping, clerical duties and maintenance of the workplace for the healthcare professionals. Today, HCAs are involved in direct patient care, taking on tasks delegated by healthcare professionals.
This delegation and accountability means that HCAs require defined standards of education and training. By providing structured education and training support for HCAs, they can develop competence to work unsupervised. This broadens the role of the HCA and reduces the burden of supervision on other staff.
Ensuring competence
HCAs should be properly supervised until competence has been assessed and achieved (see Unit 3: Competences). Until this point in time, supervision should be routinely documented.
As supervision is difficult during busy clinics, protected time for supervision and learning must be set aside. Supervision requires time and effort. However, time spent at this stage also allows the supervisor to apply training in a more focused and constructive manner. This enables the HCA to gain competences more rapidly and have them assessed sooner.
Only an HCA that is fully trained and competent can deliver the correct care, and minimise the risk of harm to the patient. Good clinical governance standards require that an HCA working without supervision must be assessed as competent to undertake the tasks being completed. Accountability must be transparent (see Unit 7: Integration of health care assistants in the general practice workforce and Unit 8: Quality improvement).
Education is defined as ‘the act of imparting knowledge or skills’ or ‘the act of obtaining knowledge or skills’.
Training is defined as ‘making proficient’ or as ‘guiding someone in a particular direction’.
While education may be broad, training is usually focused on specific skills and the knowledge required for those skills to be practised in a competent manner. By providing education and training to HCAs, practices can benefit from valuable new members of staff who can take on tasks previously undertaken by members of the nursing team.
Summary
- Investing in structured education and training can improve the performance of the HCA role and ease the burden of supervision on other members of practice staff
- Taking a planned approach to identifying the training needs of the HCA will ensure that the HCA is able to make a full contribution to the work of the practice.
References
- United Kingdom Central Council for Nurses, Midwifery, and Health Visitors. Position Paper on the Development of the Support Worker Role. London: United Kingdom Central Council for Nurses, Midwifery and Health Visitors; 1988.
- Chambers R, Wakley G, Iqbal Z, Field S. Prescription for Learning. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press; 2002.