Title of driver: Raising the Bar. Shape of Caring: A Review of the Future Education and Training of Registered Nurses and Care Assistants
Source: Link to main document:
Publication format: PDF
Date of publication: March 2015
Summary of driver:
A review chaired by Lord Willis on the current education and training for care staff and registered nurses which recognises the importance of providing the correct education and training for registered nurses and care assistants.
The review states that the health system cannot continue in its present state. Registered nurses and care assistants are the largest workforce group and need to be part of the radical solution in which healthcare changes from an illness-based, provider-led system to a patient-led, preventative model.
Registered nurses and care assistants will play a more enhanced role in the community and helping patients with both preventative care and self-care and will need the skills to deliver this change in working practice.
The recommendations in the review have been based on the need to celebrate and promote existing good practice and to generate a research culture. The majority of the recommendations are aimed at HEE.
This review references HEE’s National Strategic framework 15, HEE Talent for Care Strategy, HEE Research and Innovation Strategy and other HEE documentation as well as the NHS England ‘Five Year Forward View’.
Key features of driver:
The following eight themes are discussed:
- Valuing the care assistant role
- Widening access for care assistants who wish to enter nursing
- Developing a flexible model
- Assuring a high-quality learning environment for registered nurses
- Assuring high-quality, on-going learning for registered nurses
- Assuring sustainable research and innovation
- Assuring high quality funding and commissioning
Each theme has a set of recommendations and examples of good practice in relation to the theme.
Primary audience: HEE, NMC, LETBs, NHS England, Higher Education Institutes, NHS Trusts, NHS staff.
Impact on library policy/practice:
This driver links to library policy and practice by offering opportunities to promote information skills training to the staff groups involved. This would support staff in maintaining the portfolio skills passport and the Care Certificate.
There are opportunities to link into the lifelong learning and information literacy aspects of the report and promote the services that we already deliver. Using the technology available, we could consider delivering some services such as training in a different way to help those users in the community.
Other ways that this driver impacts on library policy and practice include:
- Critical appraisal training
- Journal clubs
- ‘Training the trainer’ events- to help those staff who are teaching patients how to use technology to get the best evidence available, in order to allow them to self-care
- Sessions on new technologies and how to use them- e.g. apps. E-learning platforms/remote access issues
- RSS/Journal ToC’s etc. for the latest research to provide better patient care
- Opportunity to strengthen links with Research and Development department
Specific quotes that can be mapped back to LKS.
Page 26, on information literacy ‘nurses and care assistants must receive appropriate training to ensure that they and their patients can access the best evidence and information available, in order to underpin their practice through the use of up-to-date prescribing practice, technology and treatment interventions, enabling excellent self-care and professional care’.
Page 57, when talking about a flexible workforce the report mentions ‘broad research awareness and the ability to engage in critical inquiry and adopt ‘curiosity’
Page 61, on education programmes and employers are asked to ‘encourage employers to support care assistants and registered nurses to remain within their employment by providing them with opportunities to advance their careers and to engage in life-long learning’.
Date last updated: July 2015
Due for review: July 2016
Group member responsible: LK
Tagged: Education and training, HCAs, Patient-centred care, Workforce