Mandatory Training & Development For Social Care Staff Vital In Light Of Report

The national report which has painted a damning picture of services for people with learning disabilities in NHS care homes and a London hospital “reinforces, yet again, the continued need for mandatory training and development — and a national audit of care homes.”

That is the view of Andrea Rowe, Chief Executive Officer of Skills for Care – the workforce development organisation for social care in England and part of the Sector Skills Council.

Today she stressed that the “appalling” treatment of people with learning disabilities at units run by the Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust, put a “dark shadow on the dedicated and unremitting round the clock care which is undertaken by the many thousands of committed carers and health workers across the country.”

And she added: “We would strongly recommend that NHS workers become subject to the same mandatory training as social care staff .It is vital that social care managers adhere to mandatory training and development specified by the Care Standards Act.

” Skills for Care clearly defines the mandatory standards of skills and qualifications, and provides all the necessary tools managers need to develop a professional and skilled workforce. Sadly, these appear to have been ignored in this case.”

Her organisation, which has nine regions across the country, is already mounting a wide scale national social care information gathering initiative that is the first one of its type ever undertaken in the industry.

Andrea Rowe stressed: ” The National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC) will not only have a huge impact on future social care planning, but will give us instant on line information concerning standards and qualifications that are being met within the social care sector. It is a groundbreaking initiative.”