Embrace-learning's Blog

Welcome to our blog - a round-up of links to news, reports, and announcements relating to the health and social care sector. We aim to provide you with an interesting and balanced mix of articles featuring the latest headlines and political commentary.

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Plugging the gap between health and social care

A system of integrated care for every person in England is a major change that needs to happen. It means care and support built around the needs of the individual, their carers and their family - It is all about improving patient experience and achieving greater efficiency and value from health delivery systems.

 Integrated care means:

·         Individuals only tell their story once

·         Professionals communicate with each other

·         A holistic approach to a person’s care

·         Inappropriate admissions to hospitals reduced and lengths of stay cut

·         Individuals do not ‘fall through the gaps’

·         Bringing together primary medical services and community health providers around the needs of individual patients

 People are discharged from hospital, and still require medical attention – the communication between health and social care professionals is vital in ensuring patients needs are met. For integrated care to be successful, it means care workers expanding their skill set, to include things traditionally done by health workers (routine medical tasks - changing wound dressings), and health workers developing skills that would have previously been left to care workers (recreational therapies – rehabilitation, care home activities).

 The Care Certificate sets out an identified set of standards that health and social care workers adhere to in their daily working life- giving everyone the confidence that workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high quality care and support. Whilst this doesn’t encourage care workers to learn medical procedures, it meets somewhere in the middle to give a starting point of plugging the gap between health and social care, enabling both sets of workers to train from the first principles of care.

 With the current crisis of the NHS, the shortage of nurses has forced hospitals to hire expensive agency staff – acknowledged by Monitor as the primary cause of the £842million deficit. Hospitals are under extreme pressure to deliver high quality care to patients. Integrating the care system means that admissions to hospitals are reduced and length of stays are cut – allowing social care workers to take on some of the tasks that would otherwise be carried out by nurses, in a hospital.

Figures show that 40% of people in a hospital bed have no medical reason to be there- a person with dementia staying on average 21 days, with a bed day cost of £500. An Alzheimer’s Society survey states that 61% of GPs report that a lack of co-operation between health and social care acts as a barrier to patients getting support.

The current divide between health and social care has a huge impact on the quality of life of service users, with the most vulnerable all too often falling through the gap where health care ends and social care begins. If social care faces more cuts, these vulnerable people will be admitted to hospitals – adding to the capacity problems.

Lord Warner said the health service should become a ‘membership scheme’, charging £10 per month, with people who need to stay in hospital paying extra. If the healthcare system does not change, do you think this is what will happen?

A possible way to stop this becoming the case is to cut training costs across the sector.

E-learning is an effective platform for carrying out the Care Certificate training, especially when a large dispersed workforce is involved. It can be carried out at a time, place and pace to suit the individual so as not to interfere with their day to day activities. With the current financial situation facing the NHS, cost efficiency is of utmost importance, alongside consistent high quality, making e-learning a preferred method of delivery.

 Do you think that the Care Certificate could contribute to the health service being more cost effective in the future? Giving both sets of workers a basic understanding of providing quality care both in and out of hospitals, clinics, care homes and the like.

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Are Trainers That Don't Offer e-learning Missing A trick?

According to CIPD’s annual survey report for Learning and Development 2015 ‘three quarters of organisations use learning technologies – but face-to-face delivery remains dominant.’ The traditional face-to-face approach adds a personal aspect where learners can ask questions and gain insight through storytelling and listening to others, ensuring key learning points are understood by the whole group. But, is this method alone enough to meet all of the needs within an organisation? Is a blend of face-to-face and online learning the answer?

 E-Learning

Clients are increasingly choosing e-learning as their preferred method of delivering training, with 29% of CIPD respondents selecting it as their most common form of training. The ability to train a large dispersed workforce is a key factor, as it allows staff in various locations to access the same high quality training course at the same time, whilst saving precious time and money that would be otherwise spent on travel, accommodation and refreshments.

 Other reasons for choosing e-learning include:

Ø  Flexibility - access to courses 24/7

Ø  Consistently high quality content

Ø  LMS tracking

Ø  Easy to arrange for high turnover areas such as domiciliary care

Ø  Easy to reach national or international audience

Ø  Large numbers of learners can be trained simultaneously

 E-learning can be carried out at a time, place and pace to suit the individual learner

 The Learner Management System (LMS) reporting that comes with e-learning is great for both internal and external trainers to monitor and provide reports to client organisations, helping to monitor ROI for training costs. LMS learner tracking provides an audit trail for managers and CQC regarding who has completed the training, allows managers to co-ordinate training, and, monitor in real time, which learner has completed which course/s.

 It would be wrong to say that face-to-face training is not effective, it is still the most dominant form of learning, but the cost of implementation is far more than with e-learning. Staff are required to take time out of their day-to-day activities, sometimes travelling across the country to complete a day of training in a classroom which would convert to just 1 hour of e-learning. As a trainer, wouldn’t you want to be able to provide a service to clients in all four corners of the British Isles, at the same time, on the same day?

 Of course, there are limitations with e-learning - most notably, the lack of immediate feedback that face-to-face trainers would receive, and the elimination of the group experience of learning in a classroom. However, these are outweighed by the need for flexibility, the cost of training a dispersed workforce and the fact that many individuals prefer to learn at a time, place and pace of their choosing. Our stats at Embrace-learning bear this out consistently - when asked “What did you like most about e-learning?” the overwhelming answer is “I did it at my own pace when it was convenient for me”.

    Blended Learning

Blended learning offers a collaborative and holistic approach to learning, delivering the best of both worlds to employees and enhancing the overall learning experience. 40% of CIPD respondents plan to increase the use of blended learning over the next 2 years, making now an ideal time for training companies to increase their product offering to include e-learning courses alongside their face-to-face training.

 Offering a range of e-learning courses means that training companies can deliver courses normally considered to be outside of their realm of expertise. For example, as a fire safety trainer, wouldn’t you want to be able to say to your clients – “yes, I can provide you with high quality training in Dementia for your care staff”?

 A Health and Safety training company could also offer courses on mental health, safeguarding adults, dementia etc., widening their target audience and providing a service to large clients, with complex training needs.

 Here at Embrace-learning, our aim is to further the use of educational technologies in work-related training. We have over 10 years of experience in providing high quality e-learning courses that are up-to-date and relevant to today’s workforce. We believe that through offering e-learning courses alongside face-to-face training, organisations can provide their employees with all of the necessary skills, knowledge and training required to perform to an exceptionally high standard.

 Is a blended approach to learning the best way of meeting learning and development needs within an organisation? We think so! What do you think?

 To find out more about our e-learning courses and partnership opportunities, visit our website here.

 Click here to view the full CIPD Learning and Development Report 2015

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Dementia

Dementia levels are stabilising

Dementia remains one of the most critical health and social care challenges facing the UK and other European countries. However, recent news in the world of dementia and Alzheimer’s suggests that dementia levels in the Western Europe countries, including the UK, are stabilising. A Study shows that the number of people over 65 with dementia has dropped by 22% in the UK and it also dropped by 43% in men in a study taken in Zaragoza, Spain. It appears that two key reasons for optimism in the treatment of Dementia are that people are increasingly better educated about the condition on the one hand, and general living conditions for the populations as whole, have improved. Although dementia levels have decreased in this age group, it is still set to increase in the older age groups as people are living into their 80s and 90s. With no cure and few effective treatments dementia has an economic impact that exceeds cancer or heart disease.

Why modern life is making Dementia in your 40s more likely

A recent study by Colin Pritchard suggests that dementia is starting 10 years earlier and is affecting more people in their 40s and 50s. This early onset has been linked to environment factors for example the fact we have quadrupled our road and air transport, which means there is an inevitable increase in air pollution, exposing everyone to a vast range of noxious substances. There will always be contention surrounding the causes of dementia and indeed what steps need to be taken at a global, national and local level. Thankfully there is some consensus around what can be done to ease the burden on those with the condition and those who care for them.  As with so many other conditions, awareness and education are absolutely central to any strategy aimed at improving the lives of those affected.

Education

All NHS staff are now required to have specialist training for dealing with dementia within the next four years. A study has shown that too many health workers do not know enough about the condition, which is leading to major failings in the care of the most vulnerable patients. Just half of those with dementia are actually formally diagnosed, and even though a quarter of hospital patients suffer from the disease, research suggests that they actually receive much worse care than other patients. There still far too many accounts of people in care settings ending up without food and water, as well as the neglect of other aspects of their welfare.

 What is important to know about dementia?

People often talk about dementia as a ‘memory thing’ without really understanding how the condition works. We rarely discuss causes or how to prevent it.  More importantly we often lack the knowledge about how to deal with it. For example the most common generally accepted cause of dementia is a disease which causes the brain cells to degenerate and die quicker than they would normally. The changes usually happen because of a build-up of abnormal proteins in the brain. Just knowing this simple fact can be helpful. If we understand some of the fundamentals, then we are less likely to get agitated or annoyed at anything the patient is doing. If I can understand and identify the different stages of dementia I am far more likely to be able to understand how the condition will affect behaviour in the future. If nothing else, I can make preparations for myself and the person I care for. I need to be able to identify the difference between the early, middle and late stages of dementia and the symptoms. I firmly believe that completing a short course, whether it be in the classroom or online can have a real impact on the lives of carers and, by extension, the lives of those they care for.

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E-learning vs. face-to-face training, which is best?

Face-to-face training has been a consistent form of training for many years and as it is not dependent on technology it is understandable why some may be attached to this method and be resistant to the thought of changing to something new like e-learning. What is e-learning and how can sitting in front of a computer screen possibly be more beneficial than being able to interact with a trainer in a classroom setting?

Let’s imagine we are sat in the classroom right now with our colleagues, the trainer walks in, greets us and then begins their journey through a multitude of PowerPoint slides. How likely is your mind to wander elsewhere, perhaps onto how many emails you have waiting to be answered or what we might be having for lunch?  There can be many distractions in a classroom and it can be hard for the trainer to know if all learners are really paying attention and how much information is being retained.

How does e-learning technology compare?

E-learning doesn’t prevent interaction; it encourages it and pushes the learner into taking on an active role rather than passive.  Yes the learner must have the motivation to sit down and go through all of the material, but there is no way of missing out information or becoming distracted. The interactive quizzes and functionality of the e-learning material ensures that learners work through each step, gaining underpinning knowledge and completing competency assessments along the way.

The obvious advantage of using e-learning to train your staff is that it allows them to learn at a time, pace and place which suits you and the learner.  This method of training is ideal for a large dispensed workforce: learners can work through the material in an environment which is best for them, they simply need internet access.  E-learning can be tailored to meet individual requirements and the variety of digital technologies incorporated into the course material (text, imagery, animation, audio, video) allow for different learning styles. The course material is continuously updated with changes to legislation and learners can revisit units if necessary. The Learner Management System provides management information and allows for an audit trail and evidence for CQC requirements.

Overhead costs can be reduced by eliminating the need for travel, accommodation and food expenses as well as external trainer costs, room hire and having to take staff out of their day to day roles and cover shifts. Remove all of these costs and you are only left with the initial cost of implementing the e-learning course. E-learning is the clear winner in terms of cost.

Blended learning is the best possible training method and can enhance the overall learning process, offering a collaborative and holistic approach to learning.  I am by no means claiming that face-to-face training is ineffective but with the advances in technology in the past decade, it is unquestionable not to incorporate e-learning into your training and development programme.

The evidence is there - over 10 years of our learner feedback shows that 85% of learners prefer e-learning over face to face training.

Lack of knowledge is not accepted as a legal stand. Completed training is. Certificates can be printed off after completing the e-learning training and used as evidence of best practice.

If you had the option to reduce all of your training costs yet keep the quality of your staff training at a consistently high standard, would this be of interest to you?

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Cuts to Mental Health Services

"Last year nearly two million people in this country sought help for mental health problems. But many didn’t get what they needed. In June a report by the Care Quality Commission revealed thousands of people in urgent need of care received “inadequate support”."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/27/uk-child-mental-health-services-destroying-lives-families?CMP=share_btn_gp

It is worrying that £80m has been cut from NHS mental health budget for children and adolescents in the past 4 years, and early intervention services for young people have been affected by these cuts.

More must be done to support those with mental health problems and also for people who may be caring for or concerned about someone who may be experiencing mental health problems.

Are you concerned about a family member, friend or colleague who may be experiencing mental health problems?

Our e-learning course may be suitable in providing that person with more information about mental health and the services which are available to them.  Here at Embrace-learning we believe that e-learning can support the mental health services already available and encourage and promote early intervention. We are passionate about providing a service to help improve peoples’ health and well-being with easy access to a high quality learning platform.

E-learning is cost-effective, flexible and can be accessed at any time or place.

We offer a wide range of e-learning courses relating to mental health awareness including:

Supporting People with Learning Disabilities and Mental Health Needs

Caring for People with Dementia

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

Learning Disability Induction

Awareness of Alcohol and Substance Misuse

Dual Diagnosis

Mental Capacity Act 2005

http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk

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Mental Health Awareness Week

Did you know that it is Mental Health Awareness Week? The theme for the week is Mindfulness - this is about learning how to pay attention to the present moment without getting stuck in the past or worrying about the future!

We have a wide range of e-learning courses relating to mental health and disability awareness including:

Mental Capacity Act 2005 Caring for People with Dementia Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Learning Disability Induction

Acquired Brain Injury Awareness

Supporting People with Learning Disabilities and Mental Health Needs

Click here for a free trial of our Mental Capacity Act 2005 course.

More information about Mental Health Awareness Week at www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Follow us on twitter @embracelearnuk for updates & join in with the discussion using #MHAW15

For more information about our courses call 0161 928 9987

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Care Certificate Training Update

In a recent update from Skills for Health regarding Care Certificate training, 5 key issues were raised in regard to how training providers are marketing their courses. At Embrace-learning we pride ourselves on the quality of our e-learning solutions and we would like to use these pointers to explain how our Care Certificate course has been developed in order to provide a high quality blended learning solution to help support the induction process for health and social care staff.

In a statement from Skills for Health, Skills for Care and Health Education England:

1. No provider has been ‘licenced’ to award the Care Certificate. Such a licence does not exist.

2. No providers are accredited to deliver the Care Certificate. Some organisations may have had their training externally quality assured by a third party and we would encourage providers to explore this option but no provider has been ‘accredited’ to deliver the Care Certificate.

Embrace-learning’s response: We do not claim that our course is  accredited or licenced by Skills for Care, Skills for Health or Health Education England, it has however been developed directly in line with the Skills for Care course specification.  Any concerns over the fact that the Care Certificate is not accredited are outweighed by the flexibility that care providers and managers now have in delivering their staff induction training in a way that best suits their particular requirements. Many providers are choosing to incorporate e-learning into their Care Certificate training as it means that staff can learn at a time, pace and place that suits them.

3. It is not possible to achieve the Care Certificate through completion of e-learning alone. Whilst e-learning can certainly support the acquisition of knowledge and the assessment of knowledge, the assessment of the required skills must be undertaken in the workplace unless simulation is explicitly allowed.

Embrace-learning’s response: We agree that a standalone e-learning course does not provide the sufficient level of induction training to achieve the Care Certificate which is why our course provides a wide range of additional resources for each of the 15 units, including workbooks which can be completed on-line or printed out and filled in by hand. These workbooks contain questions and exercises covering all of the learning outcomes and assessment criteria, including practical elements to be carried out within the work place setting. The e-learning course provides an assessment of the theory of the Care Certificate while the workbooks are used by the manager/supervisor to sign off the practical assessments.

The manager/supervisor has the responsibility of ensuring that the learner has a thorough understanding of each unit and has demonstrated their competence in the workplace before workbooks can be signed off.  This allows for evidence of best practice to be gathered and underpinning knowledge to be acquired by the learner.

4. The Care Certificate is not a mandatory requirement. However, the Care Quality Commission will expect that appropriate staff who are new to services which they regulate will achieve the competences required by the Care Certificate as part of their induction.

Embrace-learning’s response: The Care Certificate is regarded as ‘best practice’ rather than a mandatory or legal requirement.  New health and social care staff are, however, expected to achieve the advised competences set out in the Care Certificate to contribute towards meeting CQC regulations.  It also offers existing staff the opportunity to refresh or improve their knowledge.  Embrace-learning’s Care Certificate e-learning course covers all 15 standards and outlines the key competences, values and behaviours essential for providing high quality compassionate care.

5. It is not a requirement that the Care Certificate is achieved within 12 weeks. The Care Certificate FAQ states: The experience of the pilot sites has shown that for full-time staff the average amount of time taken for an employee new to health or social care to demonstrate the expected competences and knowledge is 12 weeks. This will vary from organisation to organisation, and may depend upon a range of factors: the hours worked by the learner, teaching methods chosen, previous educational achievement, resources and opportunities for assessment, the availability of assessors.

Embrace-learning’s response: Our e-learning course can be used to compliment work-based learning and the average time for new full-time health and social care staff to have gained the expected competences and knowledge from this training is 12 weeks, however there is no legal requirement for the certificate to be achieved in this time.  Access to our e-learning course is for 12 months which gives the learner plenty of time to complete the course and revisit or repeat units again if necessary to refresh their knowledge.  

For more information please give us a call today on 0161 928 9987 or visit our website to see our full course list.

To read the full shared statement from Skills for Health click here.

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Safeguarding Adults Updated For The Care Act

Are you aware that the introduction of the Care Act 2014 has led to significant changes in adult safeguarding?  

A major change is the move towards a person centred social work approach. All care providers must ensure that their staff are trained in Mental Capacity Act and DOLS and have at least basic awareness safeguarding training, which has been altered in regard to the new Care Act legislation.

We are in the process of updating our courses in line with these changes and our new Safeguarding Adults updated for the Care Act will shortly be released. If you would like more information please contact us on 0161 928 9987 or visit www.embrace-learning.co.uk

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An anonymous article by a care team worker on the fourth year of redundancies and the effects on team morale. The pertinent question is raised of why after four years of drip-fed redundancies, there has been no change to management staffing levels? Surely there are far fewer people to manage now.

  Management decision making (or the lack of it) is also addressed, raising further questions.

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/social-life-blog/2015/jan/21/redundancies-social-care-job-cuts

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An uplifting account written by family support worker Bobby Owen, who offers emotional support and practical advice about sibling care, employment and housing when a child is in hospital.

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2015/jan/16/social-work-charities-ill-children

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Our e-learning courses can be issued by GPs to patients by e-learning prescription. To find out more, please call 0161 928 9987 and visit our online course library: http://goo.gl/wVmnWq

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Age UK has spoken out on the dire effects of social care cuts. Between 2010-11 and 2013-14:

- People getting help at home for tasks like washing and dressing, fell by a third to just over 370,00

- Day care places have dropped by two thirds to just under 60,000

- Meals on wheels recipients fell to 29,500, a decline of 64%

The charity have identified the austerity cuts as one of the main causes behind the growing pressures on A&E units. Director Caroline Abrahams added,

"Hundreds of thousands of older people who need social care are being left high and dry. The lucky ones have sufficient funds to buy in some support, or can rely on the goodwill of family, neighbours and friends. But there are many who are being left to struggle on entirely alone."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30902555

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Following Nick Clegg's call for a 'zero suicide' target, campaigner and Calm worker Jake Mills asks what was the aim before this announcement- "Just a few suicides? A hundred?" For Jake, a huge stumbling block to dealing with the problem, is the fear of being judged. Vulnerable people are too apprehensive to speak out about their problems. He calls on the media to up its game,

"The media doesn’t just have influence, it has a responsibility to help communicate a message and set an agenda. Yes, things are changing, but it can’t be right that the furthest we’ve come is having someone receive live therapy on air with Phillip Schofield or a soap character crashing a minibus." 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/20/zero-suicides-change-tackle-depression

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Embrace-learning courses for the health and social care sector. E-learning to meet your training needs and your budget! http://goo.gl/wVmnWq

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Our e-learning courses can be issued by GPs to patients by e-learning prescription. To find out more, please call 0161 928 9987 and visit our online course library: http://goo.gl/wVmnWq

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The amazing story of Australian Josie Webster, who is exhibiting and selling her works internationally, having been painting for less than a year. This article is well worth a read.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2909080/From-high-school-dance-reject-international-landscape-painter-Australian-teenager-syndrome-Josie-Webster-conquering-art-world-exhibitions-London-New-York.html?dm_i=6N7,33XO0,GPCQXA,B5CY4,1

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Saffron Cordery's five ways to transform mental health provision in 2015. She calls for:

1) A mainstream approach, stressing the importance of tackling mental health 'in every arena, setting and interaction'

2) Greater investment. That's NEW money, not reallocation

3) A payment system fit for purpose. No more block contracts, it's time for multi-year forward planning

4) Using access targets to improve quality, i.e. how they should be used

5) Achieving structural parity. No more postcode lottery of availability and sustainability.

After all the political rhetoric of 2014, it's time to discover whether it was more than just hot air.

http://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2015/jan/20/five-ways-improve-mental-health-care-2015