Anita Fowler, from Bensan Ward, has become the first Healthcare Support Worker at Benenden Hospital to be awarded a Care Certificate.
The course was undertaken over 12 weeks and included understanding the HSW role, duty of care, equality and diversity, communication, privacy and dignity, dementia, safeguarding, basic life support, infection prevention and control, handling information and other topics.
The Care Certificate aims to equip health and social care support workers with the knowledge and skills which they need to provide safe, compassionate care.
Phil Golding, Bensan Ward Manager, presented the certificate to Anita.
He said: “In the wake of the Francis Inquiry into the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, Camilla Cavendish was appointed to undertake an independent review of healthcare assistants and support workers across health and social care.
“Whilst recognising the value of these workers within the sectors, the review also found that the quality of training and support that they received in both health and social care varied greatly between organisations.
“Cavendish proposed that a Certificate of Fundamental Care, now known as the Care Certificate, be developed in order to deliver common training standards across health and social care, written in language that is meaningful to patients and the public.”
This proposal was adopted and a partnership was formed led by Health Education England, working closely with Skills for Care and Skills for Health, with the remit to develop the standards and framework for the delivery of the Care Certificate, with guidance from the Department of Health and its Cavendish Governance Assurance Board.
Published on 14 February 2017