New measures to support the training standards of healthcare assistants have been unveiled by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
He has set out plans to develop a code of conduct and minimum training standards for healthcare support workers and adult social care workers in England. The project will be taken forward jointly by Skills for Health and Skills for Care – in partnership with unions, employers, regulators, educators and others. It will focus on areas such as communication, confidentiality, nutrition and hydration, and basic observations. The scheme aims to help nurses understand which tasks they can delegate and which they should not, while it is hoped that it will bring clarity to the training that assistants need, where they deliver more advanced tasks. Gail Adams, UNISON head of nursing, said: “This new right to training and support for healthcare assistants is a welcome step – for both staff and patients. Healthcare assistants are the backbone of our NHS – they work hard to deliver much of the direct, personal, and intimate bedside care that used to be delivered by nurses. But access and right to training and development can be patchy, and job roles and responsibilities can be unclear. Bringing some consistency will help support the entire health team to give patients the best possible care.”
