SUPPORT IN PRACTICE
PUTTING HCAs ON THE MAP Jacqueline Filkins was in a partnership leading an EC pilot to review healthcare assistant standards in Europe
COURSES & RESOURCES
The European Union is required to ensure human health is protected through its policies. The brief was to establish a pilot network and database of nurse educators and regulators to improve the qualifications of healthcare assistants (HCAs), with a particular emphasis on cross-border mobility. The project intended to: Produce a map showing the different legislative frameworks for the employment, registration and duties of healthcare assistants. Review standards of HCA skills and competencies in member states. Map best practice in HCA training and opportunities for cross-border working for HCAs.
Registration The countries with green dots maintain a mandatory register of HCAs after successful completion of training. Regulation In the countries with orange dots, HCA training – and in some instances their duties – are regulated, but there is no mandatory register.
6 6
* There is no official regulation of HCAs in the UK and Ireland 5
1. Austria 2. Belgium 3. Bulgaria 4. Czech Republic 5. Denmark 6. Finland 7. Germany 8. Ireland 9. Italy 10. Netherlands 11. Poland 12. Slovenia 13. Spain 14. Switzerland 15. United Kingdom Regulation and registration of HCAs in Europe
5
11
10 2
7
2
4 4 1 14
3 9 13
Recommend training requirements. The project was commissioned by the European Commission. A group of 28 experts contributed to the project. Nine topic areas were investigated – including curriculum and
Stroke awareness Public Health England has launched its annual Act Fast campaign, which highlights the common symptoms of stroke and mini strokes, and encourages people to call 999 if they notice the symptoms in others or experience them themselves. This year’s campaign is targeting people from African and Caribbean and South Asian communities because findings reveal that these groups are twice as likely to be at a risk of stroke than the general population. Financial support RCN Foundation healthcare assistant awards are available to pay for course fees, study day fees or fees to awarding bodies. HCAs with a vocational qualification in health and care can apply, giving details of the proposed educational activity and
12 12
competencies, registration, career development and mobility in the EU – using literature searches, surveys and evaluations. The map (pictured) summarises the regulations on education and registration of HCAs throughout the EU.
its likely impact on patient care, enclosing written evidence of support from their manager. Email [email protected] for details. Bed rail safety Healthcare Events will hold a seminar on safe practice in the use of bed rails on July 7 in London. The half-day event is intended to give practitioners the skills, knowledge and confidence to use bed rails safely. Risk management, responsibilities, legal requirements and promotion of good practice are also on the agenda with the intention that those who attend will have a better understanding of the risks associated with bed rails. tinyurl.com/ MCBedRails
NURSING STANDARD Nursing Standard 2015.29:68-69. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by 125.40.117.145 on 10/06/15. For personal use only.
68 february 18 :: vol 29 no 25 :: 2015
NEWS UPDATE
Healthcare assistant (HCA) training lead to a recognised certificate or licence. Training enables HCAs to progress to higher qualifications. HCA education framework supports free movement of HCAs in the EU. HCAs are registered. Finland featured in the examples of best practice consistently, although its HCA role is more similar to the UK’s assistant practitioners. In Finland, HCA education is regulated and there is compulsory registration, while in Slovenia there is a clear distinction between the duties of HCAs and nurses. The mobility of the EU healthcare workforce is mainly from south to north and east to west, but surprisingly no reliable data was available on this. Similarly, it is not yet possible to identify the knowledge that HCAs bring from their country of origin. This leads to significant challenges of integration. The EU has called for tenders for a study to explore the feasibility of establishing a common training framework for HCAs in the EU.
Jacqueline Filkins is honorary president of the European Nurse Directors Association RESOURCES Network of nurse educators and regulators www.hca-network.eu Final report on EU HCA education and regulation tinyurl.com/EUHCAreport
Care homes The national care homes open day will be held on June 19 on the theme of ‘the arts and valuing staff ’. The event is a UK initiative inviting care homes to open their doors to their wider communities. The idea is to show communities what excellent care homes are and to create links between local people and care home residents. tinyurl.com/Carehomeopenday CARING COMMUNITIES
Conference RCN Northern Ireland (NI) will hold a conference for healthcare assistants (HCAs) on Wednesday February 25 at RCN NI, 17 Windsor Avenue, Belfast. The Way Forward covers human rights, patient safety, HCA pay and the role of accredited reps. The day will also include contributions from HCAs and health practitioners. The fee for RCN members is £10 and for non-members £15. [email protected], 028 9038 4600 or 0345 456783 tinyurl.com/Carehomeopenday
NURSING STANDARD
Two trusts are supporting the development of healthcare assistants (HCAs) by linking with the Open University (OU). Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Swindon worked with the OU to help its healthcare support workers access pre-registration nursing degree training. HCAs will be offered financial support by the trust while they undertake a four-year part-time OU degree programme. Meanwhile, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust worked with the OU to offer a programme to help HCAs take nursing degrees when secondments were no longer available through the local education and training board. tinyurl.com/GWHCAsto-nurse and tinyurl.com/PSHCas-to-nurse The Care Certificate will be officially launched in March. Employers are expected to use the certificate for all new starters in health and social care from April. The certificate will replace the common induction standards and the national minimum training standards. Health Education England, Skills for Care and Skills for Health have worked together to develop the Care Certificate. Individuals will need to complete all 15 standards to achieve it. It will be prioritised for new staff and certification will be the responsibility of the employer. National Occupational Standards for maternity support workers have been published by Skills for Health. The standards describe the knowledge and skills required for this group, whether in hospital or community settings. The standards are in addition to the guidance already available on the role of maternity support workers. Although the standards are not mandatory, it is envisaged they will be adopted and developed as a resource across the UK. ISTOCK
The report’s key recommendations
It is only when the recommendations of the report have been fulfilled that HCAs and assistant practitioners will have their professional status recognised, nurses can delegate to HCAs with confidence, and greater patient safety will be achieved. This will also assist the development of nursing to meet the emerging demands on the profession. Excellent recruitment and training initiatives are in progress but there is duplication of effort and a piecemeal approach. Educators, nurse leaders, workforce planners and organisations that support nurses and HCAs should combine their efforts to enable change, and engage with organisations that support nurses and HCAs in order to achieve these professional goals NS
Inside Out of Mind is a new play depicting life on a ward for patients who have dementia. It is based on research investigating how healthcare assistants look after people with dementia undertaken at the University of Nottingham. The workshop production by playwright Tanya Myers is accompanied by a DVD to help spread awareness of the issues. The play is showing at Derby Theatre from February 18-23 and tickets cost £11-£25.50 from 01332 593939 or derbytheatre.co.uk
february 18 :: vol 29 no 25 :: 2015 69 Nursing Standard 2015.29:68-69. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by 125.40.117.145 on 10/06/15. For personal use only.
PUTTING HCAs ON THE MAP Jacqueline Filkins was in a partnership leading an EC pilot to review healthcare assistant standards in Europe
COURSES & RESOURCES
The European Union is required to ensure human health is protected through its policies. The brief was to establish a pilot network and database of nurse educators and regulators to improve the qualifications of healthcare assistants (HCAs), with a particular emphasis on cross-border mobility. The project intended to: Produce a map showing the different legislative frameworks for the employment, registration and duties of healthcare assistants. Review standards of HCA skills and competencies in member states. Map best practice in HCA training and opportunities for cross-border working for HCAs.
Registration The countries with green dots maintain a mandatory register of HCAs after successful completion of training. Regulation In the countries with orange dots, HCA training – and in some instances their duties – are regulated, but there is no mandatory register.
6 6
* There is no official regulation of HCAs in the UK and Ireland 5
1. Austria 2. Belgium 3. Bulgaria 4. Czech Republic 5. Denmark 6. Finland 7. Germany 8. Ireland 9. Italy 10. Netherlands 11. Poland 12. Slovenia 13. Spain 14. Switzerland 15. United Kingdom Regulation and registration of HCAs in Europe
5
11
10 2
7
2
4 4 1 14
3 9 13
Recommend training requirements. The project was commissioned by the European Commission. A group of 28 experts contributed to the project. Nine topic areas were investigated – including curriculum and
Stroke awareness Public Health England has launched its annual Act Fast campaign, which highlights the common symptoms of stroke and mini strokes, and encourages people to call 999 if they notice the symptoms in others or experience them themselves. This year’s campaign is targeting people from African and Caribbean and South Asian communities because findings reveal that these groups are twice as likely to be at a risk of stroke than the general population. Financial support RCN Foundation healthcare assistant awards are available to pay for course fees, study day fees or fees to awarding bodies. HCAs with a vocational qualification in health and care can apply, giving details of the proposed educational activity and
12 12
competencies, registration, career development and mobility in the EU – using literature searches, surveys and evaluations. The map (pictured) summarises the regulations on education and registration of HCAs throughout the EU.
its likely impact on patient care, enclosing written evidence of support from their manager. Email [email protected] for details. Bed rail safety Healthcare Events will hold a seminar on safe practice in the use of bed rails on July 7 in London. The half-day event is intended to give practitioners the skills, knowledge and confidence to use bed rails safely. Risk management, responsibilities, legal requirements and promotion of good practice are also on the agenda with the intention that those who attend will have a better understanding of the risks associated with bed rails. tinyurl.com/ MCBedRails
NURSING STANDARD Nursing Standard 2015.29:68-69. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by 125.40.117.145 on 10/06/15. For personal use only.
68 february 18 :: vol 29 no 25 :: 2015
NEWS UPDATE
Healthcare assistant (HCA) training lead to a recognised certificate or licence. Training enables HCAs to progress to higher qualifications. HCA education framework supports free movement of HCAs in the EU. HCAs are registered. Finland featured in the examples of best practice consistently, although its HCA role is more similar to the UK’s assistant practitioners. In Finland, HCA education is regulated and there is compulsory registration, while in Slovenia there is a clear distinction between the duties of HCAs and nurses. The mobility of the EU healthcare workforce is mainly from south to north and east to west, but surprisingly no reliable data was available on this. Similarly, it is not yet possible to identify the knowledge that HCAs bring from their country of origin. This leads to significant challenges of integration. The EU has called for tenders for a study to explore the feasibility of establishing a common training framework for HCAs in the EU.
Jacqueline Filkins is honorary president of the European Nurse Directors Association RESOURCES Network of nurse educators and regulators www.hca-network.eu Final report on EU HCA education and regulation tinyurl.com/EUHCAreport
Care homes The national care homes open day will be held on June 19 on the theme of ‘the arts and valuing staff ’. The event is a UK initiative inviting care homes to open their doors to their wider communities. The idea is to show communities what excellent care homes are and to create links between local people and care home residents. tinyurl.com/Carehomeopenday CARING COMMUNITIES
Conference RCN Northern Ireland (NI) will hold a conference for healthcare assistants (HCAs) on Wednesday February 25 at RCN NI, 17 Windsor Avenue, Belfast. The Way Forward covers human rights, patient safety, HCA pay and the role of accredited reps. The day will also include contributions from HCAs and health practitioners. The fee for RCN members is £10 and for non-members £15. [email protected], 028 9038 4600 or 0345 456783 tinyurl.com/Carehomeopenday
NURSING STANDARD
Two trusts are supporting the development of healthcare assistants (HCAs) by linking with the Open University (OU). Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Swindon worked with the OU to help its healthcare support workers access pre-registration nursing degree training. HCAs will be offered financial support by the trust while they undertake a four-year part-time OU degree programme. Meanwhile, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust worked with the OU to offer a programme to help HCAs take nursing degrees when secondments were no longer available through the local education and training board. tinyurl.com/GWHCAsto-nurse and tinyurl.com/PSHCas-to-nurse The Care Certificate will be officially launched in March. Employers are expected to use the certificate for all new starters in health and social care from April. The certificate will replace the common induction standards and the national minimum training standards. Health Education England, Skills for Care and Skills for Health have worked together to develop the Care Certificate. Individuals will need to complete all 15 standards to achieve it. It will be prioritised for new staff and certification will be the responsibility of the employer. National Occupational Standards for maternity support workers have been published by Skills for Health. The standards describe the knowledge and skills required for this group, whether in hospital or community settings. The standards are in addition to the guidance already available on the role of maternity support workers. Although the standards are not mandatory, it is envisaged they will be adopted and developed as a resource across the UK. ISTOCK
The report’s key recommendations
It is only when the recommendations of the report have been fulfilled that HCAs and assistant practitioners will have their professional status recognised, nurses can delegate to HCAs with confidence, and greater patient safety will be achieved. This will also assist the development of nursing to meet the emerging demands on the profession. Excellent recruitment and training initiatives are in progress but there is duplication of effort and a piecemeal approach. Educators, nurse leaders, workforce planners and organisations that support nurses and HCAs should combine their efforts to enable change, and engage with organisations that support nurses and HCAs in order to achieve these professional goals NS
Inside Out of Mind is a new play depicting life on a ward for patients who have dementia. It is based on research investigating how healthcare assistants look after people with dementia undertaken at the University of Nottingham. The workshop production by playwright Tanya Myers is accompanied by a DVD to help spread awareness of the issues. The play is showing at Derby Theatre from February 18-23 and tickets cost £11-£25.50 from 01332 593939 or derbytheatre.co.uk
february 18 :: vol 29 no 25 :: 2015 69 Nursing Standard 2015.29:68-69. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by 125.40.117.145 on 10/06/15. For personal use only.
