A pilot programme of joint health and social care induction training has been linked to positive changes in practice and better outcomes for people who use care and support services, according to a new evaluation report published today.
Between 2019 and 2021, we worked with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) to help Hywel Dda University Health Board and local authorities in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire successfully develop and run a pilot programme of joint health and social care induction training.
The evaluation of the pilot by Social Care Institute for Excellence has now revealed that completing the programme has been linked to positive changes in practice and better outcomes for people using care and support.
The report noted that effective joint working between health and social care was essential to the pilot’s success. It also found the pilot increased learners’ confidence and competence, and supported workforce recruitment and retention.
More than 160 workers successfully completed the programme since it was introduced in July 2019, with 120 workers also successfully completing the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core qualification.
The programme supported new workers in their first months of employment and was based on the All Wales induction framework for health and social care and parts of the Clinical Healthcare Induction used by the health sector.
It covered topics such as principles and values, person-centred care and safeguarding, as well as health and safety, dementia and essential health observations.
The evaluation report’s other findings included:
- those working in social care and employers valued the opportunity to carry out health observations and complete clinical skills training
- having mentors and workplace support helped the workers taking part in the pilot
- having experienced practitioners from health and social care, along with specialists, acting as tutors was an important element of the pilot’s success
- creating a more flexible workforce that had elements of health and social care training helped with integrating the two sectors.
Following on from the success of the pilot programme, we are now looking at how we can build upon its good work and positive outcomes.