Trust to lead development of Devon Excellence Centre for healthcare support staff
The National Skills Academy for Health (NSA Health) has announced that Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust will lead the development of its new Devon Excellence Centre to improve the quality and accessibility of training for England’s healthcare support workforce.
Darryn Allcorn, director of workforce and development at the Trust, said: “We are very proud and excited to be selected to lead the development of the Devon Excellence Centre.
“The centre will bring together health and social care organisations and education providers to enhance opportunities and skills among support staff, who play a very important role.
“We’re looking forward to working with NSA Health to launch the centre and to building on the partnerships we have developed to support career progression and opportunities locally, such as the Care Academy in Barnstaple.”
Petroc, the college that co-runs the Care Academy and also works closely with the Trust through apprenticeships and other schemes, will be a key education provider in the Devon Excellence Centre.
Shaun Kershaw, Care Academy co-ordinator, said: “The inclusion of the Care Academy within such a prestigious and nationally-recognised Excellence Centre model is reward for the positive nature of Petroc’s partnership with Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.
“It will enhance greatly the opportunities for young people in North Devon to build rewarding and long-term careers in health and social care.
“We are absolutely delighted with the news.”
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust is the latest Employer Partner to join the National Skills Academy for Health’s Excellence Centre network.
The network also includes:
• Sandwell and West Birmingham Excellence Centre hosted by NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group
• North Bristol Excellence Centre hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust
• Essex Excellence Centre hosted by The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
• Southampton and Solent Excellence Centre hosted by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
• Kent, Surrey and Sussex Excellence Centre hosted by Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Support staff make up 40% (798,600) of the UK’s healthcare workforce. This often unrepresented group ensures hospital and healthcare practices around the UK are running efficiently and effectively, yet they often go unnoticed.
Our research shows that the availability of high-quality training for healthcare support workers has historically been inconsistent, with many managers facing difficulties accessing the essential training needed to ensure staff maintain the high level of competence and qualification required for their role.
Each Excellence Centre acts as a regional hub to develop strong collaborations between education and training providers and healthcare employers from the public, independent and voluntary sectors.
Together the organisations making up each centre design and deliver learning resources for healthcare support staff, share best practice and training expertise and make best use of skills development facilities.
SMEs are a particular focus of engagement, with the Excellence Centres reaching out to a broad range of employers including hospices, care homes, dentists, GP surgeries and pharmacies, helping their staff to access high-quality development opportunities.
The Excellence Centres work collectively to co-ordinate the development and national sharing of learning programmes and other resources.
The focus of each programme or resource takes account of local as well as national priorities as determined by healthcare employers and, by working collaboratively rather than in isolation, they aim to reduce wasteful duplication of effort.
The products and services available through NSA Health Excellence Centres support the development of key behaviours, knowledge and expertise, using face-to-face, e-learning and blended approaches.
Close attention is given to addressing the training needs of new entrants, those on apprenticeship programmes and existing staff seeking to grow and develop their skills, whether in clinical or non-clinical roles.
Candace Miller, director of the National Skills Academy for Health, said: “The National Skills Academy for Health’s vision is to create a qualified and transferable workforce, with every individual recognised and valued for the skills they have and encouraged and enabled to develop the skills they want and need.
“Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust had clearly given a great deal of thought as to how becoming a National Skills Academy for Health Excellence Centre would help them develop the skills not only of their own healthcare support workforce but those of all the other organisations with whom they work.
“Their bid and presentation showed them to be a proactive organisation, and one which shares our belief that, by employers working together, we will drive up quality and access to training for the wider healthcare workforce.
“We are delighted to welcome them into the network.
“This partnership will endeavour to ensure employers and learners alike achieve their goals.
“And of course we'll be encouraging and sharing many more examples of best practice.”
