Care home mandatory training isn’t what you might think it is

Whether you are a care home manager or a member of the care staff, you will be actively completing training to ensure that you’re always meeting the needs of your residents. But when you hear the phrase ‘mandatory training’ you might naturally assume this is in reference to a set of specific courses, however the requirement of ‘mandatory’ training, and training in order to stay compliant for each care home differs. 

From a regulators point of view, they will want to see that you are staying up to date at your care home in terms of best practice, therefore, on-going training around industry standards and what makes for the best care outcomes in general is always something you should be focusing on.  

It shouldn’t be that you only undertake training when it is deemed necessary to stay up to date with regulations. Rather, it should be a constant and continuous process of learning, to ensure that everybody working in the care home has the best possible base of knowledge to maintain and constantly seek to improve care outcomes.

What do we mean by ‘mandatory’ training? 

Care home mandatory training isn’t just defined by a blanket requirement, instead, ultimately, mandatory training is defined by the needs of your residents. 

Mandatory training comes down to the specific context of your residents, so, as per regulatory standards, to provide the best possible care for your residents, care staff who are caring for residents need to be able to meet the needs of your residents. In other words, if you have a resident come into your home who is living with dementia or has a condition that inhibits the ability to swallow, then this, for your home, becomes mandatory (and is available as a course on our mandatory and compliance training platform, entitled Dysphagia and IDDSI), because your care home staff need to be equipped to support any issues that your residents might have. 

Being skilled enough to meet the needs of your residents is mandatory 

All training has the potential to be mandatory, and this is something you need to keep in mind as you consider your training needs, not just to ensure compliance but also to ensure you are able to provide the best possible care. In any case, one does not really exist without the other.  

This is also something you need to keep in mind when it comes to thinking about the budget you need to allocate to training. We understand the cost pressures of running a care home, and we understand that in the climate of tight budgets and stretched resources, training can feel like a tick box, but it is important to consider the long-term implications of training and the value it adds to your home, and more importantly the quality of care you are able to provide to your individual resident needs. 

Getting the best possible training means that your staff are equipped to deal with any type of scenario that might come their way. You don’t have to worry about potentially not being table to take a resident on because your staff don’t have the expertise to support them. And crucially, you can take all this and use it to improve the reputation of your home, meaning that ultimately, you’ll be in a stronger position to negotiate fees and welcome more residents – ultimately boosting income.  

Not only this, but easy access to training means that staff feel supported and are well positioned to be promoted internally, which is a much more cost-effective way to handle staff recruitment, not to mention a way to further strengthen the staff community atmosphere. 

So mandatory training is a little bit more than you might first think. It is mandatory in all aspects because any issue your residents might have in the future will make training mandatory by default, and it’s also a way of maximising staff ability and revenue possibilities.  

This might also sound a little daunting for you, because you might think that if anything can be mandatory, then does that mean you need to be learning about everything all at once? This doesn’t have to be the case. The best way to look at it is setting yourself up for continued success.  

Consider a flexible training provider that can grow with you  

It’s important to consider using a training platform that allows you to access courses and training as and when needed – meaning you can take what you need for today and have it ready for when you need it in the future. 

But if you’re thinking about what the best care home mandatory training might be for you, or where you can turn to ensure that all the many different aspects of training are covered in one place, then you should consider our PCS mandatory and compliance training solution.  

It can be daunting finding a supplier to meet all of your ever-changing needs, that's why our mandatory and compliance training solution is so intrinsic to the future growth of your care home. Everything you could possibly need to know is in one place, and your staff can have access to substantial and detailed training materials that cover every possible aspect of care today and in the future with a library of training that is constantly updated.  

With our mandatory and compliance training solution, you will be supported to succeed today and to grow in the future.  

Click here to find out more about our mandatory and compliance training