Caremark, a national home care franchisor is now providing its care workers with the latest training tool in the form of its own branded E Learning courses and blended learning systems.

Care workers are now receiving the best of both theoretical and practical training in all their Mandatory Training subjects as well as in the Induction for Supporting Children, with the added benefit of being able to carry out their learning at a time to suit them.

The homecare workforce being a dispersed workforce, have different training requirements to that of care workers delivering a service within a care home.  Home care workers deliver the service within clients’ homes and as every home is different, different health and safety risks to both care worker and client present themselves.    Therefore the training has to be aimed at working in a unique environment, with all aspect of health and safety covering this particular workplace.

The new training tools have been developed over a period of months, following extensive research into the existing models already used within the Care sector.  Having a tailor made system of online learning enables all staff to be consistently trained to the same high standard across the network, ensuring Caremark’s standard of excellence in Care is maintained throughout its franchised offices.  The initiative and driving force behind this new programme is Lynda Goldsmith, National Training Manager for Caremark and Specialist Member of the IIRSM.

“The particular system we are using is through the Health & Safety team of the Essex Chambers of Commerce and is offered to care establishments, the prison service and the police.  I have been able to write all the material for the course to work within the home care environment and in line with all our policies and procedures and they underwrite it afterwards.  The partnership we have formed is excellent.  Through working collaboratively we have been able to produce a system of E Learning which is modern, easy to use and incorporates all aspects of the Caremark system, as well as Health and Safety and Risk Management in line with current legislation” Lynda said.

With previous experience of using E Learning in her earlier career, Lynda knew the value of online learning for staff working in home care.  The care service is a 24 hour business which makes it difficult to get all staff together in the training room at any one time.  Having an online system of learning enables staff to study and learn at a time to suit their individual schedules.

Lynda continued “Since launching our E Learning we have had very good feedback, with close to 2,500 users giving us their response to it.  When I wrote this course I had to take into account that everyone has different learning styles and of course, they are all learning remotely.  The E Learning represents the theory side of their training.  Their knowledge is assessed on line but they also have to complete a practical competency assessment on their 7 Mandatory subjects.  This is called ‘blended learning’ and we feel this is the best way to ensure they are knowledgeable and competent”.

There are plans in place to extend the basic training in the future, introducing different specialist modules to suit more diverse client groups and requirements.

Caremark deliver home care and support services via a network of franchised offices, operating throughout the UK, enabling vulnerable individuals, whether adults or children, to remain living safely and independently in their own homes.

“We are always looking for ways to improve what we do.  By providing something of quality to everyone, we remain consistent in our approach.  It is vital to have a workforce that is consistently trained to a high standard across the network.

We are trailblazers here!  I believe we are the first home care company to have our own branded system of E Learning within the home care environment” Lynda concluded.