ANGUS COUNCILSOCIAL WORK & HEALTH

OUR EXPERIENCE

Shirley Gibson Internal Verifier

RESPONSE FROM THE SCOTTISH SOCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL TO THE CONSULTATION

ON LIFELONG LEARNING –

“Partnership working is critical to the learning and development of the social services workforce.

Existing collaborative and partnership arrangements between employers, and education and training providers provide good practice examples for this and other sectors.”

THE DRIVERS

• Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice

• The National Care Standards

• The Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme in Tayside,

WHAT WAS NEEDED

• Home Care and residential staff needed palliative care training.

• We needed trainers

• We needed palliative care knowledge

TRAINING THE TRAINERS

• Angus Council and Marie Curie/NHS formed a partnership

• Two members of the training section and four operational staff were to be trained as facilitators.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

2 day facilitation course and update

Material resources

Ongoing support

Updating information

Information on development opportunities

MARIE CURIE, NHS

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ANGUS COUNCIL

2 trainers4 operational staffClerical supportPremisesOperational managerial support

THE TEAM

• The team of six was then formed with one clerical officer as admin support.

DEVELOPING THE TEAM

• Trainers visited sites involved in Palliative Care.

• Trainers attended training courses

Maggie’s Centre

Dundee

Macmillan Day Centre Angus

Roxburgh House Dundee

TRAINING COMMENCES

• The first study day was held in May 2008

• Ratio of attendees was I trainer to 6 attendees

• Each session was observed and

timed by a team member then feedback was given

• Evaluation sheets were discussed between the team then collated by admin

WHAT DO STAFF THINK

SOME COMMENTS FROM STAFF

“ Made me realise that it is not only for people who are about to die but for long term illness as well”

• “Realising how much you need to listen and not always talking and that there are alternative ways to communicate”

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORKPLACE

• Staff awareness of services

• Care plans include the wishes and choices of service users in relation to end of life care and arrangements following death

• Staff have commented on how the training has made them more aware of the need for a care plan which reflects palliative care

DEVELOPMENTS IN TRAINING

• More practical training is being planned

• Information/ updates received from MacMillan practice educator are sent to managers to be cascaded to staff

• We are hoping to add palliative care training to our induction programme for new staff.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

• So far the team has provided 20 study days to staff .

• 6 more days are planned for the first half of the new year

• The numbers trained between April 2008 and November 2009 were 272

• We are now delivering in house training in different locations

• Facilitation courses are being developed• We are now training health care assistants

and Macmillan welfare rights staff

SUMMARY

The initiative has demonstrated what can be done when partnerships are formed.

The staff are more motivated and confident to make improvements to a service that already provides high quality care to the people of Angus.