The benefits of the Care Certificate are endless. Below are a selection of comments on how the Care Certificate has supported both individuals, and organisations as a whole. If you would like to share your experience, please email your testimonial to careinlincs@linca.org.uk
As an Assistant Director within the Lincolnshire Health and Care System, and with responsibilities for safeguarding Adults and commissioning care and support, I am delighted to see that Health Education England (HEE) have made the 5th of December a Celebration of the Care Certificate Day.
The quality of the services we commission and provide to our local population are vitally important. We must therefore ensure the people that are employed across our services are properly inducted and have the values and skills necessary to underpin the quality of care needed.
The Care Act 2014 encourages commissioners of care and Support to promote the Care Certificate as a vehicle to underpin good quality services. The CQC are also explicit in their expectation that those who employ health care support workers and adult social care workers should be able to demonstrate that staff have, or are working towards, the skills set out in the Care Certificate, as the benchmark for staff induction.
It is recognised that supporting care workers with the completion of the care certificate demonstrates that they are valued and will help to ensure standards of care are maintained and improved. For these reasons we would like you to join us in celebrating the success of those people who have already completed the care certificate and to help us with our mission to increase the uptake of the Care Certificate across our local health and care system.
Justin Hackney, Assistant Director - Specialist Adult Services and Safeguarding
Lincolnshire County Council
The Care Certificate provides a firm foundation for a career in health and care. By investing in behaviour, skills and knowledge it can underpin the delivery of high quality person-centred care.
Melanie Weatherley MBE, Chair
Lincolnshire Care Association
As a care provider you no doubt want to promote quality care and will need to ensure all your team can promote and deliver the basic requirements of care. By undertaking and completing the Care Certificate, you will be given peace of mind to allow this to happen.
Many providers who reach CQC Outstanding, have supported their own in-house induction process with the addition of the Care Certificate. There is evidence that supports high retention and vacancy rates being influenced by a lack of quality introduction in to the adult social care sector. Undertaking and ensuring that the Care Certificate is part of your formal offer during the induction process will support and reduce the pressures that fall on to the Workforce to cope with demands of care.
So, join us in celebrating the successes, and if you are new to the idea of undertaking the Care Certificate, I would advise you to be brave and add it to your workforce offer to your existing, new and future staff.
Mark Turton, Non Executive Director of LinCA and Head of Workforce Development
CareinLincs Workforce Development
