Health Education England (HEE) has published a learning and development roadmap for healthcare support workers (HCSWs) in the NHS.
Designed to act as an online resource for workers, and their managers or educators, the publication aims to assist people with identifying learning and development goals that could also ultimately benefit patient care.
HEE suggests that workers use the guide to help them to discuss their career aspirations, needs and development potential with leadership and educational staff at their organisations.
For managers and educators, it’s hoped the roadmap will enable conversations around the training and professional development opportunities available for HSCWs, and equip them with the tools to support their colleagues on their learning journeys.
HEE’s roadmap was developed with the help of HCSWs and focuses on four areas – personal skills, technical skills, skills for life, and career progression.
Each section provides succinct ‘guidance’, examples of potential job roles and skills that can be developed, and collates links to resources that can help – such as questionnaires, further reading, toolkits, and signposting to awards, programmes, and opportunities for further study or training.
In the first key area – personal skills – the publication ‘advises’ that developing these can help to “further identify your strengths and talents so that you can thrive within your current and future role” and “help you to face challenges and approach situations that may emerge in your day-to-day working life.”
For the development of further technical skills, which HEE says can help staff to “gain knowledge, maintain your competency to the highest level possible and stay up to date with current clinical practice,” the roadmap directs users to a range of e-learning services and modules for topics ranging from dementia care to autism awareness.
Skills for life, which are described as “functional skills” including “literacy, numeracy, and digital”, HEE points HCSWs to potential qualifications, as well as both free and paid for websites and courses that can help staff sharpen their skills.
The final area focuses on career progression and the annual NHS personal development review, with HEE directing staff to a range of support that can help with everything from NHS application forms, to career planning websites, templates for career conversations with managers, and information on identifying skills, career pathways and apprenticeships.
To find out more about the new resource, visit HEE’s online roadmap.
