Health Care Assistance Dementia Course

Board: Highland

Theme: Personal Development/Further Training

Contact: n/a

NHS Highland ran two projects with the funding it was awarded from the Working Well Challenge Fund.

The first project was a Health Care Assistance Dementia Course.

Six groups of Health Care Assistant Dementia Courses were set up across NHS Highland. Six trained members of staff attended a two-day Facilitators Course at Stirling University. Each facilitator then identified up to eight Health Care Assistants (HCAs) to undertake the six-month self directed learning course centred around six workbooks each highlighting a different aspect of Dementia Care.

HCAs were required to undertake two-hours self directed study one week and two hours meeting as a group on each alternate week to work as a group on the current workbook and to discuss individual experiences.

The course lasted six-months and at the end of the course HCAs were required to complete a reflective exercise describing a situation where they have encountered a “problem” when responding to a person with dementia whilst in their care.

This course links to the six core dimensions of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework: Communication, Personal & People Development, Health, Safety and Security, Service Improvement, Quality and Equality & Diversity

The course is an equivalent level to SVQ 3 and meets the knowledge requirements for S/NVQ Health & Social Care Level 3 qualification. The 4 core units for this are:

  • HSC 31 Promote effective communication for and about individuals
  • HSC 32 Promote, monitor and maintain health and security in the working environment
  • HSC 33 Reflect on and develop your practice
  • HSC 35 Promote choice, wellbeing, and the protection of all individuals

Positives:

  • The feedback from the HCAs completing this course is extremely positive with requests for further sessions
  • Both the seminars and the HCA Course would promote the ethos of Better Health Better Care

Challenges:

  • NHS Highland reported they faced very few problems
  • There was backfill available through the fund to release the facilitator to attend the course
  • Costs are ongoing

Suitable for National roll out:

  • NHS Highland believe the course could be implemented as part of a nationally recognised HCA training which would meet the needs of experienced staff, however, it could also be incorporated into a stand alone induction course for those staff joining the NHS
  • With an ever increasing elderly population and a significant estimated increase in people with Dementia in the next decade, this course offers a proven knowledge base that would enable HCAs to show a greater understanding of dementia and its impact on individuals, reflection on how to change practice and to utilise person centred care.