Aspiring healthcare support workers invited to join new academy
Aspiring healthcare support workers from across the region are being offered the chance to join a pilot academy as part of their new career path.
Set up by the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System (ICS), the Social and Health Care Partnership Training Academy consists of a two-week training programme to help newly appointed healthcare support workers prepare for their role.
As part of the academy, new recruits are given the opportunity to train in an industry-standard, immersive suite at Telford College, which includes a replica hospital ward, as well as a home setting to mirror social care situations.
The academy’s first intake of 24 participants, who all secured roles within Shropshire and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), has completed their programme and, now, applications are open for the next cohort.
Caroline Bastow, Learner Manager for Higher Education and Access at Telford College, said: “We have completely renovated part of our campus to create a new industry-standard hospital suite to house the academy.
“There is a growing need for more healthcare assistants to work in both hospitals and care home settings, and this induction process will be transferable across multiple sites. By increasing the number of newcomers in the pipeline, it also provides career progression opportunities for existing health care assistants.”
The programme – run in partnership with Marches Education Partnership, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – provides the mandatory training that healthcare support workers need to complete to pass their induction and gain their Care Certificate.
Upon completion of the course, healthcare support workers are able to transfer their skills into a number of healthcare roles across the system, including the community and hospital settings.
Following the pilot programme, which was led by SaTH, the academy will be broadened to include social care roles, too.
Victoria Rankin, Executive Lead for People at Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System (ICS), said: “It takes a real combination of skills, compassion and, importantly, dedication to be a healthcare support worker; this academy programme enables our new recruits to have structure to their training so that they can get the guidance and support they need, when they need it.”
Alison Trumper, ICS lead for ‘Focus on Nursing and Healthcare’ support workers, said: “The skills lab at Telford College simulates a hospital and a home environment providing a fantastic environment for them to learn and develop in as close to a real-life setting as is possible.
“The programme provides participants with the opportunity to learn from the diversity of expertise across the system from different partner organisations, offering that all-important hands-on experience.
“The first set of academy participants have proven what a difference this new structure makes to the wider training programme and we’re now calling on people to apply for the next course.
“Previous experience or qualifications aren’t essential – what’s important is passion, dedication and drive, and we’re looking forward to meeting our next cohort of new healthcare support workers.”
The academy programme will run once a month, with applications for upcoming intakes now open.
For more information about current roles and how to apply, visit: https://www.stw-healthcare.co.uk/
