Search results

In response to the challenge of the ageing of societies and concerns over recruitment and quality of service delivery, many nations have introduced new educational and training pathways, as well as national standards that set a minimum qualification level for residential care staff. In Ireland, national standards were introduced in July 2009 and, against this backdrop this study aimed to explore the level of qualification held or being pursued by non‐nursing care staff.

An email/postal survey was conducted.

This survey revealed that while vocational qualifications were most common, more than 50 per cent of care staff neither held nor were pursuing the minimum qualification set by the standards.

While the introduction of standards may address this situation, the workforce appears currently ill‐prepared for increasing professionalisation. Moreover, given Ireland's poor economic circumstances, training or supports are likely to be limited, with the burden of training liable to fall on staff, undermining morale and increasing already tense industrial relations. Limitations of this study include variations in the roles of non‐nursing care staff, with many staff classified as “multi‐task” staff that perform a range of duties from personal care through to more general domestic duties and, in the context of a mixed economy of provision, the abundance of responses from the public sector relative to the private sector.

Nonetheless, this study provides a timely snapshot and a reference point for further research around the impact of standards on quality of care or workforce professionalisation and it will be of particular interest to policymakers, regulators, employers and care staff.

The following is an annotated bibliography of materials published in 1978 on orienting users to the library and on instructing them in the use of reference and other resources. A few entries have a 1977 publication date and are included because information about them was not available in time for the 1977 review. Also some entries are not annotated because the compiler was unable to secure a copy of the information.

Finding a balance between the provision of quality individualized care and the ongoing education of junior doctors had been flagged as a concern at a large National Health Service (NHS) teaching hospital in the north of England. In response to this, the organization introduced an intervention designed to improve educational culture by providing support to educators, leaders and clinical staff.

This paper features themed results from eight in-depth interviews with educators, consultants and junior doctors to describe and evaluate the process and impact.

Factors that contributed to a positive educational environment included trainees and educators feeling valued, the presence of supportive leaders and the provision of a safe space for learning. Perceived barriers included time constraints, differing motivation and the generic format of formal education. Participants reflected on how the Wrap Around project helped improve the workplace educational culture and offered suggestions for further improvement including the provision of ongoing feedback to learners about their performance.

Research aimed at recognizing and resolving the perceived tensions between the priorities of education and health-care delivery has been flagged as a gap in the literature. The authors argue that developing and enhancing collaborative leadership and educational culture within an organization can reduce these tensions for those working on the front line. Future work should focus on addressing the perceived distinction between the two within services.