Considering a career in care? Perhaps you’re looking for your first role, or have just started working in the sector. Whatever your situation, it’s important you have a solid foundation of knowledge and the skills needed to get off on the right foot and deliver the standard of care required of you, right from the start.
Here’s seven essential training courses that every care worker needs to complete, available for free from FuturU.
Care Certificate Experience
An essential course for anyone starting out in the care sector, FuturU’s Care Certificate Experience will take you on an immersive journey through the theoretical components and outcomes of the 15 standards of the Care Certificate, set out by Skills for Care, as well as provide contextual examples to help you apply what you learn in real life.
In this 180 minute course, you’ll take on the role of a care professional with some previous experience, providing care and support for a variety of individuals in their own homes.
The Care Certificate will give you the introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours you need to provide safe, compassionate and high quality care and support, no matter your workplace setting.
To unlock your full Care Certificate you’ll need to ask an experienced colleague to observe your practice – you’ll need to download the Care Certificate Competency Checklist and give it to your colleague to sign off once you’ve completed the Care Certificate Experience with FuturU.
COSHH
COSHH is a UK legislation that stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. COSHH aims to protect you and your employer from any physical harm or legal complications by ensuring everybody follows the necessary guidelines to maintain safety and welfare when working with hazardous substances.
You’ll complete this course in just 45 minutes, covering everything from common substances you may encounter and the importance of classifying substances and their labels, through to the different ways exposure can occur and how to treat them, and each step of a COSHH assessment.
Fire Safety
An absolute essential for anyone working in the healthcare sector, this course covers how fires start and the four stages of fire, as well as the environmental and personal fire risk factors.
You’ll learn how to respond to a fire, about safe evacuation procedures and the law and legislation covering fire safety in a variety of care settings. All of that (and more) in just 60 minutes!
Infection Prevention & Control
Every member of healthcare staff has a responsibility to prevent the spread of infections where they can, and protect individuals, staff and the general public.
This 90 minute course explains:
- The legislation, regulation and risk assessment relating to infection prevention and control
- How to ensure safe hand hygiene
- How to reduce the spread of infection, and your role and responsibilities for decontamination
- The consequences of poor infection control
- How to manage needles and sharps.
Moving and handling people
If you’re thinking about a career within the health and social care sector you should expect to spend a significant amount of your time moving and handling individuals. That’s why it’s essential that you understand how to carry out manoeuvres safely, whether you’re using hoists or simply assisting someone to move between their chair and bed.
In this 90 minute course, we’ll explain:
- The manoeuvres you need to know to safely and correctly move and handle people
- The laws and regulations surrounding the moving and handling of people
- The controversial and illegal methods used to move and handle people
- How poor moving and handling techniques can affect individuals.
Resuscitation & Adult Basic Life Support
This course will equip you with the essential knowledge and skills you’ll need to handle various situations that could lead to pain, discomfort or death.
You’ll cover everything from anaphylaxis, all the way through to an unconscious casualty, learning the basics to help you deal with different scenarios.
By the end of this 90 minute course, you’ll:
- Understand what first aid is and the role of a first aider
- Know what a primary survey is and understand the DR ABCD
- Understand airway maintenance
- Know how to identify someone choking and react according to their age
- Understand the effects of anaphylaxis and know how to administer an EpiPen
- Know how to identify and manage an unconscious person and apply the recovery position
- Understand when and how to use cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Know how to safely use an automated external defibrillator.
Safeguarding Adults
Understand what safeguarding is, and how you can use it to protect those most at risk from potential harm and abuse.
By the end of this 90 minute course, you’ll have the skills needed to identify potential safeguarding concerns, and understand what to do and who to speak to to keep individuals in your care safe from harm.
Ready to start learning? Download the free FuturU app now to unlock these courses, plus over 100 more!