CQC have reinforced the message saying care providers are to 'make every effort to ensure staff are competent, confident and skilled in providing safe care to the people using their service'.
Skills for Care have said that organisations must stop face to face training, and use digital training solutions instead.
To help you decide the best way forward, we’ve put together a Contingency Training Plan for you to download, outlining key steps and training options available.
The 3-Point Plan set out in the document can be used to quickly and effectively train staff to be able to assist with and/or administer medicines in your organisation.
Changes to frontline staff during the COVID-19 pandemic have meant more staff are being called up.
CQC have advised that organisations are to 'make every effort to ensure staff are competent, confident and skilled in providing safe care to the people using their service'.
Staff you need to train may include:
It is also important to train Managers and people taking on more senior roles, to ensure they are able to assess competence within your organisation.
During the pandemic, it is vital that staff and Managers are trained without undertaking face to face training of any kind and, ideally, without having to travel.
Digital/ self-study training options available include:
Online medicines training allows your redeployed, new or untrained staff to undertake our accredited medicines foundation courses, specifically tailored to their care setting.
To enable our customers to continue to receive training directly from our team of expert Pharmacist trainers, we have developed 'Virtual Opus' - interactive face to face training delivered by way of video conference.
Online competency assessments can be used to evidence competence of staff to the Regulator whilst providing you with peace of mind that skills learnt during foundation training can be applied in practice.
We have distance learning workbooks that can be posted to you within 24 hours for staff to complete in their own time, from anywhere.
Assessments can be sent back to us electronically to avoid any unnecessary trips to the post office.
Opus training reflects the experience, knowledge and expertise of our highly qualified Pharmacist team.
We work together with our customers to understand their values and what is important to them, to offer guidance and training that really makes a difference in their care setting.
Our friendly team are available on an ongoing basis to support you- from easy booking options to answering medicines questions and queries, the Opus team is here to help.
E-Learning 
Virtual Learning 
Distance Learning Workbooks 
Online Competency Assessments