Call for more training in care home
Wednesday 7 October 2009
The findings of a recent study have strengthened the case for more staff training in care homes. The study revealed that as many as seven out of ten people living in a care home have suffered from medication errors, such as being given the wrong drug or wrong dose.
Researchers from the University of London School of Pharmacy looked at drugs given to 256 residents living in 55 homes in West Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and central London. They looked at records, interviewed patients and staff and observed drug prescribing, dispensing and monitoring in the homes.
They found that one or more drug errors were made in 178 cases (69.5%) – an average of just under two for each resident. Almost a third of drugs (30%) which should have been monitored for potentially harmful side-effects were not.
The campaign group, Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) call for tighter regulation of care homes, believing that more should be done to improve patient safety. AvMA identify specific points for improvement, including staff training.
Tribal’s learning materials for the NCFE Level 2 Certificate in the Safe Handling of Medicines provide a comprehensive programme of training, which will enable learners to achieve a nationally accredited qualification. The course provides practical guidance for care workers and others working in the health and social care sector, helping them to follow correct and safe procedures when working with medicines. It outlines the action to take if medication errors occur and details the correct records that should be kept about people’s medication in a care setting.
The programme can be delivered in a range of ways, and is ideal for distance learning. This allows learners to complete the qualification at a time and place convenient to them, and is perfect for people who work in the evenings or irregular hours, who would find it difficult to attend a college. For more details about Tribal’s Safe Handling of Medicines course, please contact us.