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We know you’ll be relying on your Personal Assistant, whether it’s for your own support or to care for someone you love.
You can be confident that they’re trained to an exceptional standard, far beyond the minimum statutory requirements.
We’re proud of our unrivalled training programme, which not only helps to keep you safe and well but also supports the safety, wellbeing and career satisfaction of our employees.
How our training works
We know your Personal Assistant is well-trained because we’ve done it ourselves. All of our Personal Assistants are employed by us, and we never send you agency staff.
All new staff are invited in for a five-day induction, which is a true blend of learning, not just talk and chalk. We go through role-playing and practical exercises as well as lectures.
Over the five days, we get to know the staff, and they get to know us. We begin to see one another as colleagues. This week also gives us an initial opportunity to assess their participation along with their genuine enthusiasm for the work.
Once they have completed their induction, our recruits then spend another week shadowing their new colleagues to see how we do things.
That’s not all. They are then assessed for a week, to ensure they have transferred all the theoretical knowledge into practical skills.
What the training covers
Over the five-day induction course, our training covers a lot of ground:
- Manual handling, including legal aspects. There’s theory plus a highly practical session on safe techniques and use of equipment.
- Caring for you, covering personal care, the ageing process, common conditions and end of life care.
- Nutrition and hydration, with discussions about menu planning to meet nutritional needs and preferences.
- Dementia, with an introduction to the condition, the medical model, communication skills, activities, behaviours that may challenge, distressed reactions, care planning and managing transitions.
- Parkinson’s disease, with information about the condition and its impact.
- First aid, a fully accredited course.
- Health and safety, ensuring there is knowledge of home-based assessments.
- Keeping records, using our latest technology and digital platform to record and monitor notes, medications, meals and appointments. It enables a genuinely proactive approach to care where issues such as falls or infections can be anticipated and prevented.
- Medications management, an accredited course with interactive and workbook elements, as well as an assessment which qualifies your Personal Assistant to help with the administration of medications.
- Business policies, covering Vitality Live-in Care’s payroll, sickness absence, dress code, professional boundaries and expectations. Personal Assistants are also given access to our digital employee handbook.
- Safeguarding adults, where your Personal Assistant learns how to identify, prevent and respond to abuse. They will also learn about the Mental Capacity Act and other issues regarding the individual’s rights about decision-making and consent.
- Infection control, the use of PPE, correct hand hygiene, and Covid 19 knowledge to prevent the spread of infection.
- Pressure area care, following the individual’s Care Plan and Risk Assessment, as well as relevant protocols and procedures to maintain healthy skin and prevent breakdown and development of pressure sores.
That’s a lot to remember, so our training does not stop there. We continue to monitor, train and support your Personal Assistant through their probationary period and beyond.
Training in end of life care
We host special end of life training events for all staff, because this is an area of care that is especially close to our hearts. Some of us have worked within hospice care before, and we also maintain close links with local hospices. To find out more about our dedication to a skilled and compassionate approach, please read our information on end-of-life care.
Ongoing supervision
There is a probationary period of 12 weeks, with weekly supervisions and unannounced spot checks.
Every Personal Assistant is visited weekly, even when they have been with us for years. The care package is reviewed weekly, too, so that we meet your needs 100% of the time.
Our doctors call you or your family once a month, just to keep in touch and help with any concerns you may have.
Using our smart technology, your care notes are audited twice daily. These notes are updated in real time, so we can oversee the quality of your Personal Assistant’s note-taking and reporting.
We also make sure your Personal Assistant gets a chance to express their genuine feelings about their work.
Continuing professional development is important to keep your Personal Assistant’s skills and knowledge up to date. Having invested in good people, we want to keep them. That’s why we talk to our staff about their career satisfaction and progression on a regular basis.
When we take good care of your Personal Assistant, we know they’re best placed to take good care of you.