In a residential care home, staying CQC compliant is a crucial part of staying in business. The CQC, an abbreviation for Care Quality Commission, is an independent regulator of all health and social care services in England. If you don’t meet their expectations and stay compliant under their guidelines, you could face closure to your business. Though that’s the worst case scenario, it’s also likely you would be met with financial penalties and damages to your reputation.

CQC inspections come at least once a year and are always unannounced. They ask residents about their experiences, question the staff, and make sure the correct systems and procedures are in place. A report is done on the information gathered and those findings become published on the CQC website. If your business is not meeting expectations, or if you’re doing very well, anyone searching the internet for your care home will know.

 

Mandatory training for care home employees will help you meet those expectations. It is important for all employees to have the same understanding of where standards are set and what procedures are in place. A complete list of what courses should be taken will depend on your area and the specific care home’s individual decisions. However here are some of the most common types of mandatory training.

 

·       Health and Safety training is required across the country. It’s a general overview of responsibilities employers and employees have to ensure a facility is safe for everyone.

 

·       Fire Safety Awareness is a part of ensuring a facility is safe. A fire safety course will talk about how to prevent fires and how to react if one starts. It will also look into the correct signage and equipment that should be in place.

 

·       Safe Moving and Handling training is crucial in a care home to avoid injuries.

 

·       Infection Prevention and Control discusses how infections are spread, their impacts, and what measures should be taken to prevent and manage.

 

·       Food Safety courses are often mandatory anywhere food is behind handled. The course goes over the importance and proper methods of food cleaning, handling, and storing.

 

·       Awareness of Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights gives an overview knowledge every employee needs to nurture a respectful environment.

 

·       Safeguarding Adults explores the role a care worker has when working with and identifying vulnerable adults. 

·       All of these courses and more available will keep everyone in your residential care facility happy, healthy, and CQC compliant.