To whom does the Care Certificate apply?
You will be expected to undertake the Care Certificate if you are ‘new staff, new to care’ employed as: a healthcare assistant, assistant practitioner, care support worker or you support clinical roles where there is direct contact with patients, an adult social care worker, providing direct care in residential and nursing homes or a hospice, or you are a home care worker.
The Care Certificate Standards
STANDARD 1 Understand your role
Tasks, Behaviours and Standards of work
STANDARD 2 Your personal development
Developing a personal development plan (PDP)
STANDARD 3 Duty of care
Duty of care is a legal requirement; you cannot choose whether to accept it.
STANDARD 4 Equality and diversity
Promoting equality and respecting diversity are central to life today.
STANDARD 5 Person centred values
Whether or not we are aware of it, we all live our everyday lives by a set
of values that shape how we think and react.
STANDARD 6 Communication
Communication is an essential part of a caring relationship and helps to encourage trusting relationships with other workers and families as well
as the individuals you care for.
STANDARD 7 Privacy and dignity
These are two important values when providing care and support.
STANDARD 8 Fluids and nutrition
Fluids and nutrition and food safety
STANDARD 9 Mental health, dementia and learning disabilities
Awareness of mental health, dementia and learning disabilities
STANDARD 10 Safeguarding adults
The principles of safeguarding adults
STANDARD 11 Safeguarding children
Child protection and safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, not only childcare workers.
STANDARD 12 Basic life support
Legislation and basic life support
STANDARD 13 Health and safety
Legislation relating to general health and safety in health and social care
STANDARD 14 Handling information
Confidentiality is a very important right of individuals who receive care and support.
STANDARD 15 Infection prevention and control
Infection and infectious diseases in humans are caused when harmful germs, known as pathogens enter the body and grow
Your role will have a job description. This tells you what your main duties and responsibilities are and who you report to. You should know what is expected of you but also what is not included in your role.
Personal development happens throughout your life. It starts with agreeing your aims and objectives and identifying your strengths and needs. You then set goals so you can meet your objectives and make the most of your talent.
You have a duty of care to all those receiving care and support. This includes making sure that people are kept safe from harm, abuse and injury.
To provide care and support that meets the needs of everyone you have to understand what these terms mean and take account of them in your work.
Values are central to work in health and social care. They are principles that guide workers to understand right from wrong and are about what is important when caring and supporting individuals.
Good communication develops your knowledge and understanding about individuals and the part played by other workers so that the best care and support possible can be provided.
Privacy: giving someone space where and when they need it
Dignity: focusing on the value of every individual.
If something becomes contaminated it means it will become dirty, infected, unclean or polluted. This includes ‘going off’ by being too old to consume.
This standard aims to make you aware of people’s experiences with, and the causes of, mental health conditions, dementia and learning disabilities.
The Care Act 2014 defines adult safeguarding as protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.
Safeguarding is preventative and involves promoting the welfare of children by protecting them from harm and recognising the risks to their safety and security.
Initial assessment. Airway maintenance and breathing. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
The main reason for health and safety legislation is to protect people at work, and those who are affected by work activities.
It is part of the relationship of trust that individuals have with healthcare support workers and adult social care workers.
Infectious diseases, unlike other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, can spread from person to person. As with all illnesses, prevention is better than cure. Following agreed ways of working that stop the spread of pathogens can help to prevent and control infection.