Telehealthcare in Scotland: Education and Training Strategy 2009-12

1. Telehealthcare in Scotland: Education and Training Strategy 2009-12 Donna Henderson JIT Action Team 11th November 2009

2. In the beginning… • Training Working Group set up to scope tasks to be done. Training Plan published – July 2008 • Early work with partnerships to identify their immediate training support requirements • Convergence with telehealth (and eHealth) training and education agenda started

3. Main areas for action… • Development of multi-media training and awareness materials • Development of interactive web-site • Scoping telecare workforce – • Identify roles / grades / sectors • Identify common training needs • Review current availability of training • Identify gaps • Adapt or develop new validated core content / courses • Work with SQA and educational providers to validate and deliver new content

4. Multimedia materials to support learning Progress to date • DVD – Telecare Supporting Scotland • Digital Stories • Workbooks on dementia, learning disability, mental health, physical disability • Online Telecare Implementation Guide • Telecare Resource Bank – training (and other) resources accessible online Further Work • Social Services Knowledge Scotland (SSKS) Telecare Topic Room • Development of online interactive telecare training course

5. Scoping the telecare workforce Progress to date • 4 main staff groups identified – • Assessors – usually AHPs, Social Workers, Nurses • Equipment installers – support workers, home carers, technicians • Call handlers – support workers • Responders – support workers, home carers, voluntary organisations, unpaid carers • Training needs identified in the areas of – • Induction • Vocational skills training • Continuing professional development • Review of current available training completed • No SQA validated modules available in Scotland for support worker / home carer grades • Only 2 CPD modules identified – GCal and Stirling University

6. Education and Training Strategy Development

7. Education and Training Strategy • Captures current and planned activity in a structured way • Links telehealthcare workforce planning to current health, social care and housing strategic agendas • To be used in the “persuasive argument” to secure local, national and, potentially, international commitment and resources • Draft out for consultation – November 2009

8. Training & Education Strategy Key priorities for action : • development of accredited “telehealthcare” training for telecare support staff – i.e. installers, call handlers and responders • development of CPD training opportunities for assessors – in varying formats (online, distance, etc) • integration of telehealthcare into pre-registration training for nurses, Allied Health Professionals, social workers and other staff • scope potential for investment in rolling programme of post- registration training via European and private sector funding

9. Developing the telecare workforce Induction Training Progress to date • Model induction training programme developed for call handlers Planned actions • Core content for induction for other staff groups – assessors, installers and responders - to be developed

10. Vocational skills training Progress to date • Work started with SQA, SCT, City of Edinburgh Council and others to develop SQA validated course for equipment installers, call handlers and responders Planned actions • Work with SSSC, SQA, SCT and other stakeholders to: • agree a career pathway for installers, call handlers and responders • develop course content for Scotland in easily accessible formats – i.e. online, distance learning, etc

11. Continuing professional development Progress to date • Evaluation of GCal and Stirling Universities modules almost complete Planned actions • Recommendations to GCal and Stirling CPD modules following evaluation • Work with SSSC, NES, SQA, SCT and other stakeholders to: • Identify where telehealthcare training fits in career pathways for assessors • develop course content for Scotland (SVQ Level 4), potentially securing funding via the Knowledge Transfer strategic agenda / Telecare Strategy Board • explore potential for European and/or private sector funding for sponsored rolling programme of training in next 3 years

12. The emerging workforce Planned actions • Work with SQA, SSSC, NES, SCT and other stakeholders to agree core content for pre-registration courses for AHPs, Nurses and Social Workers • Encourage academic institutions to integrate telehealthcare into their core curriculum • Scope the potential for partnership with the Foundation for Assistive Technology (FAST) on the development of a National Occupational Standards Framework • Link with eHealth workforce planning agenda TELECARE

13. The challenges • The telehealthcare workforce profile will change in response to other strategic agendas • Telehealthcare technology and application will evolve at a pace – this will impact on course content development • Registration / regulation of the workforce and services will increase the demand for training • Lack of local partnership resources for training – will telehealthcare be seen as a priority? • Securing commitment from academic institutions to incorporate telehealthcare into their curriculum – little evidence of real commitment to date

14. Questions for the Learning Network • Does this sound like a sensible way forward? • Is there anything that we’ve missed? • How do we sustain momentum in the training agenda “post-TDP”? • Any other key strategic agendas / stakeholders we should be engaging with? e.g. NHS24, Scottish Ambulance Service?