Why Assess Competence?
Depending on training and/or skill to be undertaken there may be a requirement for assessment of workers’ competency.
Competency assessment promotes safe working practice and supports individuals to get the right care, at the right time, in the right place by appropriately trained and competent staff.
Common training and skills that require assessment of competency include: vital signs (pulse, blood pressure etc.), catheterisation or other clinical skill.
How to Assess Competency Across Different Organisations ?
A Framework to Enable Competency Assessment Across Health and Social Care in Lothian has been developed to support governance arrangements, fulfil legal requirements, support best practice and to standardise arrangements through the creation and use of Letters of Agreement and Work Instructions.
The process chart sets out a step by step approach to developing a safe and realistic model for assessment of competency across teams and organisations within Lothian Health and Social Care sector.
The process chart is taken from the Framework, more detail and guidance can be found in the documents below.
How To Develop a Letter of Agreement?
Three key guidance documents which aid with developing Letters of Agreement and Work Instructions can be found below,.
Also provided are two templates of suggested structure and content of both documents.
Together these will enable competency assessment across Lothian health and social care. All documents will open in new pages to allow for easy navigation between as required.
Framework to Enable Competency Assessment Across Health and Social Care in Lothian
Templates
Please feel free to use the templates below to assist in the development of :
Letter of Agreement – Template
Word versions of these templates can be requested from Lothian Care Academy
Role of Lothian Care Academy?
The Lothian Care Academy will hold a central register as part of the central governance and monitoring arrangements.
To facilitate this:
Completed Letters of Agreement with Work Instruction are to be forwarded to Lothian Care Academy by email loth.careacademy@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
The central register will be monitored quarterly by the LCA to ensure the arrangement is still current and within agreed review dates. Teams will be alerted if arrangements are due to be reviewed or are lapsed
Note: Letters of Agreement with Works Instruction should be reviewed at least annually by the team providing the service to ensure arrangements continue to be fit for purpose.
Lothian Care Academy can also signpost and support the scoping of new training/ competency assessment development, please contact them in the first instance by email: loth.careacademy@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
