Kara Centre for Aged Care, NSW
Workforce development
The workforce development program at Kara Centre for Aged Care in Epping, NSW, is a comprehensive program that includes education and orientation for all levels of staff.
The program includes education to meet the BCS strategic directions, Kara Business Plan, regulatory imperatives, and clinical needs of residents.
The education program is designed using best practice and evidence-based models of education relating to adult education, action learning principles and competency based assessment and learning.
Underpinning the development of the education calendar are staff training needs analysis, feedback from management, feedback from staff during their annual performance review, results of quality audits and analysis of strategic workforce needs and the four Accreditation Standards, as well as being very responsive to changes in clinical needs of the residents and identified lifestyle issues.
The education program includes knowledge tests pre and post training sessions, annual staff competency checks and periodic 'walk-thrus' to gauge compliance and currency of staff knowledge. The number of workplace assessors has increased to meet these needs.
Specifically the registered nurse development program, care supervisor training and endorsed enrolled nurse training have increased clinical knowledge and improved the residents' care. Education in lifestyle and challenging behaviours have resulted in a men's group and a sensory sundowning group and a very well patronised exercise group.
Through education the number of staff joining quality groups and becoming key personnel has increased and the commitment of the staff to up skilling in specialty areas extends beyond face-to-face learning sessions into mentoring and supporting all staff in meetings, through in service education and reports and discussions at meetings and involvement in orientation and 'buddy' shifts for new staff.
The key areas are manual handling, infection control, resident lifestyle, resident clinical care, medication, challenging behaviours and documentation.
Kara is involved in a falls prevention research project, development of new systems and tools to up skill staff, changes to the BCS 'back stops here' program and the BCS intranet 'kiosk' project as a pilot site to increase knowledge and useage of computers by all staff.
