New staff members at St Andrew’s Healthcare start their career journey at the ‘Welcome to St Andrew’s’ induction programme which is hosted by the Charity's Chief Executive Officer and Directors. The purpose of the programme is to help everyone to understand what is expected of them and what they can expect from St Andrew's. This includes the skills and behaviours that underpin everything we do and which are critical to provide the highest standards of care. We call thsi the St Andrew's 10 and it is part of our recruitment and appraisal systems and the focus for our development work with staff. This is followed by clinical skills development training appropriate to each person’s role.
After this, a personal induction will provide information about the service, ward, and service-user specific information so that each person can perform effectively in their role. At this time individuals gain support from an allocated mentor. Further development is also encouraged, for example, Healthcare Assistants follow the Northampton University Accredited Learning Through Work programme.
Each year the Charity invests in core skills refresher training for all staff on a range of topics to help St Andrew’s to achieve its aims. This includes employees, volunteers and students. Recent delivery methods for this include interactive e-learning models, teamed with practical skills training and this blended approach has been very well received.