Background to the evaluation of the Care Assistant Development Programme
Learning from early implementation – SCIE evaluation report for HC-One
The Care Assistant Development Programme
HC-One has created a new role called a nursing assistant that sits between a senior carer and a qualified nurse. The new staffing model is implemented through the CADP.
The overall objective of the CADP is to improve the quality of care received by residents, by reducing the use of agency nurses within HC-One homes, whilst up-skilling their existing workforce and providing a progression route for care staff.
A comprehensive learning and development programme has been designed by HC-One and subsequently accredited by the Royal College of Nursing to prepare senior carers for the nursing assistant role. The Programme is delivered through a blend of online and face-to-face training. Each nursing assistant is mentored through the Programme by a qualified nurse who oversees them undertaking agreed clinical interventions.
Evaluation methodology
The evaluation was carried out using a range of methods and took a formative approach whereby findings were shared with HC-One as they emerged. This report draws on:
- scoping interviews with stakeholders and development of a Programme-level logic model
- a survey of nursing assistants administered to those who had recently joined the Programme and again six months later
- a survey of residents and relatives from a sample of 42 homes participating in the Programme.
- qualitative case studies with six homes participating in the Programme which included 49 interviews with home managers, deputy managers, nursing assistants, senior carers, carers, residents and relatives
- qualitative interviews with two HC-One stakeholders and three external stakeholders involved in the Programme
- analysis of HC-One’s Programme Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from a sample of 16 homes that have implemented the Programme.
This is a final report and focuses on recruitment to the Programme, how the programme was communicated, implementation of the role, emerging impacts of the Programme and future aspirations.
