Aim

The Health Service Skills award has been developed under the initiative of the SKILL Project. Its aim is to educate, develop and train support staff in the health services to the optimum of their abilities in order to enhance their role in the quality of service provision to service users.

Who is it for?

Health care assistants, unqualified care assistants, family support workers, home support workers, therapy assistants, speech and language assistants, laboratory aides, household staff, catering staff, porters, laundry workers, general assistants, bus drivers and escorts, other key support grades.

Certification

The Health Service Skills course is certified by FETAC to Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications.

Duration

1 year

What you’ll learn

The Health Service Skills Certificate is composed of 5 core modules, delivered by the Vocational Education Committee (VEC) and 3 elective modules (2 of which are delivered by the Open Training College). This breaks down as follows:

Core Modules

• Communications (Delivered by VEC)
• Care Support (Delivered by VEC)
• Infection Control and IT (Delivered by VEC)
• Legislation Procedures and Quality (Delivered by VEC)
• Work Experience

Elective Modules

• Intellectual Disability Studies (Delivered by OTC)
• Person Centred Focus to Disability (Delivered by OTC)
• Role specific module from Skill Programme list chosen by you and your work based manager (delivered by VEC)

OTC Module Content

The following modules are provided by the Open Training College:

Intellectual Disability Studies

On completion of this module students will have an understanding of:

• concepts of disability
• definition and attitudes towards disability, both past and current
• the importance of person first language
• how services have evolved for people with intellectual disabilities
• the core values behind good practice
• how service provision could be built on John O’Brien’s five valued experiences
• how services can be structured to meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities

Students need to be in a position to teach a person with a disability a task to be able to complete this module.

Person Centred Focus to Disability

On completion of this module students will have an understanding of:

• how people with disabilities have been excluded from society
• the importance of inclusion in everyday life
• four ways society responds to disability
• how inclusion and quality of life can only be delivered through services that have a person centred focus
• the impact of having a person centred approach to your role and how this can be achieved through planning and your role as an advocate
• some essential skills in delivering a person centred approach

How it benefits you

• All costs are covered by the SKILL project
• Emphasis on practical application of knowledge and skills – making it easier to apply what you’ve learned
• Enjoy the benefits of full tutor support throughout your course

Learn more

To learn more about this course, contact the Open Training College or click here to download the course brochure.

How to apply

Applications for this course will be managed by your Training Department, HR Department or Employer. Initial enquiries can be made to the Open Training College.

Email: info.otc@smh.ie

Phone: +353-1-2988544

Write to: Open Training College, Prospect Hall, WIllowfield Park, Goatstown, Dublin 14 Ireland

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