Specialist Healthcare Training

Overview

The Specialist Healthcare Training Service offers a comprehensive range of classroom-based training and one-to-one competency assessments for healthcare tasks. Our expertise spans critical areas such as Buccal Midazolam administration and gastrostomy feeding. Our service covers the entirety of Essex, excluding Thurrock and Southend, and is commissioned to collaborate with establishments that receive funding either through Essex County Council. If you represent a company that does not receive funding but requires training, we encourage you to get in touch with us via phone or email to discuss your training needs.

Who Is This Service For? Eligibility Criteria

Our service is tailored for carers and care providers in Essex who are referred by professionals or care managers from various provider organisations, including:

• Residential short-break settings.
• Short-break care providers (one-to-one carers).
• Short-break providers listed in the ‘Short Breaks for Disabled Children (AHDC)’ brochure.
• Fostering/Shared Care.
• Special schools (or mainstream schools with a child with a disability).
• A variety of play schemes for disabled children.
• A variety of out-of-school clubs for disabled children.
• Transport provider staff.

Service Details

Our team of experienced nurses offers education, training, competency assessments, and support to staff working with children with disabilities who have additional healthcare needs, including but not limited to:

• Seizures requiring emergency intervention, such as rectal diazepam, buccal midazolam, or rectal paraldehyde.
• Artificial (enteral) feeding via nasogastric tube, gastrostomy, or jejunostomy.
• Administration of oxygen.
• Mouth suction.
• Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) requiring emergency intervention, such as epipen or anapen.
• Requirement for assisted artificial ventilation, such as BiPAP or CPAP.
• Other needs, which will be considered on an individual basis.

Depending on your child’s specific needs, care staff may be required to attend classroom training covering topics such as epilepsy, tube feeding, or severe allergies. Additionally, a nurse will meet with the individuals caring for your child to review your child’s unique needs and requirements.

We continuously monitor the competency of staff working with your child, providing additional training as necessary. We also offer ongoing advice and support to staff so that they have a point of contact for any training-related issues related to the care they provide for your child.

Service Delivery

Our service is available throughout the Essex area, and our office at County Hall, Chelmsford, is open from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

Referral Process

Referrals to our service must come from a qualified professional, such as social workers, care-staff managers, family-care workers or managers, school teachers, or care staff. They can reach our administrator via the contact details provided on this page. The referrer will receive a referral form by email or post, which includes instructions for return.

Please note that we do not accept referrals directly from children or their families. Referrals are typically processed within one month and presented to a multi-agency panel that meets on the first Friday of every month (except August). Referrers are welcome to attend these meetings to discuss their requests.

Urgent referrals, such as training for an emergency placement, can be fast-tracked and initiated before presentation to the panel.

If your child accesses a service and you believe that the staff require training, please inform the manager or your child’s social worker to contact us and arrange the referral.

Once we receive the referral, you will be asked to sign a consent form, granting permission for us to access healthcare information before conducting any training related to your child.

Customer Feedback

Our commitment to quality training is reflected in the feedback from our customers:

• 100% said their training enabled them to provide higher standard care.
• 100% reported that the service responds quickly to emergency training requests.
• 100% praised the nurses for their knowledge and professionalism.
• 100% felt competent and confident in using the skills acquired during training.
• 100% consistently rated the training as of high quality.
• 100% acknowledged the service’s collaborative approach across agencies.
• 100% appreciated the friendly and supportive communication from the service.
• 100% were aware that they could contact the service for advice.

Training Offered

• Epilepsy Awareness Training
• Anaphylaxis Virtual Training