Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure NHS staff have the appropriate training to communicate effectively and compassionately with patients at difficult times in the diagnosis and treatment process; and if he will make a statement.
Dr Daniel Poulter
The content and standard of healthcare professional training is the responsibility of healthcare regulators, which are independent statutory bodies. They have the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that students and newly qualified professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.
The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service. HEE will work with stakeholders to influence training curricula as appropriate.
The Government has announced a series of actions that demonstrate its commitment to creating a culture of openness, candour, learning and accountability in an NHS which puts compassion at its heart. These include placing compassionate care at the heart of the training and recruitment of NHS staff; implementing the Compassion in Practice strategy for nursing and midwifery; and a new care certificate for healthcare assistants.
