It is essential to keep staff training up to date in health and social care, but getting everyone to complete their courses on time often becomes an bit of a headache.
In an ideal world, managers would not have to spend hours checking spreadsheets, sending emails and reminding employees about overdue mandatory training. Organisations can improve course completion rates with the right systems and approach, and reduce time being spent on manual chasing.
Make training easy to access
One of the easiest ways to improve course completion is to remove as many unnecessary barriers as possible. Staff should be able to access online training easily, from different devices and at times that work around their shifts.
Complicated login processes, unclear course lists, hard to contact support and difficulty finding the training they need to do can all create unnecessary friction. A straightforward learning management system can make it much easier for employees to see what they need to complete and get started right away.
Automated reminders
Rather than relying on managers to remember who needs chasing, use automated notifications.
An effective staff training system can remind learners when training is approaching its deadline. Managers can then focus only on exceptions rather than manually contacting every employee.
Automation doesn’t remove accountability; it just makes the process more consistent.
Assign the right training
More training is not better training. Employees engage more when courses are clearly relevant to their responsibilities.
NHS England has highlighted the importance of reviewing which staff groups need particular statutory and mandatory training, with the aim of reducing unnecessary training and repetition.
Role-based training allows organisations to create learning requirements that reflect different roles rather than assigning the same courses to everyone.
Give managers visibility
Managers need an easy way to view training compliance without checking individual records.
Dashboards and reports can highlight completed, upcoming and overdue courses, helping managers identify potential compliance training gaps before they become an issue.
This is particularly important in regulated health and social care environments. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) states that providers should monitor required training and take appropriate action when training requirements aren’t being met.
Create a continuous learning culture
Training shouldn’t feel like an annual box-ticking exercise. Make sure employees understand why courses matter and give them time to train. Make employee training part of everyday professional development.
The goal is to build a system where completing training is routine, not something that requires constant intervention.
With accessible healthcare training, automated reminders, relevant course assignments and clear reporting, managers can spend less time chasing certificates and more time supporting their teams.
Here are some useful resources: CQC Regulation 18: Staffing | NHS England Statutory and Mandatory Training Programme
