It’s Dyslexia Week 2020, focusing on the theme of #DyslexiaCreates, which explores the creative power of dyslexia to drive ideas, organisations and society. The British Dyslexia Association is marking Dyslexia Week from 5th-11th October this year, looking at the invaluable contribution that dyslexia makes to the UK while also acknowledging that dyslexia can also...
Life in lockdown: NSPCC sees 50% rise in domestic abuse concerns
The NSPCC has revealed that calls to its helpline about children living with domestic abuse have risen by nearly 50% since lockdown was introduced. Figures from 1st April to 31st August 2020 show that there were more than 4,500 calls made to Childline by members of the public concerned about children living in homes...
HSE focuses on respiratory risks
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has begun a month-long targeted inspection initiative, focusing on respiratory risks in the construction industry. The workplace health and safety watchdog will be visiting construction firms across Britain to check up on the measures they have in place to protect their workers from substances such as asbestos, silica...
IOSH calls for government to invest in workplace health and safety
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is calling on the government to invest in occupational safety and health (OSH) as it combats the Covid-19 pandemic. The world’s largest professional health and safety body has submitted proposals to the UK Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review which frame OSH as key to battling the pandemic...
CQC report reflects on infection control during Covid-19
In the latest in their series of Covid-19 Insight reports, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is focusing on infection prevention and control across health and care settings. England’s care watchdog has been publishing Insight reports in a bid to keep people working and living within health and social care settings safe and supported throughout...
NHS Covid-19 app launches in England and Wales
The government’s new contact-tracing app has been officially released and everyone living in England and Wales is being urged to download and use it. The NHS Covid-19 app is designed to be used by all those over the age of 16 with a smartphone and records a user’s postcode district, informing them of the...
2019-20: Our Year in Review
It’s certainly been a roller-coaster of a year for all of us at First Response Training and everyone across the country! We value the opportunity to work with the many wonderful organisations that we provide training to and we work very hard behind the scenes to continue to enhance our offer for them. To...
Keeping health workers safe, keeps patients safe
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has helped to promote a key message about how measures to keep health workers safe will also protect patients. IOSH recently joint hosted a webinar with the World Health Organization (WHO) to reflect on World Patient Safety Day (WPSD). Coming at such a critical time during...
Adult social care workforce grows by 9%, new report shows
A new report from Skills for Care has shown that the number of adult social care jobs in England has increased by 9% since 2013. The annual ‘Size and structure of the adult social care workforce in England’ report found that there were 130,000 (or 9%) more jobs in the sector in the year...
Britain has seen ‘explosion’ in anxiety in past decade, study reveals
A new study has found there has been an “explosion” in the number of people experiencing anxiety in Britain since 2008. One of the biggest studies of anxiety undertaken in recent years indicates that the mental health problem has trebled among young adults and now affects 30% of women aged 18 to 24. Rates...
The Liberty Protection Safeguards
In the 14 years since the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were introduced, the care landscape has changed dramatically. The safeguards have therefore been reviewed and the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill, which has recently passed through Parliament, will make the changes into law. This free guide sets out what has changed and why, what...
2018-19: Our Year in Review
It’s been a wonderful and tremendously busy year here at First Response Training! We’ve been very privileged to work with some fantastic organisations across all sectors during the last 12 months and we’ve been busy working behind the scenes to enhance the services we provide to all of our clients. To give you a...
Preparing to be Outstanding
For many providers in health and social care, achieving the highest possible overall rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an ambition at the heart of their mission, tied to continuous improvement, evaluation and innovative approaches. But what exactly does it take to be rated outstanding, and how can you effectively prepare your...
Mental Health Training
Mental health training is becoming increasingly vital for people of all ages working in any industry sector. An effective mental health training programme can improve understanding and awareness of mental health, breakdown barriers, tackle discrimination and empower people to offer help and support when it is needed most. Our guide to mental health training provides...
A Guide to the Duty of Candour
The statutory duty of candour has been in force in England since 2014. Despite this, there remains little discussion about it within the social care sector and very few information resources are available. We have put together a simple guide to provide social care organisations and care workers with a brief introduction and overview...