SoundHealth Training Ltd Quality Assurance Policy

  

Introduction

Soundhealth Services has in place a set of processes to ensure quality will be achieved consistently across all aspects of healthcare training/care operations and upholding a cycle of continuous improvement and standards (Quality Improvement). At the heart of the cycle is self-assessment.

 

The aim is to achieve quality improvements that are learner- focussed and that have a positive impact on the learner experience:

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment
• The training environment, including resources
• The service (training) strategies and operations

 

Our Procedures

 

Soundhealth operates under a parent Scheme of Management, which determines much of its policies and procedures. This includes specification of customer groups, curriculum, quality improvement, customer care, health and safety and financial regulations. 

 

All staff, from induction and probation onwards, are introduced and trained in these processes.  Implementation is monitored to ensure staff understand and comply and that all aspects of the procedures are effective.

 

Feedback is regularly sought from learners and employers with regard to the quality of their experience of Soundhealth. This feedback is evaluated by the relevant management team and used to improve the quality of training operations. 

 

Quality Assurance Framework

Soundhealth has in place a range of systems and procedures that combine to provide a quality assurance framework.

 

·        Annual observation of teaching, learning and assessment cycle

·        Moderation of observation of teaching, learning and assessment grades and process

·        Annual staff development plan

·        Staff appraisals

·        All new trainers are encouraged to gain or to be working towards a recognised teaching qualification during their first year of employment

·        Probation and mentoring scheme for new trainers

 

Quality Improvement

A cycle of assessment, review, planning, evaluation and reporting is in place to identify priority areas for continuous improvement and development. The review cycle arises from:

 

·        Soundhealth mission statement

·        Soundhealth Strategic Objectives and annual targets

·        Annual Quality Improvement and Development Plan (arising from the Self-Assessment process)

·        Area of learning quality improvement plans with specific targets

·        Observation of teaching, learning and assessment – action planning and coaching process

·        Annual Staff Development Plan

·        Use of feedback, complaints and compliments from learners

·        Use of national, local and internal benchmarking data to identify priority areas for improvement

 

 

Soundhealth internal quality assurance sampling strategy

 

The strategy will involve reviewing the quality of our assessor judgements at both interim and summative stages. This includes reviewing learner portfolios perhaps before decisions will be made on any training.

Correct sampling should entail reviewing the quality of the assessment judgement by evaluating how assessors have reached those decisions (to fail or pass a learner). The internal quality assurer must be able to follow an audit trail, which clearly demonstrates that assessors have checked that the evidence and participation presented meets the rules of evidence.

Evidence must be confirmed by assessors as:

• Valid – relevant to the standards for which competence is claimed

• Authentic – produced by the learner

• Current – Sufficiently recent for assessors to be confident that the same level of skills, understanding or knowledge exists at the time of claim

• Sufficient – meets in full all the requirements of the standards

 

In managing training quality All assessors are to be included in the sample, but a number of other factors must be considered:

 

Final results Assessor sampling

For less experienced trainers a sample of 100 learners’ experiences (marks and ultimate assessment) will be required to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the assessor.

 

For more experienced trainers a sample of 50 will be required.

 

Units assessment sampling

If assessors are qualified and experienced it may not be necessary to look at more than one or two units per learner. If assessors have less than 12 months’ experience, are new to the centre or a particular qualification or out of practice, the training lead (WILL KAPURURA) will need to sample substantially more of their decisions for the first 6 - 12  months.

 

Workload

The IQA needs to look at the workload of each assessor so that the total sample fairly reflects the number of decisions being made by individual assessors. Increasing ratios of learners to assessors may also indicate assessment problems.

Assessor Concerns

If the IQA has a particular concern regarding the assessment decisions of a particular assessor, then the ratio of sampling can be increased. This decision is at the discretion of the training lead, who then

makes a judgement about when to return to the original sampling plan.