Answers to some frequently asked questions about the Core Skills Training Framework

The UK Core Skills Training Framework was first developed by Skills for Health in 2013.

The mandate from the Department of Health and Social Care to Health Education England requires the further development of the Core Skills Training Framework ‘to reflect the future service needs of the NHS’. Alignment to the Core Skills Training Framework is a key component of the NHSE programme to enable staff movement. A version of the Core Skills Training Framework evolved which is specific to the requirements of NHS Trusts in England, and other organisations in England who share or supply healthcare staff.

The UK Core Skills Training Framework can be used by organisations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

If you are a provider of regulated health services, you will have employer responsibilities to ensure your staff are appropriately trained. Aligning your statutory and mandatory training to the Core Skills Training Framework will give you confidence in the training you provide for your employees, and subject to the necessary declaration, enable you to have your organisation included in the Directory of Aligned Organisations.

Temporary staffing agencies with the above responsibilities can also be included.

If you are an education provider with responsibility for ensuring your health students have undertaken necessary training before they undertake supervised work/ clinical placements aligning the training to the Core Skills Training Framework will give you confidence in the training you provide for your students. Subject to the necessary declaration, this will enable you to have your organisation included in the Directory of Aligned Organisations.

Whilst commercial training providers may use the Core Skills Training Framework to benchmark the content of their statutory and mandatory training courses, the employer retains the responsibility for ensuring staff are appropriately trained.

Commercial Training Providers may indicate that the content of their training delivers the outcomes described in the Core Skills Training Framework, but are not permitted to imply any assurance, verification or endorsement from Skills for Health.

All employers must undertake due diligence when purchasing statutory and mandatory training courses from commercial training providers.

You should align your training to all of the subjects that are applicable to your organisation. Where subjects are not applicable in your organisation, you can indicate this on your Declaration of Alignment.

Yes. The Core Skills Training Framework frequency of refresher training or assessment is now a requirement for alignment to the Core Skills Training Framework. Alternative frequencies of refresher training or assessment should only be used in exceptional circumstances (for example, due to a local risk assessment following a serious incident).

Please click here for additional guidance on statutory and mandatory training during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Completed Declarations of Alignment along with a completed Mapping Tool should be submitted to Skills for Health at CoreSkills.Framework@skillsforhealth.org.uk

Yes. The Mapping Tool is provided for you to review the content of your training, both in-house and external, and to ensure that it meets the required learning outcomes. This should be submitted to Skills for Health alongside your completed Declaration of Alignment to provide supporting evidence. Please note that the Mapping Tool may also be used for quality assurance purposes.

No. The Readiness Assessment form is for you to help consider how the Core Skills Training Framework is implemented within your organisation. It does not need to be submitted with your completed Declaration of Alignment.

The content of the Core Skills Training Framework is reviewed and updated where there is a significant change in practice, national guidance or legislation.

To update your Declaration of Alignment you should complete a new mapping and declaration and submit both the Mapping Tool and completed Declaration of Alignment to Skills for Health at CoreSkills.Framework@skillsforhealth.org.uk

Organisations should carry out a review of their statutory and mandatory training when an updated version of the Core Skills Training Framework is released to ensure their training is up to date. An updated Declaration of Alignment should be sent to Skills for Health and the Directory of Aligned Organisations will be updated.

Statutory training is training that arises from legislation.

Mandatory training is determined locally by individual employers depending on the services provided.

Individual employers must assess what training they need to provide for different staff groups in order to meet their legal duties as an employer, and their duties as a provider of safe and effective care.

Aligning to the Core Skills Training Framework provides you with assurance that the content of the statutory and mandatory training that you provide for your employees meets the nationally agreed benchmark standard.

Compliance targets, ie targets for the number of staff having received statutory and mandatory training/assessment within the defined frequency, are determined locally by individual employers.

eLearning may be an appropriate option for some subjects, although there are some subjects which also require a practical training and assessment.

In general, eLearning should only be used where the learning outcomes are knowledge-based. Where the learning outcomes are skill-based other practical delivery methods will be required. The Core Skills Training Framework does not prescribe training methods. Further information on standards for training delivery is available in the Subject Guide.

NHS organisations in England and Wales can use Core Skills Training Framework National Competencies on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) for recording and reporting statutory and mandatory training activity that is aligned to the Core Skills Training Framework. You may only use ESR competencies where fully aligned to the CSTF learning outcomes and required refresher periods.

All organisations aligned to the Core Skills Training Framework are listed on the Directory of Aligned Organisations. For each aligned organisation the Directory shows information such as the date of their most recent Declaration of Alignment.

Click here to visit the directory.

No. Alignment to the Core Skills Training Framework does not allow you to use the Skills for Health logo.

Where a training provider is using the Skills for Health logo, a ‘CSTF Verified’ logo or terms such as Skills for Health Approved/Verified then this is done without our authorisation and purchasers of training should consider this when carrying out due diligence.

Any historical validation present is no longer valid.

Organisations that retain employer responsibilities for the staff that they supply to another organisation should ensure that their statutory and mandatory training is aligned to the Core Skills Training Framework. Where the supplying organisation is the employer it is eligible to be included in the Directory of Aligned Organisations.

Organisations that supply staff for employment by another organisation are not eligible to be included in the Directory of Aligned Organisations. These suppliers may use the Core Skills Training Framework to benchmark the content of their statutory and mandatory training courses but this does not imply any verification or endorsement by Skills for Health.

Commercial training providers may use the Core Skills Training Framework to benchmark the content of their statutory and mandatory training courses. The Readiness Assessment and Mapping Tool will be useful in completing a benchmarking exercise. However, the responsibility to provide statutory and mandatory training remains with employers and therefore only employers may submit a Declaration of Alignment and be included in the Directory of Aligned Organisations.

Commercial Training Providers may indicate that the content of their training delivers the outcomes described in the CSTF, but are not permitted to imply any assurance, verification or endorsement from Skills for Health.

Education providers with responsibility for ensuring health students have undertaken statutory and mandatory training before they undertake supervised work/ clinical placements should use the Core Skills Training Framework. This will give you confidence in the training you provide for your students, and subject to the necessary declaration, enable you to have your organisation included in the Directory of Aligned Organisations.

The CSTF was developed for the health sector specifically although the documents are publicly and freely available.

Care providers may therefore use the CSTF documents to benchmark training as a measure of good practice, but they are not eligible for inclusion on the Directory of Aligned Organisations.

Yes. Where using third party training of any kind, the responsibility still lies with the employer to ensure this training is sufficient. Whether using in-house training or external providers, the Mapping Tool provides an exercise where you can confirm that any training your provide meets all the learning outcomes prescribed in the CSTF. Please note, this includes national courses like eLFH, Resuscitation Council, and Home Office eLearning.