Lambeth launches free e-learning

Innovative e-learning is being used to offer free health and social care training to service users, unpaid carers and professionals.

The system makes it easier for people who use health and social care services, unpaid carers and healthcare professionals working in Lambeth from the voluntary sector, Lambeth Council and the Primary Care Trust, to learn about crucial changes brought about by the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

The online course covers important changes in legislation for adults who may lack the capacity to make some decisions for themselves due to mental health problems, dementia, learning disabilities or other incapacitating conditions.

Cllr Lorna Campbell, Lambeth's cabinet member for health and care services, said: "Changes in social care move at an accelerated rate and this new innovative course will enable individuals to get up to speed at their own pace. E-learning offers greater flexibility for the learner but more importantly will ensure Lambeth residents affected by the Act receive an excellent level of care from an informed workforce."

E-learning enables learners to complete training conveniently in their own time and at their own pace, which can be particularly valuable to full-time carers and to organisations not able to release staff for less flexible training courses. Programmes can be followed at the learner’s own desk and the learner can also dip in and out thus causing minimal disruption to busy services.

The total duration of the programme, developed by Progressus Solutions, depends on the depth of knowledge required and how carefully the learner goes through the content. It could be completed in two hours but for most learners it will take longer.

It is expected that over 2000 people will benefit from the course which covers three separate pathways to suit learners from different backgrounds i.e. clinical, non-clinical and informal. Each pathway contains five modules:

1. Identifying and Assessing Capacity
2. Making Best Interests Decisions
3. New Provisions of the Act
4. Conflicts and Disputes
5. Scored Assessment

The e-learning system can be accessed by Lambeth health and social care service users, unpaid carers and professionals at no charge.

For more information contact Lambeth's adults' and community services learning and development team on 020 7926 4563 or 020 7926 0774.