About
Core skills enable staff to complete everyday tasks. Core Skills are the minimum basic skills that an adult requires to function in modern society in the UK. In the workplace, core skills are essential for accomplishing basic tasks, even the lowest level of tasks. Core Skills include: - Literacy skills (English Reading and Comprehension, Writing, Speaking), - Numeracy skills (Mathematics - Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, Dividing, Doing calculations, Recording numbers, measurements, use timetables, planning work etc), - Digital skills - Employability skills, including personal learning and thinking skills (PLTS), team work, problem solving Core skills ensure that health and social care workers can complete everyday tasks, such as, communicating with the people they support, counting medication, using a computer and writing a care plan. Good Core Skills are the key to high quality care delivery, and eliminate most of the errors and incidents involving staff. Care Staff in health and social care use core skills to complete everyday tasks such as: - Communicating with the individuals they support and colleagues, - Writing and updating care plans and various important documentation - Counting medication, and understanding different doses - Understand calculations and timetables - Using a computer to record and update update information If a care worker does not have the basic core skills to record their own activities on a care chart, or basic counting or measuring, or any other basic documentation required by even the most junior care assistants during their care duties, then that care worker is not competent. All Managers, Team Leaders, Supervisors and anyone else who leads staff or colleagues must take active steps to improve their own core skills to the required level, and must also raise awareness in their team members of the requirements of minimum core skills competence for all care staff working in their setting.