Birmingham consultancy QAQF (Quality Assessment and Qualification Framework) has created a ‘boot camp’ to ease the nursing shortage in the social care sector.
The three-month initiative aims to help overseas nurses to get UK-registered as soon as possible to fill the growing care skills gap ahead of winter.
As part of the QAQF’s Discover-Train-Deploy scheme, the boot camp is expected to see 40-50 trainees accommodated in one dedicated facility where they will live and train.
The classes are a mix of online lessons and offline practical training when the instructors join them for specific periods.
There is an onsite manager in charge of the maintenance, nutrition, and supplies, supported by the company welfare officer.
A QAQF compliance officer, meanwhile, aims to ensure trainees are compliant with all healthcare and visa requirements, including isolation, vaccines and time management.
The trainees also gain practise by working part-time during the weekends for the NHS or a few private care homes in the area.
Besides medical classes, the nurses prepare for life in the UK with lections on UK history, culture, customs and society.
Upon the end of the third month and much before the deadline, all exams must be successfully taken, and the trainees ready to graduate and join the UK care/healthcare industry.
“By speeding up the nurse registration process QAQF supports the care and healthcare sector providing much-needed quality nursing help,” a spokeswoman said.
“It is especially valuable for large nursing and care homes, located outside the big cities, constantly struggling to recruit qualified personnel,” she added.
