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When you enrol onto a program with Access Skills, you get free access to the Quality Compliance Systems (QCS) management system for the duration of your course.
In this article, we’re going to explain why access to the QCS management system is so beneficial to you as a learner and why it sets us apart from other training providers.
The QCS management system is used by 4000+ registered care providers to maintain their organisational policies and procedures. It’s one of the most comprehensive systems of its kind and ensures that its users are equipped with the best processes and practices to run their services, as well as keeping them compliant with CQC requirements. Access Skills is the training partner of Quality Compliance Systems (QCS). That means we are the only provider that can use the management system to make your training and qualification more workplace practically focussed. Here’s how it works:
What is QCS?
First, a quick overview of what the QCS management system does. It’s a bespoke management system incorporating companies policies & procedures and management toolkits that care providers can use to comply with regulatory standards, get help preparing for inspections and ensure that operational documents are compliant. It has an easy-to-use online interface and 2,300 jargon-free pages. It’s designed to save care providers time and money, as well as ensuring they are effectively providing high-quality and CQC-compliant care.
Why is it helpful to me as a learner?
Throughout your career in care, you will have to fill in a lot of paperwork. You’ll also have to understand different regulations and legislation relating to your specific area of care. If you’re already working in care, that’s part of your daily work life. Using the QCS management system will make your training as closely related to your work as possible. Instead of having to complete hypothetical tasks to achieve your qualification, we will help you complete your actual work tasks in the best way possible. For example, if you need to perform a necessary work task such as a health and safety inspection, you can use and follow the Policy & Procedure document on the QCS management system. This will ensure that you are doing the work task to CQC standards and will also provide relevant evidence as part of your qualification.
Here are some of the specific benefits of using the QCS management system during your training:
Ensures compliance with CQC
Making sure you are compliant with CQC is an important part of being a care provider. With the QCS management system, you can reference each activity to the CQC standards. Each resource on the system is referenced to the CQC Key Questions and KLOE’s (Key Lines of Enquiry).
Everything on the QCS management system is designed to make your training and qualification easier. You will often be required to answer Key Questions and KLOE’s during your training and career in care, so this referencing system will come in extremely useful.
Bespoke training for each learner
No other training provider can offer this type of approach to the training of each learner. It would be too time-consuming and would require a huge number of resources. However, Access Skills is in a unique position to offer bespoke QCS training because of our affiliation with the organisation. Each activity brief and assignment can be directly related to your actual work as a care provider, whether you perform a work task as part of your qualification or simply reference your own experiences.
We have found that this is a huge benefit to our learners – you are already familiar with your job role and tasks; all you have to do is relate to your own work experience. This makes the qualification process less daunting and often much easier for Access Skills learners.
Provides relevant resources to your job role
The policies on the QCS management system reference the most up-to-date legislation and regulations documents. This is one of the main benefits for both learners and care providers. Whether you’re completing a qualification or working in a care environment, you must know the current legislation and regulations. Having them all in one, easy-to-navigate system will save you time and ultimately make you better informed.
Includes resource links to underpin policy knowledge
It’s one thing to be aware of a policy, but sometimes it’s important to have a deeper understanding of the policy area. Each policy has links to resources that will help you underpin your knowledge on the subject. This saves you valuable time searching for relevant resources online.
The reason we include resource links is so you can see what documents we have used to ensure each policy is current. We aim to provide complete transparency as a training provider – you don’t have to take our word for it, you can see the documents for yourself.
Links to further guidance reading and case reviews
To excel in your qualification, it’s important to read around the subject. This gives you a wider knowledge, so you can provide critical reflection on your practices. On the QCS management system, there are links to further guidance reading and case reviews.
Suggests actions for evidencing ‘outstanding’ practice
At the end of each policy document, there is a suggested action. These could include establishing training sessions, sharing the policy and more. Following these suggested actions will evidence outstanding practice.
Provides toolkits for inspection and quality risk assessment
Inspections and risk assessments are a necessary and important part of the care environment. The QCS management system provides toolkits to ensure that you are prepared for inspections and risk assessments. They are set out just like the policy documents, including all the relevant legislation and provide suggested actions.
Daily/weekly updates, Expert Insights and Ask Sheila
In addition to the crucial resources mentioned above, the QCS management system is home to a variety of useful articles and FAQs. You can access daily and weekly updates about the industry. These include policy updates, so you never miss important changes. Plus, the Expert Insights and Ask Sheila resources are written by industry experts. This means you don’t have to attend expensive and time-consuming conferences to get the latest industry knowledge.
It’s easy to navigate
There are a few different ways to navigate the QCS system. You can use the search bar if you have a specific document in mind or use the Policy Centre and Useful Documents tabs to browse all of the documents. It also includes policy updates, to make sure you’re abreast of any recent changes to the policy.
English not your first language?
The latest version (version 4) of the QCS system is now starting to be rolled out to clients. This has new features including the option to select a different language for the text appearing in the system. At the individual user level, you can change the language choice at the click of a button at any time. This is intended to be particularly useful for staff or service users who may prefer to read documents in their first language or for use in a bilingual nation such as Wales.
