A brief introduction to…

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) offers a training programme accreditation service, which has been developed over a period of nearly twenty years. The focus of this service is to support RSPH's charitable objectives in encouraging best practice in public health, hygiene and wellbeing education. The RSPH Accreditation Service offers organizations an independent evaluation of their training programmes, verifying that they meet their learning objectives, have high standards of training design and support the strategic objectives of the organization. Training programmes we are asked to review, from NHS trusts, social enterprises and voluntary organizations, have a variety of purposes. Some are concerned with staff and workforce development, often providing continuous professional development and training relating to new initiatives and guidelines. Some training programmes provided by charities may be for either professionals or members of the public, raising awareness of particular health issues. The RSPH accreditation service is also available to corporate organizations who train their staff in-house, using training programmes tailored to meet specific business requirements. In some areas, such as the food sector, having competent well trained staff is a legal requirement. Part of the assessment for accreditation includes a review of the content of the programmes against National Occupational Standards, demonstrating to enforcement authorities that staff have undertaken training programmes which meet relevant standards. The accreditation service is also strengthening the business's Corporate Social Responsibility agenda in supporting staff development using quality assured training programmes. Applicants to the scheme have often commented that even making the application for RSPH accreditation has helped them to develop their training programme; for example it challenges whether sufficient thought has been given to the needs of the trainee group, whether the tutors are adequately supported to deliver consistent training, asks how the success of the training programme is going to be judged and the role of the training programme in the organization's overall training strategy. In an increasing complex public health environment, and at a time when training resources are stretched, the RSPH's accreditation service provides the continuity of a valuable reassurance of the quality of training programmes. Case Study: Mental Health First Aid - training programme While most people are aware of common physical health problems, there is a lack of understanding about mental health problems which leads to stigma and prejudice, discouraging those affected from seeking help. People who witness signs of distress in others can be uncertain of how to respond. 'Mental Health First Aid' (MHFA) was developed to provide the non-expert with knowledge of the signs and symptoms of a range of mental health problems and the confidence to intervene and guide the distressed person to sources of professional help. Training courses are suitable for a range of different business and service sectors - for example, training has been provided to staff at John Lewis, strategic outsourcing company MITIE, the police, prison officers and GPs. Mental health first aiders gain confidence and learn a systematic process for recognising the signs and symptoms of mental illness and supporting anyone that may be distressed. They are then able to support their work colleagues, members of the pubic and service users. Excellent training for MHFA instructors is essential to the success of this much needed work and RSPH has accredited the seven day Train the Instructor programme provided by the Mental Health First Aid Community Interest Company. This involved an assessment of all aspects of the programme, from training strategy, objectives and content to an observation of training delivery. …