Twenty-eight percent of nurses and care workers in the UK report that inadequate training has led to delays in life-saving treatment for patients. In addition, 36% acknowledge that training shortfalls have put patient lives at risk. These findings have emerged in research conducted by healthcare education startup FuturU, underscoring a growing need for more innovative approaches to healthcare training.
FuturU’s research report, “Prescription for Change – why nursing and social care training needs an injection of innovation”, polled 500 nurses and care workers on their current learning and development opportunities and their impact on job performance and satisfaction.
Nursing and care work stand among the few professions where the lives of individuals are directly entrusted to the hands of practitioners. Inadequate or subpar training in these fields can have major consequences – and unfortunately these already occur on a regular basis. According to the research, four in ten (40%) nurses and carers said that in the past six months, poor training had frequently had a negative impact on patient outcomes.
Unfortunately, inadequate workplace training is also impacting staff wellbeing too, with 33% of respondents saying that staff morale has been low as a result. Meanwhile collaboration between staff members has also been affected, according to 34% of those surveyed. These findings point to a need for more consistent, flexible and high-quality training experiences that are easily accessible to everyone across the sector.
FuturU, which launched in 2023, is aiming to tackle the endemic of subpar training by creating technology-led learning experiences that mimic real-life scenarios and build the user’s practical skills. It is also democratising access to this training, by offering it for free to nurses and care professionals via its app. So far, more than 70,000 healthcare professionals have downloaded the app and completed courses in everything from moving and handling to dementia awareness.
Michael Manuccia, CEO at FuturU, commented: “It’s disappointing to hear that nurses and care workers are regularly experiencing workplace situations where they feel unprepared to support patients or care recipients. This only emphasises the importance of investing in high-quality training experiences that prepare them for the reality of their role. We know that on the job training is one of the best ways for people to learn, but it can be hard to access and is not very scalable. New advancements in technology are making it possible to recreate this training in virtual environments, directly from the devices people use everyday, and at a fraction of the cost.”
