NARU re-accredited with Skills for Health Quality Mark for excellent Training and Education standards

The National Ambulance Resilience Unit is proud to announce it has again been re-accredited with the prestigious Skills for Health Quality Mark, awarded for excellence in the delivery of its world-class training modules at the renowned NARU Education Centre.

The Quality Mark recognises outstanding care training, and is the only standard for the UK health sector.

It defines and endorses superior learning and training standards that healthcare employers need to cultivate a world-class, effective and motivated workforce, and achieving the mark demonstrates that an organisation has met the unique quality standards for learning and training in the healthcare sector.

In addition it gives internal and external colleagues, customers and commissioners greater confidence that the training on offer has been quality-assured by an external auditor.

NARU was initially accredited in June 2014, becoming the first ambulance organisation to attain this, and has subsequently been successful in retaining the accreditation.

The 2018 re-accreditation was awarded after an in-depth audit by the Skills for Health team, comprising scrutiny of NARU Education’s products, processes and teaching methodologies as well as analyses of instructor and delegate questionnaires.


Turning learning into action

By way of illustration, the NARU Education Centre has trained every member of each ambulance service’s Hazardous Area Response Teams – the specialist ambulance staff tasked with responding to such incidents as the Manchester bombing, the Westminster and London Bridge attacks and the Grenfell fire.

NARU also provides front line and control room staff with training materials via its online education site and documents such as command guidance and action cards.

David Bull QAM, NARU Head of Education said:

Accreditation with the Skills for Health Quality Mark is a demanding and rigorous process. It starts with the submission of all our educational policies and practices, including specific details of work programmes and supporting documentary proof.

This is followed by inspections, visits to teaching sessions and interviews with staff, and consultation with both current and previous delegates, as well as their managers. The final step is for the Skills for Health panel to convene and approve or make recommendations for further improvements.

In being re-accredited once again, I would like to put on record how proud I am of all the staff and delegates at the Education Centre. This award is a testament to their unstinting skills, hard work and dedication.

You can read more about the Skills for Health Quality Mark here, or download their flyer here.