What is Statutory and Mandatory Training?
To begin, what are statutory and mandatory training and is there a difference? So, the terms statutory and mandatory training are often used interchangeably. However, they both involve distinct aspects of training requirements and while the types of training under each category can overlap at times, there is a difference between statuary and mandatory training.
What is Statutory Training?
Statuary training refers to tuition that is required by law or a statutory body, such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England or Ofsted, to ensure that care providers and their workers are meeting legal obligations. Failure to comply with statutory training requirements could result in legal consequences, penalties or even the closure of a service. Examples of statutory training include health and safety training, fire safety training and infection prevention and control.
What is Mandatory Training?
This covers training deemed essential by an organisation for the safe and efficient delivery of a service. Although it may not be required by law, it’s crucial for maintaining high standards of care and reducing risks within the workplace. Mandatory care training is often determined by care providers based on national standards, local policies and organisational risk assessments. Examples include safeguarding adults and children training, manual handling training and basic life support training.
What is the Difference Between Statutory and Mandatory Training?
While both training types are essential, the primary difference lies in their foundations and implementation. As mentioned above, statutory training is legally required, meaning care workers and organisations must complete this training to comply with UK laws and regulations. It’s enforced by government bodies, such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the CQC and Ofsted. Employers must ensure that all staff undertake this training to prevent legal liability.
In contrast, mandatory training Is determined by individual organisations based on industry best practices and risk assessments. Although not directly enforced by law, care mandatory training is often required to maintain professional competence and ensure high-quality service delivery. While this training in care isn’t compulsory, regulatory bodies, like the CQC, expect service providers to implement mandatory training in health and social care to meet their compliance standards.
Another key difference between each type of training is that statutory training applies universally to all care workers, while mandatory training for carers can vary between employees and organisations depending on their specific policies and the nature of care that they provide. Understanding these differences is crucial for care providers to ensure that all legal obligations are met and that their staff are equipped to perform their duties safely.
Statutory Training Requirements for Care Workers
Care workers in the UK must undertake statutory training to comply with legal requirements set by regulatory bodies such as the CQC and HSE. These training modules ensure that care professionals understand and adhere to safety regulations, legal standards and best practices in the care sector. Some of the statutory care courses include:
- Health and Safety – Ensuring a safe work environment for both staff and care recipients under the Health and Safety Work Act 1974.
- Fire Safety – Understanding fire risks, emergency procedures and compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
- Infection Prevention and Control – Learning strategies to minimise the risk of infection transmission, as required by the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
- Manual Handling Operations – Training on the safe techniques for moving individuals and objects, in line with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.
- Food Hygiene and Safety – Ensuring compliance with food safety legislation, particularly for care workers involved in food preparation and handling.
- First Aid and Basic Life Support – Understanding emergency procedures, including CPR, as outlined in the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.
- Equality and Diversity – Promoting inclusive practices and understanding legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.
- Information Governance and Data Protection – Ensuring the confidentiality and security of personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
The statutory training courses equip care workers with the knowledge and skills necessary to comply with UK laws and provide safe and effective care.
Statutory Training in the NHS
While health and social care workers are required to carry out a range of NHS mandatory training, the statutory training is designed to ensure that all healthcare staff, including care workers, comply with legal obligations and maintain the highest standards of care. The NHS England Statutory Training Programme outlines essential training areas for healthcare professionals. This framework is regularly reviewed to align with legislative changes and industry best practices.
NHS care workers must complete statutory training in health and safety, infection control, fire safety and safeguarding, among others, to meet compliance requirements and ensure care recipient safety.
Statutory and Mandatory Training Policy NHS
NHS England is leading efforts to optimise, rationalise and redesign the Statutory and Mandatory Training (StatMand) Programme to improve staff experience, enhance outcomes and reduce the time burden on healthcare workers. This initiative aligns with the 2024/25 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance and recent efforts have included:
- Alignment with the Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF) – 89% of NHS organisations have declared alignment with CSTF, ensuring standardised training requirements.
- Use of eLearning Content - A significant percentage of NHS organisations utilise eLearning solutions for statutory training, enhancing accessibility and efficiency.
- Development of a Digital Staff Passport – This will enable health and social care professionals to move seamlessly between NHS organisations without repeating training, saving an estimated 100,000 days of training per year.
To improve efficiency, NHS England has reviewed refresher periods, governance structures and staff group training needs:
- A StatMand Reform Board has been created to assess the effectiveness of statutory interventions which is an example of governance improvements.
- Many organisations are carrying out training more frequently than national guidance suggests, leading to unnecessary training. Instead, employers are encouraged to reassess their training schedules to align with national recommendations.
- Some staff groups have been identified as receiving statutory training that may not be relevant to their roles. Employers are advised to review training acceptability by 30th June 2025.
These reforms aim to reduce training burdens while maintaining high standards of compliance and care recipient safety.
Skills for Care
Skills for Care plays a pivotal role in supporting care providers by offering guidance on statutory training requirements and best practices. As the strategic workforce development body for adult social care in England, Skills for Care ensures that training programmes align with regulatory standards. One of their key contributions is the Care Certificate, which sets out the foundational training that all new care workers must complete.
Skills for Care – Care Certificate
The Skills for Care ‘Care Certificate’ establishes a set of 15 standards that outline the essential skills, knowledge and behaviours required for care workers to deliver high-quality support. These standards cover key areas of statutory training, such as health and safety, infection prevention and safeguarding. The certificate is widely recognised across health and social care sectors, providing a consistent framework for training new care staff.
eLearning for Health and Social Care Workers
To summarise, statutory training is a legal requirement for care workers in the UK, ensuring compliance with health, safety and care regulations. This is different from mandatory training, which is organisation-specific and based on best practices. While NHS England and Skills for Care oversee training standards, including the Care Certificate, it’s a care manager’s responsibility to ensure that their staff are up to date with both statutory and mandatory training. One of the best ways to do this is via eLearning platforms.
We at The Access Group are a leading provider of care software solutions. For over 30 years, we have been providing health and social care software to organisations across the UK. Over the years, we have learned what works best for providers and their care recipients and our goal is to offer our support through the digitisation of services. Our eLearning for health and social care software offers comprehensive and user-friendly care courses for care workers and managers. This platform includes:
- An extensive course library which covers all aspects of statutory training, ensuring compliance with industry regulations.
- Flexible learning options that allow care workers to complete their training at their own pace, reducing disruptions to their daily responsibilities.
- Real-time tracking and reporting to help managers monitor staff progress and ensure compliance with statutory training requirements.
- An interactive learning experience which includes engaging content that enhances knowledge retention and practical application.
By utilising our eLearning for care software, care providers can ensure their staff remain fully trained, competent and compliant with ever-changing regulatory requirements, ultimately leading to better care outcomes for individuals receiving support. To find out more about our eLearning platform, contact us today. One of our experts will be in touch for advice and they can help you book a demo.
