Capability, competence and lifelong learning

Possessing and maintaining the competence to practise, passing on your expertise

Competence encompasses a combination of knowledge, skills and behaviours, gained through learning and experience. It is vital that you, as a practitioner, are competent and capable to fulfil the demands of your work. You should never work outside the limit of your professional competence.
 
If you are a senior practitioner, you will be delegating tasks to more junior colleagues. You need to ensure that they are competent to carry out the tasks requested, as you retain responsibility for the occupational therapy provided to the service user. You need to be sure that they have access to adequate supervision, support and training. If you are a manager or service leader, you have a responsibility to recognise and support the continuing professional development (CPD) requirements of your staff, as part of good governance. More information is available from the Code of ethics and professional conduct (COT 2010a, section 5).

Extended and emerging roles

Extending the scope of your practice implies using skills and techniques that are neither included in the defined core skills of an occupational therapist, nor included in the pre-registration education curriculum for occupational therapists (COT 2009a). Emerging roles are jobs which may not necessarily be termed ‘occupational therapy’, but in which occupational therapy skills, perspectives and approaches can be used. In either situation you should ensure that you have the necessary training and experience to fulfil the requirements of the role, and that your employer recognises and supports you in it. More information is available from:
COT/BAOT Briefings 14: Extended scope practice (COT 2011)
COT/BAOT Briefings 23: Definitions and core skills for occupational therapy (COT 2009b)
COT/BAOT Briefings 120: Applying for a ‘non-traditional’ role. Some points to consider (COT 2005)

Remaining competent

Learning is an ongoing, lifelong process. It is your responsibility to remain competent in your practice. It is a registration requirement of the Health Professions Council (HPC) who have standards for CPD (HPC 2010). You need to continue to learn and to apply your learning to your practice. There are many different ways of learning, not just in formal courses or study days.
 
The College of Occupational Therapists has developed the Interactive Learning Opportunities Database (ILOD), a tool designed to aid your continuing professional development. For this and a number of other resources to support your CPD, please visit the College website at www.cot.org.uk

Passing on your skills and knowledge

As a skilled practitioner, you have a responsibility to share your expertise with others. This might be through practice placements, supervision, mentoring or preceptorship programmes; participating in inter-professional learning; or publishing or presenting your work at conferences.

5. Capability, competence, and lifelong learning – standards

5.1You know and understand the key concepts of occupational therapy and how they translate into practice

Criteria
5.1.1 You understand the concept of the occupational nature of human beings
5.1.2 You understand the impact of ill-health, disease, disorder and dysfunction upon occupational performance
5.1.3 You understand the impact of occupational dysfunction, disruption and deprivation on individuals, families, groups and communities
5.1.4 You are able to understand and analyse activity and occupation and their relation to health and wellbeing
5.1.5 You understand how individuals and their occupational performance can be influenced or affected by social, societal, cultural, environmental and work factors
5.1.6 You understand a range of theoretical frameworks or models of occupational therapy and how they shape your approach to practice
5.1.7 You know how to meet the social, psychological and physical health-based occupational needs of service users across a range of practice areas
5.1.8 You can articulate the purpose of occupational therapy to service users and others, so promote the understanding of the profession

5.2 You have adequate knowledge and skills to practise capably in your chosen role, in a safe and reliable way

Criteria
5.2.1 You have sufficient knowledge and skills to make reliable professional judgements suitable to your level of responsibility
5.2.2 You can work autonomously and use your personal initiative, suitable to your level of experience and responsibility
5.2.3 You can use information technology to the level that is required for your practice
5.2.4 You only provide services and use techniques for which you are qualified by education, training and/or experience
5.2.5 You only provide services and use techniques that are appropriate to the needs of the service user and relate to your terms of employment
5.2.6 You seek advice or refer to another professional when additional knowledge, expertise and support are required
More information is available from The Code of ethics and professional conduct (COT 2010a, section 5.1)

5.3 You achieve and maintain adequate competence in terms of knowledge, skills and behaviours in order to meet the standards of proficiency for ongoing registration with the Health Professions Council (HPC)

Criteria
5.3.1 You adhere to the HPC’s CPD requirements (HPC 2010)
5.3.2 You participate in any statutory and mandatory training required for your work
5.3.3 You receive the equivalent of a minimum of one half day each month for agreed continuing development activity, scholarship and/or research (RCN et al 2007), over and above statutory and mandatory training  
5.3.4 Your continuing professional development produces outcomes that are relevant to your current practice and of benefit to the delivery of care
5.3.5 You maintain an awareness of current policy, guidelines, research and best available evidence
5.3.6 As a practitioner, you receive regular professional supervision or support within an agreed structure or model
5.3.7 As a practitioner, you participate in a regular appraisal process
5.3.8 You apply your learning to benefit service users and their carers in a safe and responsible manner
5.3.9 You participate in inter-professional learning, developing team skills
5.3.10 You document professional development activities to provide evidence of continuous learning
 
More information is available from COT/BAOT Briefing 55: Management briefing: supervision

5.4 As a skilled practitioner, you share your expert knowledge and skills with your colleagues

Criteria
5.4.1 You provide continuing development opportunities to more junior staff and support workers who contribute to occupational therapy services
5.4.2 You support the training and development of colleagues from other professions, services and agencies
5.4.3 You ensure learning opportunities are socially and culturally inclusive and appropriate
5.4.4 You provide regular supervision and annual appraisals to those you line/professionally manage
5.4.5 You provide regular practice education opportunities for occupational therapy students where possible, in order to promote a learning culture within the workplace
5.4.6 As a practice placement educator you support, teach, facilitate and supervise students according to the requirements of their education programme
5.4.7 As a practice placement educator you undertake and maintain accreditation through recognised programmes of study, where possible
5.4.8 As a practice placement educator you provide a learning experience for students that complies with relevant standards (COT 2009c, HPC 2009, Glasgow and Foulis 2008).
 

5.5  You ensure that those to whom tasks or actions are delegated – such as students, support workers and volunteers – are competent to carry them out 

Criteria
5.5.1 You provide adequate information, supervision and training to other members of staff, volunteers  and carers if they are to provide intervention
5.5.2 You monitor the competence of those to whom you delegate tasks
5.5.3 You do not ask other staff  to carry out tasks that are outside their professional competence, terms of employment or workload capacity
 
Right click and save Professional Standards Audit Tool - Capability, Competence and Lifelong Learning
 
Right click and save Professional Standards Audit Tool - Progress Log
 
These standards link with: 
Code of ethics and professional conduct, section(s) 5.1; 5.4; 5.5 (COT 2010a)
Doing well, doing better: Standards for health services in Wales, standard(s) 25; 26 (Welsh Assembly Government 2010)
Guidance about compliance: essential standards of quality and safety, outcome(s) 12; 14; 22; 25 (CQC 2010)
Quality standards for health and social care, section(s) 4.3; 5.3.3 (DHSSPS 2006a)
Quality standards for practice placements audit tool 2nd ed. (NHS Education for Scotland 2008)
Rehabilitation standards: hallmarks of a good provider, standard(s) 2 (UKRC 2009)
Standards of conduct, performance and ethics, standard(s) 4; 5; 6; 8 (HPC 2008)
Standards of proficiency: – occupational therapists, section(s) 1a; 2b; 3a (HPC 2007)
Standards of education and training, standard 5 (HPC 2009)
The NHS knowledge and skills framework and the development review process, core dimension(s) 2; 4, dimension(s) Information and knowledge; General (DH 2004)