In the care sector, English proficiency has a major impact on patient safety and experience, as well as on operational efficiency and compliance. But with one in five care workers born outside the UK (Skills for Care, 2023), language skills are often uneven in this sector. How can care homes support non-native speakers to attain the level of English critical to quality care?
Good communication has always been a hallmark of good care, but it matters now more than ever. According to the World Health Organization, “the pace of population ageing is much faster than in the past”. As the percentage of those needing care accelerates, this ageing population is already presenting major challenges for health and social care.
To meet those challenges, many care organizations turn to overseas workers to make up recruitment shortfalls; but for many of them, English isn’t their first language. In the UK, non-native speakers make up 19% of the care workforce. In the USA, it’s 18%, and in Canada, 25%. That’s despite the fact that for the care sector, good English isn’t just a soft skill, a ‘nice to have’ – it’s business-critical.
The business risks of poor communication in care
Unsurprisingly, there have been numerous studies into the importance of communication in the care sector, with research by the Health and Care Professionals Council noting the impact of English language proficiency on patient experience: “Participants in the focus group told us that the ability of health and care professionals to communicate in English is important for positive patient experience, patient partnership and shared decision making.”
And it goes much further than that. Some of the main areas poor English skills can impact a care organisation include:
- Patient safety: whether it’s not understanding an instruction, crossed wires during an emergency or an error in a written care plan document, poor communication can lead to serious medical errors. Indeed, one study found that communication issues contribute to 70% of so-called ‘sentinel’ events in healthcare settings (Joint Commission, US) – that’s those that result in patient harm or death that aren’t related to their illness. Needless to say, this also means potential reputation and legal risks.
- Patient or resident wellbeing: moving into a care home can be a difficult experience for residents, making emotional support and rapport critical to providing good care – but expressing empathy requires language nuance that non-native speakers may find challenging.
- Regulatory non-compliance: language barriers can be flagged by quality inspections, as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) expects staff to be able to communicate clearly with residents, families and other professionals. Inadequate communication is a common theme in poor inspection reports.
- Reputational damage: anyone who’s ever tried to find a quality care home for a loved one will have come across negative online reviews that feature phrases such as “couldn’t understand staff” or “hard to communicate”.
- Staff turnover: from a recruitment perspective, poor communication can contribute to poor team cohesion, lack of confidence and staff frustration, in turn resulting in higher staff turnover, increased recruitment costs and lower staff morale.
With all this in mind, it’s little wonder that clear communication is increasingly an expectation from families, inspectors and healthcare partners alike.
Better language skills = better outcomes
There’s evidence to show that language proficiency drives better outcomes in care settings, with clear, compassionate communication building trust and satisfaction and resulting in a better experience for residents and their families. It’s not hard to understand why care home residents feel safer, more comfortable and more connected when they can easily communicate with staff. It’s also worth noting the positive impact of good communication on reputation thanks to online reviews and word-of-mouth referrals.
And while a good reputation has a positive impact on occupancy rates, from a business perspective, good English skills mean greater operational efficiency – fewer errors, faster onboarding, better documentation – and improved staff confidence and retention. It also means smoother handovers between shifts and across services, and less time lost to miscommunication.
Investing in English proficiency for better care
For all these reasons, added to the need to demonstrate compliance and commitment to quality, many care homes are choosing to invest in English training for their staff. As well as improving resident experience and business efficiency, this helps support a diverse workforce to succeed – and all while reducing workplace friction, improving morale and marking themselves out as a responsible and supportive employer.
English assessment and training are easier to offer than ever thanks to advances in delivery and testing. Scalable language courses and adaptive placement tests are now available specifically for English in a care context, and delivered online in a flexible format that can fit around employees’ shifts.
At Oxford International Digital Institute, our bespoke English for Care course is tailored to your needs and runs for 50 hours, taken over ten weeks. Combining self-directed online learning with online face-to-face teaching from tutors, this cost-effective, modular course represents big savings over the costs of replacing a staff member, failing an inspection or facing legal claims or reputational damage.
Put simply, language proficiency is a compliance and care imperative, and investing in English skills – either pre-employment assessment or in-role training – can reduce risk and improve business performance. For care homes, language development is increasingly being seen as part of an overall commitment to both quality patient care and staff support. Meanwhile, training providers working in the care sector can offer it as a differentiating value-add, and recruiters can use it to deliver better placements with longer retention. In other words, everyone wins.
Discover how we support care providers with scalable, customised English training.
