How to Choose a Training Provider for Your Care Home (UK Guide)

The right on-site training provider for a care home trains your staff on your own equipment, around your shifts, with trainers who have done the job. They give you certificates and records you can show an inspector, and a price you can see before you book. This guide covers what CQC expects, the questions worth asking a provider, and the warning signs to look out for.

What CQC expects from your training

In England, regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 says staff must receive "such appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal as is necessary to enable them to carry out the duties they are employed to perform". It doesn't name courses or approve providers. Choosing the training is your decision, and so is showing it worked.

In practice, that means three things:

• The right topics for each role. A carer who uses a hoist needs different training from a cook or a receptionist. Skills for Care's statutory and mandatory training guide is the usual starting point for adult social care in England.
• Training that changes practice. Inspectors talk to staff and watch care. A certificate for moving and handling won't help if staff can't use the home's own hoist safely.
• Records you can find. A training matrix that shows who was trained in what and when, and when each certificate runs out.

Some training has its own legal duty on top. Since 1 July 2022, the Health and Care Act 2022 has required CQC-registered providers to train staff in learning disability and autism at a level that suits their role. The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice, final since September 2025, sets the standard that training must meet. First aid has its own rules too. HSE stopped approving first aid training providers in 2013, so HSE expects employers to check providers themselves: their trainers, quality assurance, teaching methods, syllabus and certification.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulators (the Care Inspectorate, Care Inspectorate Wales and RQIA), but the same questions apply.

On-site, public course or e-learning?

• On-site: a trainer comes to your home and trains a group together. Practical skills are taught on your equipment, in your building. It suits moving and handling, first aid and basic life support, fire marshal and evacuation, and clinical skills. It also means nobody travels and you can plan cover for one shift instead of several.
• Public courses: staff travel to a training centre, usually priced per person. They suit one or two people at a time.
• E-learning: cheap and flexible for knowledge-based topics, but it can't check that someone can do a practical skill. Many homes use it for theory and book face-to-face training for anything hands-on.

Ten questions to ask a training provider

1. Who will the trainer be, and what is their background? Ask how trainers are recruited and checked, and whether they have used the skills they teach in real work.
2. Who keeps the course content up to date? Guidance changes, for example resuscitation guidelines and moving and handling practice. Ask who reviews the content and when it was last reviewed.
3. Will staff practise on our own equipment? For moving and handling especially, training on your hoists, slings and slide sheets is worth far more than a demonstration on someone else's.
4. How is learning checked? A practical assessment, a short test, or questions and discussion? You want to know staff can do it, not just that they attended.
5. What certificate do staff get, and how long is it valid? Ask whether it is a certificate of completion or a regulated qualification, and whether you need the qualification. Some first aid courses offer an optional regulated award if your policy requires one.
6. What is the price for the whole group, including VAT and travel? Per-person and flat-rate prices can look very different (see below). Ask whether travel, materials and certificates are included.
7. How many staff can attend one session? Larger groups mean less practice time each. A sensible maximum for practical courses is around 12.
8. Can it fit around our shifts? Ask about start times, half days and running two sessions in one day so both shifts can attend.
9. What paperwork will we get for our records? Certificates, an attendance list and course content you can file with your training matrix.
10. Can we see reviews from other care homes? Reviews on independent platforms, from settings like yours, tell you more than a quote on the provider's own site.

Comparing the cost properly

Training is priced either per person or as a flat rate for the group, and the difference adds up quickly. As an example, one national provider's published price for a one-day public Emergency First Aid at Work course in October 2026 started from £160 per person, with VAT treatment not stated. Sending 12 staff would cost at least £1,920, plus travel time and cover for 12 people. A flat on-site rate for the same group can cost a fraction of that.

When you compare quotes, work out:

• the total for the number of staff you actually need to train, including VAT
• the cost of cover and travel for staff who leave the building
• how many staff each session takes, and whether a second session the same day costs extra
• what it costs to add a regulated award, if you need one

Warning signs

• No price until you call. Clinical training often needs a quote because the trainer's travel varies. For standard courses, though, you should be able to see the price.
• Vague claims about approval. CQC doesn't approve training providers, and HSE no longer approves first aid providers. If a provider says they are "CQC approved" or "HSE approved", ask what they mean.
• Certificates that overpromise. For skills such as moving and handling or giving medication, good training leaves staff fully trained and certified, ready for your usual in-house check; it doesn't replace that check. A provider who says their certificate is all you need for these is overselling.
• Large groups for practical courses. Twenty people round one manikin or one hoist means most of them watch rather than practise.
• Online-only for hands-on skills. Live online works well for theory and some awareness courses, but nobody learns to use a hoist on a webinar.

Before the trainer arrives

A little preparation makes the day count. Book a room with enough clear floor space for practicals. Tell the provider which equipment you use, and have it available. Plan cover so staff aren't called away. Send any policies you want the training to follow well in advance. Afterwards, update your training matrix the day the certificates arrive.

How Kasorb can help

Kasorb publishes this guide. We're an on-site training provider, so read this section knowing that.

We train care home teams at their own premises anywhere in the UK, with some courses also live online. One flat rate covers the whole group: prices start at £395+VAT for up to 12 staff. Your trainer has used these skills for real. Certificates are emailed the next day, bookings are confirmed within 48 hours, and we recommend booking at least four weeks in advance to secure your preferred date. See all our courses, including moving and positioning people, Emergency First Aid at Work, Basic Life Support and Safeguarding Adults.

This guide summarises the law and guidance; it isn't legal advice.

FAQs

Does CQC approve training providers?

No. CQC doesn't approve training providers or courses, and the law doesn't name a course you have to use. It checks that your staff have the training they need for their roles and that it shows in their practice. Choosing a suitable provider is up to you.

Is on-site training better than e-learning for care homes?

For practical skills, yes. Moving and handling, first aid, basic life support and clinical skills need hands-on practice, ideally on your own equipment. E-learning can work well for knowledge-based topics, and many homes combine the two.

How much does on-site training cost for a care home?

It depends on the course and the pricing model. Flat group rates for standard on-site courses often cost less than sending the same number of staff on per-person public courses, before you count travel and cover. Always compare the total for your group, including VAT.

Do care home staff need a regulated qualification?

Usually not. Most care training leads to a certificate of completion. Some first aid courses have an optional regulated award, which you may want if your own policy or a commissioner requires it. Check your policy before paying extra.

How many staff should attend one training session?

For practical courses, around 12 is a sensible maximum, so everyone gets hands-on practice. Larger teams can book a second session.