About the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety programme
The Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety elearning tool is made up of three 20-30 minute learning sessions. The purpose of the tool is to support clinicians in the NHS to gain knowledge and understanding of the issues around culture and health; and how this might influence health care outcomes.
Being Culturally Competent and Cultural Safety is not only about respecting and appreciating the cultural contexts of patients’ lives. Neither is it a one-size-fits-all approach – it’s about understanding the way we deliver health care and responding to the needs of our diverse population.
Cultural competence and Cultural Safety is a key aspect of providing both quality and safe care. This is why health professionals need to be aware and gain understanding of the key issues relating to culture and how this may influence the uptake of health care and treatment options. Developing this knowledge and understanding will influence the way we give care and could have an impact on reducing disparities in health care outcomes.
This elearning tool provides a resource of information and opportunities for professionals to reflect and review their own understanding and practice. Completing this elearning tool will enable you to gain insight and confidence in navigating and responding to the varied needs of your patients. This tool can support continued professional development and can be included in your portfolios for revalidation.
The Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety elearning tool has been developed by Health Education England elearning for healthcare and is provided free to all healthcare professionals. The tool has been developed in collaboration with the Royal College of Midwives and other key stakeholders.
More information
With the UK population becoming increasingly diverse, it is important that health care professionals do not minimise the cultural context of an individual’s health.
We need to work in a way which is inclusive and values diversity. Developing a greater awareness of diverse cultural beliefs can help healthcare professionals in meeting the diverse needs of all patients and families.
In the video below the ex Chief Midwifery Officer of England, Professor Jacque Dunkley-Bent, explains why developing cultural competency is important.
Meet the team
Wendy Olayiwola
National Maternity Lead for Equality, Professional Midwifery Advocate, NHS England
Janet Fyle MBE
Policy Advisor, The Royal College of Midwives
Professor Laura Serrant
Professor of Community and Public Health Nursing in the Faculty of Education, Health and Well-being, University of Wolverhampton
Professor Calvin R Moorley
Professor of Diversity and Social Justice in the Adult Nursing Department of London South Bank University, with a background in public health and diversity in care.
Daghni Rajasingam
Deputy Medical Director, Consultant Obstetrician and Honorary Reader in Leadership and Healthcare Management
Jacob Ignatius
Senior Project Manager, Midwifery & Quality, Sustainability, and Innovation, NHSE
TEL team members
Karole Smith
Programme Manager - Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
Paul Tingle
Senior Project Manager - Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
Wendy Lowe
Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
Alice Denham
Lead Learning Designer - Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
Rachel Grant
Learning Designer - Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
Abigail Lingford
Graphic Designer - Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
Louise Garrahan
Marketing and Communications Officer - Technology Enhanced Learning, NHS England
How to access
There are three sessions in total. The first two sessions are aimed at all professional groups. The third session is an additional resource specifically aimed at midwives.
- The first session aims to describe what is meant by ‘culture’ and why it is important for health professionals to be aware of how this can impact health.
- The second session describes cultural competence and its importance for health professionals working across cross-cultural situations.
- This session looks at the importance of cultural competence in the context of maternity care and aims to help health care professionals support and meet the needs of a changing population.
In order to access the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety programme, you will need an elfh account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below.
To view the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety programme, select the View button below. If you already have an account with elfh, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.
NHS healthcare staff in England
The Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety programme is also available to NHS healthcare staff via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Accessing this elearning via ESR means that your completions will transfer with you throughout your NHS career.
Further details are available here.
Not an NHS organisation?
If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access elfh Hub, you may be able to access the service by creating an OpenAthens account.
To check whether or not you qualify for free access via OpenAthens, you can view the eligibility criteria and register on the ‘OpenAthens’ portal.
Registering large numbers of users
If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the Cultural Competence and Cultural Safety programme, please contact elfh directly.
Organisations wishing to use their own LMS
For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.
More information
Please select the following link for more information on how to use the elfh Hub.