CPD highlight - CanRehab
CIMSPA training provider partner CanRehab recently received a quality assurance visit from our team. At CIMSPA, quality assurance of all our partners is a priority. Our vision is to provide the widest range of quality-assured CPD is available to our members.
About CanRehab
Cancer affects all of us, either personally or through someone we know. Latest research shows that statistically you have a 1 in 2 chance of being diagnosed with cancer if born after 1960. On a more positive note, new effective cancer detection methods and treatments have resulted in cancer survival rates doubling in last the 40 years, and over four million people will be living with or beyond a cancer diagnosis in the UK by 2030.
It is important to help those affected by cancer to live well and there is now sufficient evidence to consider exercise/physical activity programmes as an integral additional cancer treatment. This is where CanRehab has its niche.
CanRehab provides educational support to anyone wishing to develop exercise-based programmes for people affected by cancer. It was instrumental in designing and delivering the first specialist-fitness instructor training course for cancer and exercise rehabilitation. Since 2010 they have trained over 700 fitness and health professionals throughout the UK and Europe.
Professor Anna Campbell MBE, the Director of CanRehab, plays a leading international role in the research into exercise oncology programmes. One of her key roles for CanRehab’s work is to ensure the course content has the most up to date information on evidence-based guidelines, triage and contraindications for exercising safely after a cancer diagnosis.
The importance of quality assurance
As fitness professionals, if you wish to safely deliver exercise advice to clients living with or beyond a cancer diagnosis, you will have to undertake training. But how do you choose a course that is high quality?
“The first, and ultimately the most important component, is to ensure the course content is accurate, relevant, and evidence-based. Understand that “one size doesn’t fit all” when designing programmes for those affected by cancer.”
CanRehab courses fulfill these criteria by providing tools to help process very complex treatment information and associated side effects in order to provide an individualised programme that is safe and effective.
“Finally, ensure that the course has been verified by trained, independent, external quality assurance assessors.”
CanRehab’s CIMSPA QA experience
“CanRehab recently welcomed Jenny Stafford-Brown, a CIMSPA QA assessor, to inspect our endorsed Level 4 Cancer and Exercise Rehabilitation course, which has been awarded 10 CIMSPA CPD points. The QA process we experienced was smooth and supportive with excellent communications in advance of the visit.”
Jane Mellors, CIMSPA Quality Manager, subsequently followed up with a productive meeting with Lorna Reilly from CanRehab and CIMSPA Skills Development Manager Jordana Johnston. For small training organisations such as CanRehab this level of partnership and support from CIMSPA is really valued.
“We were extremely pleased to be informed that all performance parameters assessed by CIMSPA on our wider administration procedures and on the course content and delivery were classed as ‘Outstanding'”.
After observation of the teaching sessions Jenny reported:
“A range of teaching styles were used with group work, paired work, practical and tutor led presentations. The learners were continually mixed into different working groups encouraging them to work with people from different backgrounds and learn from each other’s experiences. Participants were consistently engaged and were motivated in all activities observed.”
CanRehab’s Lorna Reilly concluded:
“We found the QA to be a two way process. The visit from an external assessor focused our minds on our procedures and policies and where we could improve. As a result, we have been reminded to use the online portal to alert CIMSPA members of upcoming CanRehab courses.
In addition, we have provided feedback to the team that we feel strongly the content of all endorsed courses needs to be equally assessed to ensure safety, accuracy and relevance to this important population in the community.”
If you would like to know more about CanRehab or the cancer and exercise courses, then please email info@canrehab.co.uk or visit www.canrehab.co.uk