What is the Core Skills Training Framework?

Is the Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF) a legal requirement, a list of statutory and mandatory courses, or a benchmark for safer workforce training? Do all health and social care providers need to follow it, and does buying "CSTF-aligned" training mean an organisation has done enough? These questions matter because the CSTF is widely used, but often misunderstood. It can strengthen consistency, reduce duplication, and support staff movement, but it does not remove employers' responsibility for deciding what training staff need for their roles, services, and risks.

In this blog, Dr Richard Dune explains what the CSTF is, who it applies to, what subjects it covers, and why it has become an important benchmark for statutory and mandatory training in the health sector. The article also explores how CSTF alignment works, what employers and providers must do in practice, how the framework supports portability and workforce assurance, and why training completion should not be confused with competence. The focus is practical: helping organisations use the CSTF as part of a defensible, role-based and evidence-ready training system.

What is the Core Skills Training Framework?

The Core Skills Training Framework, commonly shortened to just "CSTF", authored and maintained by Skills for Health, defines the core statutory and mandatory knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of healthcare staff. In practical terms, it provides a common benchmark that organisations can use to design, map, review, and evidence the training staff need to work safely and lawfully. The CSTF can best be described as the blueprint healthcare organisations use to design, map and evidence the training staff need. At the same time, its guidance also makes clear that the framework is the benchmark standard for statutory and mandatory training in England and Wales.

The framework was originally developed to improve consistency, portability and assurance. Rather than each organisation creating its own version of core statutory and mandatory training from scratch, the CSTF provides agreed-upon subjects, learning outcomes, and expectations for refresher training. That is one reason it has become so important within the National Health Service (NHS) and wider health-sector workforce governance. Since May 2025, NHS organisations in England have also moved further towards portability by agreeing that staff should not need to repeat a core list of prior statutory and mandatory training when moving between NHS organisations.

Why does the CSTF matter?

The CSTF matters because workforce training is not just an educational issue. It is a safety, governance and operational issue. When core mandatory and statutory training subjects are standardised, organisations are in a much stronger position to demonstrate that staff have completed relevant training to a nationally recognised benchmark, while reducing duplication and wasted time.

This matters especially in settings with high staff movement, rotating trainees, temporary staffing arrangements and multi-site services. NHS England has stated that standardising what training is delivered and how it is delivered is vital to the rollout of the digital staff passport and to reducing duplication when staff move between organisations. In its 2024 update, NHS England reported that 89% of NHS organisations had declared alignment to the CSTF and forecast that current reform work could reduce the time burden on staff by up to 100,000 days each year.

It also matters from a regulatory and provider perspective. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) requires providers to ensure staff receive the support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal necessary to carry out their roles. That means the framework is not a substitute for management judgment, but it can serve as a strong benchmark within a defensible training system.

What subjects are covered by the CSTF?

The current CSTF covers the following core statutory and mandatory training subjects:

1. Conflict resolution
2. Equality, diversity and human rights
3. Fire safety
4. Health, safety and welfare
5. Infection prevention and control
6. Information governance and data security
7. Moving and handling
8. Preventing radicalisation
9. Resuscitation
10. Safeguarding adults
11. Safeguarding children.

Skills for Health also presents a wider UK version of the framework, which includes violence and aggression (Wales) in addition to the core subjects listed above. This is one reason providers should be careful not to treat all CSTF references as identical across nations and settings without checking the applicable version.

The value of the CSTF is not just the subject titles. It is the agreed learning outcomes, expected training standards, and refresher expectations that underpin those subjects. That is what enables more meaningful standardisation and more credible portability of training records.

If you need a broader explanation of how statutory and mandatory training differ, see our guide to statutory and mandatory training differences.

Who is the CSTF for?

The CSTF was developed specifically for the healthcare sector and is used most widely by NHS employers and other health-sector organisations. It is particularly relevant for employers that need a structured benchmark for core statutory and mandatory training across clinical and non-clinical roles, rotating staff groups and large workforces. CSTF guidance also confirms that education providers can use it when they are responsible for ensuring that students have undertaken the necessary training before supervised work or clinical placements.

However, the framework is publicly available, allowing other providers to use it as a benchmark for good practice. Care providers may use the CSTF documents to benchmark training against good practice. Although they are not eligible for inclusion in the Directory of Aligned Organisations, the framework was developed specifically for the health sector.

That distinction matters. The CSTF can be highly useful beyond the NHS, but organisations should not assume that using the framework automatically confers formal alignment status or external endorsement.

Is CSTF training mandatory?

The answer depends on context. The framework itself is not a law or regulation. However, many of the subjects within it arise from legal duties, regulator expectations or core operational risks. In addition, many NHS and independent healthcare employers require staff to complete CSTF-aligned training as part of their statutory and mandatory training arrangements.

It is best to think of the CSTF as the benchmark framework for core subjects rather than as a separate legal obligation. It's crucial to remember that statutory training arises from legislation, while mandatory training is determined locally by individual employers, depending on the services provided. Individual employers must assess the training different staff groups need to meet their legal duties and their duties as providers of safe and effective care.

So, in practice, CSTF-aligned training is often mandatory because the employer has adopted the framework as the standard for its core statutory and mandatory training programme.

How does CSTF alignment work?

Alignment means an employing organisation maps its statutory and mandatory training to the CSTF subjects and learning outcomes, then submits a Declaration of Alignment supported by the appropriate mapping evidence. Skills for Health provides a declaration process, guidance, readiness assessment tools and a mapping tool to support this.

This process matters because alignment is about more than saying a course "covers" a subject. It is about showing that the organisation's training content, learning outcomes and refresher arrangements align with the framework requirements. Skills for Health also states that refresher frequency is now a requirement for alignment, and alternative refresher periods should only be used in exceptional circumstances, such as after a local risk assessment following a serious incident.

That makes alignment a governance discipline, not a marketing claim.

What employers and providers must do in practice

One of the most important points for employers is that the CSTF does not remove local responsibility. Even where a training provider claims its content is CSTF-aligned, the employer remains responsible for ensuring staff are appropriately trained. Skills for Health states this explicitly and makes clear that commercial training providers are not permitted to imply any assurance, verification, or endorsement. Purchasers must carry out due diligence.

In practice, employers should follow the guidance below.

Start with the role and service risk

Not every member of staff needs the same training in the same way. The organisation still needs a role-based and risk-led training needs analysis.

Check content, not just labels

A course titled "CSTF" is not enough on its own. Employers should review whether the learning outcomes, delivery method, and refresh intervals genuinely align with the applicable framework requirements.

Distinguish knowledge from competence

Some CSTF subjects can be delivered effectively through e-learning, particularly when the learning outcomes are knowledge-based. Others may require practical delivery and assessment. E-learning is appropriate for some subjects, but where learning outcomes are skill-based, practical methods are required.

Keep records that transfer properly

For organisations using the Electronic Staff Record (ESR), CSTF national competencies can be used to record and report activity when training is fully aligned with the learning outcomes and refresher periods.

How does the CSTF support staff movement and reduce duplication?

One of the most practical benefits of the CSTF is portability. Historically, staff moving between organisations often had to repeat the same core training unnecessarily, even when the learning outcomes were materially the same. The CSTF helps address that by providing a common benchmark.

NHS England's current reform work takes this further. From 1 May 2025, staff should no longer need to repeat a core list of prior statutory and mandatory training when moving between NHS organisations. NHS England also recommended including the 11 CSTF subjects in workforce sharing arrangements to make staff movements more efficient.

This is not a minor administrative point. It affects staff experience, induction burden, operational efficiency and time available for other work. It is also one of the clearest examples of why nationally consistent frameworks matter.

How does the CSTF fit with CQC expectations and workforce assurance?

The CSTF is not a CQC regulation in itself, but it supports a provider's ability to demonstrate a coherent approach to workforce training and assurance. CQC Regulation 18 requires that staff receive the training, support, supervision and appraisal necessary to carry out their roles. The CQC also expects competence in areas such as understanding and supporting people with learning disabilities and autistic people, which is why core training should never be separated from supervision and role-specific competence.

That means a good provider should be able to explain:

• What core training staff must complete

• Why is it required

• Whether the organisation aligns with the CSTF

• How practical competence is checked where needed

• How refresher cycles are monitored

• How training fits with supervision, appraisal and wider governance.

For a broader discussion, you may also want to read our guide on what training is required for CQC compliance.

Common mistakes organisations should avoid

A common mistake is assuming the CSTF is simply a list of courses to buy. It is not. It is a framework that needs local interpretation, mapping and assurance.

Another common mistake is assuming that a commercial provider's "CSTF-aligned" label removes the need for employer due diligence. It does not. The employer remains responsible for ensuring staff are appropriately trained.

A third mistake is treating training completion as the whole answer. In some subjects, especially those involving practical skills or emergency response, completion alone may not demonstrate competence. Organisations should also avoid using non-standard refresh cycles without a clear rationale, because refresher frequency is part of alignment.

FAQs about the Core Skills Training Framework

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions and answers about the Core Skills Training Framework and its application to the healthcare sector.

Why is the Core Skills Training Framework important?

The CSTF is important because it provides health and care organisations with a recognised way to structure, deliver, and evidence core statutory and mandatory training.

What does CSTF stand for?

CSTF stands for Core Skills Training Framework.

How many subjects are in the CSTF for NHS trusts in England?

The current CSTF for NHS trusts in England includes 11 core statutory and mandatory subjects.

Is the CSTF a legal requirement?

The framework itself is not a law, but many of its subjects arise from legal duties, employer responsibilities and regulator expectations. Employers decide what training is mandatory in their context.

Who maintains the CSTF?

Skills for Health maintains the framework and its related tools and processes.

Can care providers use the CSTF?

Yes. Care providers can use CSTF documents as a benchmark for good practice. However, the framework was developed specifically for the health sector, and care providers are not eligible for inclusion in the Directory of Aligned Organisations.

Does CSTF alignment mean a training provider is officially approved?

No. Skills for Health states that commercial providers may benchmark their content against the CSTF, but they must not imply endorsement or verification from Skills for Health.

Can e-learning be used for CSTF subjects?

Yes, for some subjects. Skills for Health states that e-learning can be appropriate for knowledge-based outcomes, but skill-based outcomes may require practical delivery and assessment.

Why is the CSTF useful for staff movement?

Because it supports standardisation and portability of core statutory and mandatory training, helping reduce unnecessary repetition when staff move between organisations.

Does the CSTF replace local training needs analysis?

No. Employers must still assess what training different staff groups need to meet legal duties and deliver safe, effective care.

Conclusion

The CSTF is best understood as a national benchmark for core statutory and mandatory training in the health sector. Its value lies in standardisation, portability, consistency and assurance. It helps employers define what core training should cover, how it should be mapped, and how duplication can be reduced, especially where staff move between organisations.

However, the CSTF does not replace employer responsibility. Organisations still need to decide what is required for their roles, services and risks, check competence where practical skills are involved, and ensure training sits within a broader system of supervision, appraisal and workforce governance. Used properly, the CSTF is not just a compliance tool. It is part of building a safer, more consistent and more efficient training system.

Strengthen your CSTF training and workforce assurance

If you are reviewing how your organisation delivers and evidences core statutory and mandatory training, explore our CSTF statutory and mandatory training options, health and social care e-learning and CPD-accredited online courses. You can also view our CPD Certification Service provider profile as part of our wider quality approach.

If you need a more joined-up system for managing learning records, refresher cycles and workforce evidence, explore ComplyPlus™ LMS. To discuss your organisation's needs, please contact our team through the online enquiry form.