New online dates announced for TACT’s and BHTA’s Trusted Assessor course for retailers

Last Updated on 22/07/2025 by Sarah Sarsby

Trusted Assessing and Care Training (TACT) has announced that its accredited Trusted Assessor course for retailers, which launched in February 2024 in collaboration with the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA), will be available online this autumn.

Approved by OCN London at level three, the ‘Trusted Assessor: Assessing in a Retail Environment’ course is designed to enable retail staff selling daily living equipment to become certified Trusted Assessors to provide ethical and reliable advice.

For BHTA members, the course is an excellent opportunity for retail staff to become knowledgeable and qualified Trusted Assessors to handle simple daily living equipment assessments and to know when to refer more complex cases to an occupational therapist (OT).

Many retailers are used to undertaking in-home visits to identify suitable equipment and adaptations, and TACT’s dedicated Trusted Assessor course recognises that work by adding new skills in line with a recognised quality standard.

Once qualified as Trusted Assessors, retail staff can be formally integrated into local health and social care pathways, growing the network of people qualified to support older and disabled people to live independently in the community.

Brett Gilham, from BHTA member Laybrook, commented: “We know how busy many OTs are and therefore the fact that we can demonstrate we have been trained and can provide assistance in the assessment process will benefit all parties. It also means that our staff across all levels have been trained to a set standard for assessing.”

For members of the public, the Trusted Assessor qualification conveys an independent quality standard. Older and disabled people, their friends, and families can be confident that a person’s needs are being fully understood and that appropriate equipment and adaptations are being identified to help promote greater independence.

Alastair Gibbs, the director of TPG DisableAids, which is a BHTA member, said: “For TPG DisableAids the Trusted Assessor scheme has been a real boost. We have various staff trained from Level 2 to Level 4 and it has given us some real credibility with a number of housing associations and local authorities.

“Those that were looking for a differentiator and an indicator of commitment to quality found it in our association to BHTA and Trusted Assessor.”

Learners are on-boarded onto TACT’s learning management system where they complete the pre-course modules. A series of three OT-led two-hour webinars must be attended in order; learners then complete a post-course homework assignment to demonstrate what they have learned.

TACT’s OT Trainers are on-hand for support throughout, and TACT’s monthly webinar programme tops up knowledge for newly qualified Trusted Assessors for 12 months after qualification.

From autumn 2025, there are a range of available dates for retail staff to take the Trusted Assessor course online.

The first set of dates is Wednesday 10 September, Thursday 25 September, and Wednesday 8 October.

The second set of dates is Wednesday 22 October, Thursday 6 November, and Friday 21 November.

Places on these open courses cost £245 + VAT. Retailers should contact TACT if they have a larger group for a bespoke quotation.

The course can also be delivered as a one-day course face-to-face on a date of the retailers’ choice. All TACT’s trainers are OTs.

To find out more or to book a place on the Trusted Assessor course online or in person, call TACT on 01626 879528 or email info@trustedassessing.com