Senior Healthcare Support Workers help registered practitioners deliver healthcare services to people. They carry out a range of clinical and non-clinical healthcare or therapeutic tasks, under the direct or indirect supervision of the registered healthcare practitioner. On completion of this apprenticeship the individual will be a competent and job-ready Senior Healthcare Support Worker. This programme is suitable for people working in a range of services including hospitals, community, health or day case units, someone’s home, nursing or care homes, assessment centres, hospices, schools, prisons, GP surgeries, charity or voluntary organisations; working in partnership with individuals, families, carers and other service providers. Senior adult nursing support workers look after adults in a range of settings, duties will vary accordingly. In most instances their supervisor will be a registered nurse. Some people they support have short term needs; e.g. they have sustained an injury. Others may have long-term conditions which affect them every day, all their lives e.g. asthma, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia, depression, stroke or arthritis. Many people suffer from more than one condition e.g. an older person who has sustained a fall and has a wound that needs regular dressing, may also have heart disease. Some people will need round the clock care, being able to do very little for themselves, requiring them to look after all their personal needs including feeding, washing, going to the toilet as well as carrying out clinical tasks like checking their blood pressure or pulse. Senior Healthcare Support Workers will learn core skills such as: Assist nurses with delegated clinical tasks Undertake a range of physiological measurements Assist with tissue viability risk assessments Assist with caring for wounds Obtain and test samples and other specimens Support frailty, end of life care Contribute to discharge from services Monitor and maintain the environment, equipment and resources; perform first line calibration on clinical equipment and manage stock control Recognise limitations in mental capacity and respond appropriately Other clinical tasks are determined by the work setting and policies e.g: support people to receive medication or non-oral treatments; monitor the effects of medication; care for stomas; take ECGs; care for individuals with catheters or nasogastric tubes; carry out screening activities e.g. hearing or vision; monitor swallowing, prepare or carry out extended feeding techniques. Values Caring and compassionate Honest, Conscientious Committed Behaviours Health and wellbeing Duty of care and candour, safeguarding, equality and diversity Person centred care, treatment and support Communication Personal, people and quality improvement Health, safety and security Knowledge What the Senior Healthcare Support Worker on completion must know and understand: Health and wellbeing how to carry out routine and complex clinical or therapeutic tasks delegated to you, the care plans and delegation protocols used in your organisation the types of information you need to collate when obtaining a client history, ways to record and share it the indicators for good physical and mental health in relation to the demographic of individuals you are working with; the importance of fluids, nutrition and food safety; ways to signpost individuals to public health interventions or other services if appropriate how to support a person’s comfort and wellbeing, the signs of a person whose health and wellbeing is deteriorating or who is experiencing pain or discomfort the main types of mental ill health and their impact on people’s lives; indicators for mental capacity, the importance of early diagnosis in relation to cognitive issues; the possible signs of mental ill health and learning disability in people; why external factors, adapting from childhood to adulthood, depression, delirium or the normal ageing process may be mistaken for mental ill health; how changes in cognition can impact health and wellbeing; how to report changes and deterioration; how to support others to report changes and deterioration, how to escalate changes and deterioration how to perform basic life support and use adjuncts to support resuscitation Duty of care and candour, safeguarding, equality and diversity legislation, policies and local ways of working about duty of care, candour, raising concerns, safeguarding/ protection from abuse, diversity, equality and inclusion; what they mean, why they are important, how to promote them to others how discrimination can happen; how to deal with conflicts between a person’s rights and a duty of care The signs of abuse, what to do if you suspect it, how to reduce the chances of abuse as much as possible Person centred care, treatment and support why it is important to gain consent (4), even when it is difficult; how to undertake risk assessment in enabling a person centred approach; why it is important to promote ‘person centred care, treatment and support’ why it is important to encourage people to be actively involved in their own care or treatment; why it is important to give people choices about their care and to treat people as valuable and unique why safety and clinical effectiveness are important; the importance of managing relationships and boundaries with service users Communication why it is important to promote effective communication at work; how to communicate with people who have specific language needs or wishes; how to reduce communication problems and respond to complaints; techniques for difficult situations, local guidelines for dealing with abusive behaviour how verbal and non-verbal communication may relate to an individual’s condition legislation, policies and local ways of working about handling information; why it is important to record and store information securely and confidentially and support others to do so; e-safety; the audit process and how it relates to your role Personal, people and quality improvement your responsibilities and duties; the limits of your competence and authority; that of those you supervise; the values of your organisation; legislation, standards, policies, protocols you should adhere to; why it is important to work in ways agreed by your employer how to seek feedback, reflect on your actions, how to evaluate your work and create a personal development plan the importance of working well with others, your own health, wellbeing, resilience and that of colleagues; who or where to go for help and advice about anything related to your work or people you support; how to supervise others behaviours expected from a role model; the principles of training and mentoring the importance of gathering service user views; ways to identify and escalate opportunities to provide a better or more effective service Health, safety and security how to promote health and safety at work; what to do in situations that could cause harm; how to handle hazardous materials move and position people, equipment or other objects safely in line with agreed ways of working the meaning of risk /risk assessment; how to recognise risk or hazards, undertake risk assessment, escalate where appropriate, operate safe systems of work the importance of a clean workplace; legislation, policies and local ways of working for the prevention of infection; personal hygiene, handwashing; the right use of PPE : gloves, aprons, masks; how infections start and spread; how to clean, disinfect and sterilise Skills What the Senior Healthcare Support Worker on completion must be able to do: Health and wellbeing Assist registered healthcare practitioners with clinical or therapeutic tasks; follow care plans; notice and report changes Gather evidence to assist in obtaining a client history, review health-related data and information Promote physical and mental health and wellbeing, providing opportunistic brief advice on health and wellbeing Assist with an individual’s overall comfort, identify and respond to signs of pain or discomfort Recognise issues and deteriorations in mental and physical health, report and respond appropriately, supporting others to do so Recognise limitations in mental capacity and respond appropriately perform basic life support for individuals Duty of care and candour, safeguarding, equality and diversity Follow the principles for equality, diversity and inclusion Implement a duty of care and candour Safeguard and protect adults and children; promote the principles to others Person centred care, treatment and support Demonstrate what it means in practice to promote and provide person centred care, treatment and support by obtaining valid consent, and carrying out risk assessments Work in partnership with the individual, their carer, families and the wider healthcare team Promote clinical effectiveness, safety and a good experience for the individual Communication Demonstrate and promote effective communication using a range of techniques Observe and record verbal and non-verbal communication Handle information (record, report and store information) in line with local and national policies, keep information confidential and support others to do so; take part in audits Personal, people and quality improvement Act within the limits of your competence and authority; ensure that anyone you supervise acts within theirs’ Take responsibility for, prioritise and reflect on your own actions, work and performance; maintain and further develop your own skills and knowledge, participate in appraisal Work as part of a team, seek help and guidance when you are not sure, escalate concerns in a timely manner to the correct person; support or supervise colleagues as required, delegate well- defined tasks appropriately Act as a role model; mentor peers; deliver training through demonstration and instruction Health, safety and security Maintain a safe and healthy working environment, take appropriate action in response to incidents or emergencies, following local guidelines Move and position individuals, equipment and other items safely Undertake risk assessments Use a range of techniques for infection prevention and control, eg waste management, spillage, hand washing, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)