Senior healthcare support worker

Knowledge

K1: The legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role. Back to Duty

K2: The scope of practice, limitations of own competence, including limitations of own role in relation to medication and who to ask for support. Back to Duty

K3: The principles of ‘person-centred care and support’, including principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, active participation, consent and choice. Back to Duty

K4: The principles of a ‘duty of care’ and ‘safeguarding’, the signs of abuse and ways to reduce the risk of abuse. Back to Duty

K5: National and local definitions of health and well-being and priorities for promoting public health and reducing inequalities. Back to Duty

K6: The availability of services to support individuals with lifestyle choices and how to make a referral if required. Back to Duty

K7: The signs and symptoms that an individual’s health and wellbeing is changing, including the role of prescribed medication. Back to Duty

K8: The signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort. Back to Duty

K9: The principles of hydration, nutrition and food safety. Back to Duty

K10: Communication techniques to maximise understanding including for individuals with specific communication needs or wishes. Back to Duty

K11: The meaning of ‘capacity’, the differences between mental illness, dementia and learning disability and the impact of these conditions on an individual’s needs. Back to Duty

K12: The principles of infection prevention and control and the importance of good personal hygiene, hand hygiene and correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Back to Duty

K13: Local systems and processes to manage the supply, storage, use and safe disposal of stocks and supplies. Back to Duty

K14: The principles of safe moving and assisting individuals, and moving and handling equipment. Back to Duty

K15: The meaning of ‘risk’ in the workplace, ways to raise concerns and own responsibilities in relation to incidents, errors and near misses. Back to Duty

K16: Techniques and principles to safely perform basic life support. Back to Duty

K17: The common causes of conflict and how to respond to them in the workplace. Back to Duty

K18: The importance of continuing personal and professional development. Back to Duty

K19: The local arrangements for appraisal of performance in the workplace. Back to Duty

K20: The principles of reflective practice. Back to Duty

K21: Ways to record and store information securely, including the safe use of technology. Back to Duty

K22: The principles of confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure. Back to Duty

K23: The principles of ‘quality improvement’ and ways to measure quality in the workplace. Back to Duty

K24: The principles of investigatory techniques, research and evidence-based practice, and how to access existing evidence and use it to validate and improve practice Back to Duty

K25: The principles of critical thinking and methods of critical appraisal. Back to Duty

K26: The principles and styles of leadership in relation to own role and place of work. Back to Duty

K27: The relationship and differences between leadership, management, supervision and mentoring. Back to Duty

K28: The physiological states, their normal ranges and the correct tools or equipment to use to measure them. Back to Duty

K29: The activities of daily living and ways to support individuals to develop and maintain their independence in carrying out these activities. Back to Duty

K30: The structure and function of the skin and underlying tissues and factors that lead to tissues being compromised. Back to Duty

K31: The principles of wound management and the equipment and materials that are used to treat wounds. Back to Duty

K32: Methods for taking and testing specimens. Back to Duty

K33: The end of life phase and the factors which impact care during the end of life phase. Back to Duty

K34: Local systems for discharge and transfer and the availability of services and agencies offered by the wider health and social care system. Back to Duty

K35: The signs and symptoms that indicate an individual’s physical or mental health and wellbeing are deteriorating. Back to Duty

K36: How to support adults to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. Back to Duty

K37: Strategies to engage women and carers in feeding, bathing, parenting and self-care such as antenatal and postnatal exercise. Back to Duty

K38: Local and national antenatal and newborn screening services and immunisation programmes. Back to Duty

K39: Local systems and protocols to maintain the maternity environment including procedures to maintain the supply of resources, instruments and equipment. Back to Duty

K40: The purpose of a urethral catheter and the importance of regular monitoring. Back to Duty

K41: Local security procedures for women and babies including systems for woman and baby identification. Back to Duty

K42: The routine checks and observations undertaken for a healthy baby such as cord care, eye care, oral hygiene, stools and signs of neo-natal jaundice. Back to Duty

K43: The nutritional and hygiene needs of babies, the benefits of different feeding methods and the importance of skin to skin contact in bonding. Back to Duty

K44: The principles of supporting families at difficult times, bereavement and loss and the availability of other support services. Back to Duty

K45: The scope of their own role in an emergency situation during pregnancy, labour, birth or the postnatal period. Back to Duty

K46: Local systems and protocols for completing pre- and post-operative checklists. Back to Duty

K47: The principles of asepsis and maintenance of the sterile field in relation to the provision of surgical instrumentation and medical devices to the surgical team. Back to Duty

K48: Local systems and protocols for team briefing, patient sign in, timeout, sign out and debriefing. Back to Duty

K49: The effects of pre-medication, sedation and anaesthesia on individuals. Back to Duty

K50: The purpose for recording an individual’s body fluid and factors that affect input, output and wound drainage. Back to Duty

K51: Techniques used in the peri-operative environment to position individuals and specialist equipment for before, during and after surgery. Back to Duty

K52: The types, purpose and function of surgical instruments and supplementary items used in theatre such as the cost implications of items used and the impact on the commissioning of surgical procedures. Back to Duty

K53: The importance of identification, measurement, accounting for and recording swabs, sharps, instruments or other disposable items used and the actions to take if one is missing. Back to Duty

K54: Types and uses of containers for transport, procedures for labelling, handling, dispatching recording and reporting for clinical specimens and blood products. Back to Duty

K55: The nature of mental health and well-being and the main forms of mental ill health according to the psychiatric International Classification of Diseases and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM/ICD) classification system. Back to Duty

K56: The main interventions in mental health and well-being and the benefits of early intervention. Back to Duty

K57: The needs of individuals with mental ill health and those supporting them at key stages and through times of change or transition. Back to Duty

K58: Techniques used to build, monitor and sustain therapeutic relationships with individuals, carers and their families. Back to Duty

K59: The factors that facilitate an individual’s recovery experience. Back to Duty

K60: The impact of the individual’s mental ill-health on their life, family, friendships and active participation in society. Back to Duty

K61: Risk factors of harm to self or others, a range of triggers and consideration of the impact of the environment. Back to Duty

K62: Prevention and risk reduction strategies which involve the individual and others, such as suicide mitigation, behaviours which challenge, substance misuse and self-neglect and reduction of restrictive practices. Back to Duty

K63: The importance of own mental health and wellbeing when working in mental health services. Back to Duty

K64: Principles and techniques to engage children and young people in therapeutic play. Back to Duty

K65: The main life transitions for children and young people and the importance of involving the child or young person in their own care in line with legal policy and service frameworks for children and young people. Back to Duty

K66: The importance of family-centred care and the role of the public health agenda in promoting and protecting the health and wellbeing of children and young people, to include looked-after children and young carers. Back to Duty

K67: The expected physical, cognitive, language, emotional, social and developmental milestones, the tools and equipment to measure and assess them and how to adapt practice to meet additional needs. Back to Duty

K68: The care planning process and therapeutic strategies used within own role to promote and enable independence, self-management, social integration, recovery and skills for everyday life. Back to Duty

K69: Local systems for undertaking clinical risk assessments and management plans relevant to own work setting. Back to Duty

K70: The potential impact of mental and physical capacity, health condition, learning disability or overall wellbeing on therapeutic or clinical interventions. Back to Duty

K71: Strategies and approaches to rehabilitate or maximise an individual’s function. Back to Duty

K72: Strategies and tools available to engage individuals or communities in group sessions. Back to Duty

K73: Activities and resources available within the community and the means to access them. Back to Duty

K74: Local systems for sourcing, ordering and fitting therapeutic equipment and resources and the criteria for provision. Back to Duty

K75: The purpose and function of the therapeutic equipment and resources available, including its limitations and contra-indications. Back to Duty

K76: Strategies and tools available to engage individuals in learning how to use therapeutic equipment and resources. Back to Duty

K77: Protocols for checking, reporting and adapting therapeutic equipment and resources. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Work in line with legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role. Back to Duty

S2: Work within the scope of practice, the limits of own knowledge and skills, escalating and reporting to others when needed. Back to Duty

S3: Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide safe and non-discriminatory person-centred care and support with individuals’ established consent. Back to Duty

S4: Implement a duty of care, recognising and responding to safeguarding and protection concerns and acting in the best interest of individuals to ensure they do not come to harm. Back to Duty

S5: Support individuals to make informed and positive lifestyle choices. Back to Duty

S6: Actively seek out and act on opportunities to support individuals to maximise their health, well-being and positive lifestyle choices. Back to Duty

S7: Recognise and respond to changes in an individual’s health and wellbeing. Back to Duty

S8: Recognise and respond to the signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort to maximise comfort and well-being. Back to Duty

S9: Promote and monitor access to fluids and nutrition in line with an individual’s care plan. Back to Duty

S10: Communicate with individuals, their families, carers and others in the workplace using techniques designed to facilitate understanding. Back to Duty

S11: Recognise and respond to limitations in an individual’s mental capacity. Back to Duty

S12: Maintain a safe and healthy working environment, using infection prevention and control techniques including hand washing, sanitisation, disinfection and personal protective equipment (PPE). Back to Duty

S13: Maintain the safe supply, storage, use and disposal of supplies and equipment. Back to Duty

S14: Move and handle equipment or other items safely and assist individuals. Back to Duty

S15: Take appropriate action in response to concerns, risks, incidents or errors and near misses arising in the workplace. Back to Duty

S16: Perform basic life support techniques. Back to Duty

S17: Recognise and respond to potential conflict, challenging behaviour or an escalating situation. Back to Duty

S18: Undertake own training and development activities and contribute to the training and development of others. Back to Duty

S19: Participate in appraisal to support professional development. Back to Duty

S20: Reflect on and develop your own practice. Back to Duty

S21: Record and store information related to individuals securely, including the safe use of technology. Back to Duty

S22: Report and share information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, maintaining confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure. Back to Duty

S23: Participate in and support others with quality improvement activities in the workplace. Back to Duty

S24: Use investigatory techniques to source evidence to validate and improve the delivery of care and support within own scope of practice. Back to Duty

S25: Critically appraise sources of information and apply to practice. Back to Duty

S26: Provide leadership and act as a role model for others within the scope of own role. Back to Duty

S27: Contribute to mentoring and supervision of others in the workplace within the scope of own role. Back to Duty

S28: Undertake physiological measurements, selecting and using the correct tools or equipment. Back to Duty

S29: Support individuals with activities of daily living to develop and maintain their independence in line with their desired. outcomes and plan of care Back to Duty

S30: Assist with tissue viability risk assessments and manage pressure areas. Back to Duty

S31: Assist with wound care in line with the care plan. Back to Duty

S32: Obtain and test specimens in line with the care plan. Back to Duty

S33: Provide care and support for individuals and their family during the end-of-life phase. Back to Duty

S34: Contribute to signposting to relevant agencies and, discharge or transfer of individuals between services, in line with their care plan. Back to Duty

S35: Recognise and respond to deteriorations in physical health, mental health and wellbeing. Back to Duty

S36: Support adults to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing and for managing their own condition. Back to Duty

S37: Assist the midwife with teaching, feeding and hygiene needs of babies-parenting skills and antenatal and postnatal exercise. Back to Duty

S38: Assist health care professionals with antenatal and newborn screening and provide information to parents about immunisation activities. Back to Duty

S39: Provide support to the maternity team by maintaining the supply of resources, instruments and equipment. Back to Duty

S40: Support personal care such as providing care for women with urethral catheters. Back to Duty

S41: Identify the baby and provide wristband or label in line with local security procedures. Back to Duty

S42: Care for the physical needs of babies by undertaking routine healthy baby observations and reporting any abnormalities. Back to Duty

S43: Support parents and carers to meet the developmental, nutritional and hygiene needs of babies. Back to Duty

S44: Work in partnership with families and other support services to support individuals in difficult circumstances, bereavement and loss. Back to Duty

S45: Provide support to the midwife and others in the multi-disciplinary team in an emergency situation during pregnancy, labour, birth or the postnatal period. Back to Duty

S46: Complete pre- and post-operative checklists. Back to Duty

S47: Support the surgical team to maintain the sterile field. Back to Duty

S48: Participate in team briefing, patient sign in, timeout, sign out and debriefing. Back to Duty

S49: Support and monitor the pre-medicated, sedated and unconscious individual. Back to Duty

S50: Measure and record an individual’s body fluid balance. Back to Duty

S51: Move, position and transport individuals and specialist equipment before, during and after surgery. Back to Duty

S52: Prepare the clinical environment and provide surgical instrumentation and supplementary items for the surgical team. Back to Duty

S53: Carry out counts for swabs, sharps, instruments and disposable items and take action if something is missing Back to Duty

S54: Assist in receiving, handling and dispatching clinical specimens or blood products. Back to Duty

S55: Use strategies and tools to promote mental wellbeing and to support individuals with mental ill health. Back to Duty

S56: Observe, record and report changes and barriers, using proactive approaches to manage behaviour which challenges. Back to Duty

S57: Take an active approach in supporting individuals to manage their condition. Back to Duty

S58: Build, monitor and sustain therapeutic relationships with individuals, carers and their families. Back to Duty

S59: Promote a recovery-based approach that enables the individual to manage their condition. Back to Duty

S60: Enable and empower individuals to actively participate in society and recognise the impact of mental health on them and others. Back to Duty

S61: Identify situations of risk to yourself or others and take action including seeking support. Back to Duty

S62: Involve the individual, carers and family members in risk management processes. Back to Duty

S63: Review and promote your own mental health and wellbeing. Back to Duty

S64: Support the development of children and young people through therapeutic play and learning. Back to Duty

S65: Support children and young people through transitions by enabling shared or independent decision making. Back to Duty

S66: Support parents, families and carers to meet the needs of children and young people. Back to Duty

S67: Support children and young people before, during or after diagnostic, clinical or therapeutic procedures. Back to Duty

S68: Provide therapeutic support in line with care plans to encourage independence, self-management and skills for everyday life. Back to Duty

S69: Assist with undertaking clinical risk assessments and management plans. Back to Duty

S70: Recognise the impact of mental or physical capacity, health condition, learning disability or overall wellbeing on the therapeutic or clinical task or intervention and when to adapt. Back to Duty

S71: Enable individuals to meet optimum potential. Back to Duty

S72: Facilitate group sessions to support health and well-being of individuals or communities. Back to Duty

S73: Support people to engage in the community and access activities or resources in line with their treatment goals. Back to Duty

S74: Identify, order or fit therapeutic equipment and resources in line with the individual’s care plan. Back to Duty

S75: Use equipment and resources therapeutically in a safe way in line with local policy and procedure. Back to Duty

S76: Demonstrate and teach the safe and appropriate use of therapeutic equipment and resources. Back to Duty

S77: Complete safety checks for therapeutic equipment and resources, following protocols to report issues or make adaptations if appropriate. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Treat people with dignity. Back to Duty

B2: Show respect and empathy. Back to Duty

B3: Be adaptable, reliable and consistent. Back to Duty