Healthcare Support worker

Healthcare Support Workers work in a range of healthcare settings, for example in a hospital, General Practice, as part of a community team and in individuals’ homes where their wider team may include workers from both health and social care. They can also be found in social care settings where the scope of the role they carry out requires them to be responsible for a range of clinical tasks. These roles are becoming more common as health and social care services in some areas become integrated or where residential and nursing homes are caring for residents who have health and care needs, are unwell or reaching the end of their life but have not been transferred to a hospital or primary care setting.

Please enter your email address (upon completion of this skills scan you will need to click on the submission button. Once you have done this, the completed skills scan will be emailed to you and your line manager. You will need to upload your completed skills scan to the OneFile learning assessment record that you have opened to access this skills scan)

We need to ensure you require substantial learning and development to access a funded apprenticeship. You do not need to research topics to answer. This is about what you may already know or do, so we can get a baseline and create a personal learning programme. You may also wish to state areas you would like to develop further.

Please rate each question with Yes, Some or No

Please note if you answer Yes or Some to any of the questions, a drop-down box will appear and you will need to write about what you already know and/or do. If you have any qualifications, competency evidence or certification appliable to the question, it is very important you attach these to the OneFile learning assessment record (LAR) that you have opened to access this skills scan. Please ensure you always maintain confidentiality and avoid putting any names of colleagues/patients.

Skills - Work in line with legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role. Work within the scope of practice, the limits of own knowledge and skills, escalating and reporting to others when needed.

Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide safe non-discriminatory person-centred care and support in line with individual’s established consent. 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:

Knowledge - The legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role. The scope of practice, limitations of own competence, including limitations of own role in relation to medication and who to ask for support.

The principles of ‘person-centred care and support’, including principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, active participation, consent and choice. The principles of a ‘duty of care’ and ‘safeguarding’, the signs of abuse and ways to reduce the risk of abuse:

Skills - Recognise and respond to the signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort to maximise comfort and wellbeing . Recognise and respond to changes in individuals’ health and wellbeing.

Perform basic life support. Undertake physiological measurements, selecting and using the correct tools or equipment. Assist the registered practitioner in encouraging individuals to take or use their prescribed medication:

Knowledge - The signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort. The signs and symptoms that an individual’s health and wellbeing is changing and ways to report changes.

Techniques and principles to perform basic life support. The physiological states, their normal ranges and the correct tools or equipment used to measure them. The importance of prescribed medication and the limitations of own role in relation to medication:

Skills - Promote access to fluids and nutrition in line with an individual’s care plan.

Support individuals with activities of daily living to maximise independence in line with their desired outcomes and plan of care:

Knowledge - The principles of hydration, nutrition and food safety.

The activities of daily living and ways to support individuals in developing and maintaining their independence in carrying out these activities:

Skills - Contribute to the storage of supplies and equipment. Contribute to the cleaning, disinfecting and disposal of materials and equipment.

Support others with appointments, enquiries and referrals:

Knowledge - Local systems to order and manage supplies and stocks. Methods to safely clean and dispose of materials and equipment, including ways to handle hazardous materials and substances.

Local systems to manage appointments, including IT and telephone systems, how and where to sign-post individuals:

Skills - Communicate with individuals using techniques designed to facilitate understanding.

Recognise and respond to limitations in an individual’s mental capacity:

Knowledge - Communication techniques to maximise understanding including for individuals with specific communication needs or wishes.

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

Skills - Act on opportunities to support others to maximise their health, well-being and positive lifestyle choices:

Knowledge - The principles of health promotion, availability of services to support individuals with lifestyle choices and how referrals can be made if required:

Skills - Record and store information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, including the safe use of technology.

Report and share information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, maintaining confidentiality:

Knowledge - Ways to record and store information securely and in line with national and local policy and legislation, including the safe use of technology.

The principles and organisational policies for confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure:

Skills - Maintain a safe and healthy working environment, using a range of techniques for infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Move and handle equipment or other items safely and assist individuals. Take action in response to identified concerns, risks, incidents or errors and near misses arising in the workplace:

Knowledge - The principles of infection prevention and control and the importance of good personal hygiene, hand hygiene and correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The health and safety legislation, the principles of safe moving and handling of equipment and other objects and assistance of individuals.

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

Skills - Participate in appraisal and supervision to support ongoing personal development. Participate in training and development activities including the Care Certificate Standards.

Reflect on own practice:

Knowledge - The importance of continuing personal and professional development. The local arrangements for appraisal of performance in the workplace.

The principles of reflective practice:

Skills - Contribute to improvement activities in the workplace, for example collecting and logging data for audit.

Use evidence to make suggestions for improving practice:

Knowledge - The principles of ‘quality improvement’. Ways to source evidence to support improvement in the workplace:

Thank you for completing your skills scan

check the emails you have entered are correct before clicking on the submission button.

Your Email : {yourEmail}

Managers Email : {email8}

Reminder: your completed skills scan will be emailed to you immediately, please upload to the skills scan learning assessment record on OneFile, with any other evidence. This is very important as your allocated coach will review before the planning meeting.

Please inform your manager they will receive your skills scan.

At the planning meeting with your coach, your line manager will be asked to confirm it is correct and /or identify further areas of development.