Healthcare support worker

This occupation is found in the health and care sectors. 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.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide high quality and compassionate person-centred care and support based on individual needs and setting. Daily activities for a Healthcare Support Worker will vary according to the workplace and will be determined by the needs of the individuals they are caring for. Healthcare Support Workers will check the overall comfort, wellbeing and progress of individuals in their care. They support individuals with their daily activities including eating, drinking, washing, dressing or going to the toilet. They carry out clinical activities such as measuring and monitoring blood pressure, temperature or weight, checking wounds or applying dressings. They prepare individuals for healthcare activities carried out by other members of the healthcare team, looking after them before, during and/or after those activities in line with their care plan. They will also carry out non-clinical duties such as handling enquiries and signposting or escorting people, keeping records, making beds, tidying the work area, returning or cleaning equipment used during a clinical activity.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with

• Patients, service users, carers and their families
• Registered healthcare professionals, for example doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals
• Social care staff including registered managers, adult care workers and social workers
• Administration, management and other staff like cleaners, drivers, porters and receptionists

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working within the limits of their competence and agreed ways of working to provide a defined range of healthcare tasks as part of the wider health and social care team. Healthcare Support Workers in health settings typically report to a registered healthcare practitioner who will directly or indirectly supervise their work. Healthcare Support Workers in adult social care settings typically report to a Registered Manager, Service Manager and, in the case of Personal Assistants, to the individual with whom they work. Healthcare Support Workers can address straightforward problems in their daily work, reporting concerns and changes to the appropriate person in a timely manner. They must communicate effectively and be able to adhere to strict standards, including legislation, when handling sensitive and confidential information. They must maintain a safe and healthy working environment and keep their knowledge and skills up to date through continuous professional development.