Health and science
Senior healthcare support worker - Maternity support
Providing high-quality and compassionate specialist health and social care for a range of people.
Summary
This occupation is found in the health and care sector. Senior healthcare support workers work in a range of settings for example in a hospital, as part of a community team, in a day-case unit, birthing centre, individual’s homes, operating theatres, nursing or care homes, hospices and in general practice.
The broad purpose of the occupation is support registered healthcare professionals in the delivery of high quality and compassionate health and care services. A senior healthcare support worker will provide clinical, therapeutic or diagnostic care under the direct or indirect supervision of a registered healthcare professional. For this standard, one of the following occupational options will be completed:
1. Adult nursing support: Providing care and support for adults as part of the nursing team. Some of the individuals the adult nursing support worker cares for will have short-term needs for example, if they have a wound which requires dressing. Others may have long-term conditions which affect them every day, all their lives. Many individuals will have more than one condition, and some will need round the clock care for all their personal needs including feeding, washing, going to the toilet as well as for their clinical needs.
2. Maternity support: Providing care and support for women, babies and their families as part of the maternity team. The maternity support worker will contribute to the care of women antenatally and during birth, and care for women and babies postnatally. They support new parents to care for their baby and to develop confidence and bonding.
3. Theatre support: Providing care and support for individuals before, during and after operations as part of the multi-disciplinary theatre team. They will support individuals as they are preparing to go into theatre, reassuring them if they are anxious, and helping them move them back to recovery following their procedure. The theatre support worker will support the operating team by checking individuals into the theatre department, preparing equipment, counting swabs or other instruments and measuring fluids. They may be involved in routine, traumatic and emergency surgery.
4. Mental health support: Providing care and support for individuals with mental ill health as part of the multi-disciplinary mental health team. They will support individuals, and their families, at different stages of their recovery by listening, providing emotional support, collaboratively developing care plans, implementing them creatively and reviewing them to meet the needs of the individual. The mental health support worker observes and reports changes in mental and physical well-being, encouraging independence and enabling individuals to live their life and achieve their goals. Usually, they will have to work closely with carers and with other organisations for example in housing and social care.
5. Children and young people support: Providing care and support for babies, infants, children and young people as part of the children’s team. They work within guidelines and legislation designed to protect and support children and young people, recognising the different needs and rights they have at different ages and stages of their development. The children and young people support worker promotes person and family-centred care, including looked-after children, and working in partnership with parents, carers, families and other services and agencies.
6. Allied health profession therapy support: Providing care and support for individuals through therapeutic activities as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Illness, disability or a change in life circumstances often means that individuals have to learn or be supported to do things in new and different ways. This can change the pattern of a life-course, but individuals can often expect to regain and enjoy a quality of life with support and rehabilitation. Some individuals may have short-term needs, others may have long-term physical and/or mental ill health or a learning disability that affects their independence, function or way of living. The therapy support worker will be required to work with the individual either on their own or within a group setting. They may also work with others to support the individual eg training carers or working with families.
7. Diagnostic imaging support: Providing care and support for individuals through screening programmes, elective and emergency diagnostic imaging examinations including interventional procedures as part of a multi-disciplinary team within hospital and community sites. They will support individuals and help to manage the equipment used for imaging procedures. They support individuals and the team before and during the procedure, reassuring people if they are anxious and helping them with post-procedure care where necessary. Many individuals will have more than one condition, including serious traumatic injuries or life-changing diagnoses such as cancer. Diagnostic imaging support workers interact with patients, their carers and their families with various dependencies and ages. Diagnostic imaging support workers work within strict legislation and other guidelines designed to protect themselves and the individuals in their care.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with
• patients, service users and carers
• registered healthcare professionals, for example doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals
• social care staff including registered managers, care workers and social workers
• administration, management and other non-clinical staff like porters, cleaners and receptionists
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working within the limits of their competence, following standards, policies or protocols and agreed ways of working to provide a range of clinical, diagnostic or therapeutic interventions as part of the wider health and care team. Senior healthcare support workers report to a registered healthcare professional and undertake delegated activities in line with an individual’s care plan. Senior healthcare support workers use their knowledge, experience and understanding to take decisions within their area of responsibility. They are accountable for their own work and for reviewing the effectiveness of their actions. Senior healthcare support workers may supervise or guide other staff in their team. They must communicate effectively and be able to adhere to standards, including legislation, employer policies and procedures when handling sensitive information. They must maintain a safe and healthy working environment and keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
Typical job titles include
- Community support worker | Imaging support worker | Maternity support worker | Mental health support worker | Senior healthcare support worker | Theatre assistant | Therapy assistant
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
K1:
Core: The legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role.
K2:
Core: The scope of practice, limitations of own competence, including limitations of own role in relation to medication and who to ask for support.
K3:
Core: The principles of ‘person-centred care and support’, including principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, active participation, consent and choice.
K4:
Core: The principles of a ‘duty of care’ and ‘safeguarding’, the signs of abuse and ways to reduce the risk of abuse.
K5:
Core: National and local definitions of health and well-being and priorities for promoting public health and reducing inequalities.
K6:
Core: The availability of services to support individuals with lifestyle choices and how to make a referral if required.
K7:
Core: The signs and symptoms that an individual’s health and wellbeing is changing, including the role of prescribed medication.
K8:
Core: The signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort.
K9:
Core: The principles of hydration, nutrition and food safety.
K10:
Core: Communication techniques to maximise understanding including for individuals with specific communication needs or wishes.
K11:
Core: The meaning of ‘capacity’, the differences between mental illness, dementia and learning disability and the impact of these conditions on an individual’s needs.
K12:
Core: The principles of infection prevention and control and the importance of good personal hygiene, hand hygiene and correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
K13:
Core: Local systems and processes to manage the supply, storage, use and safe disposal of stocks and supplies.
K14:
Core: The principles of safe moving and assisting individuals, and moving and handling equipment.
K15:
Core: The meaning of ‘risk’ in the workplace, ways to raise concerns and own responsibilities in relation to incidents, errors and near misses.
K16:
Core: Techniques and principles to safely perform basic life support.
K17:
Core: The common causes of conflict and how to respond to them in the workplace.
K18:
Core: The importance of continuing personal and professional development.
K19:
Core: The local arrangements for appraisal of performance in the workplace.
K20:
Core: The principles of reflective practice.
K21:
Core: Ways to record and store information securely, including the safe use of technology.
K22:
Core: The principles of confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure.
K23:
Core: The principles of ‘quality improvement’ and ways to measure quality in the workplace.
K24:
Core: The principles of investigatory techniques, research and evidence-based practice, and how to access existing evidence and use it to validate and improve practice
K25:
Core: The principles of critical thinking and methods of critical appraisal.
K26:
Core: The principles and styles of leadership in relation to own role and place of work.
K27:
Core: The relationship and differences between leadership, management, supervision and mentoring.
K28:
Core: The physiological states, their normal ranges and the correct tools or equipment to use to measure them.
K30:
Options 1, 2 and 5: Adult nursing support, maternity support and children and young people support: The structure and function of the skin and underlying tissues and factors that lead to tissues being compromised.
K32:
Options 1, 2 and 5: Adult nursing support, maternity support and children and young people support: Methods for taking and testing specimens.
K33:
Options 1, 2 and 5: Adult nursing support, maternity support and children and young people support: The end of life phase and the factors which impact care during the end of life phase.
K34:
Options 1, 2, 5 and 6: Adult nursing support, maternity support, children and young people support and allied health professional therapy support: Local systems for discharge and transfer and the availability of services and agencies offered by the wider health and social care system.
K35:
Options 1, 2, 4 and 5: Adult nursing support, maternity support, mental health support and children and young people support: The signs and symptoms that indicate an individual’s physical or mental health and wellbeing are deteriorating.
K37:
Option 2: Maternity support: Strategies to engage women and carers in feeding, bathing, parenting and self-care such as antenatal and postnatal exercise.
K38:
Option 2: Maternity support: Local and national antenatal and newborn screening services and immunisation programmes.
K39:
Option 2: Maternity support: Local systems and protocols to maintain the maternity environment including procedures to maintain the supply of resources, instruments and equipment.
K40:
Option 2: Maternity support: The purpose of a urethral catheter and the importance of regular monitoring.
K41:
Option 2: Maternity support: Local security procedures for women and babies including systems for woman and baby identification.
K42:
Option 2: Maternity support: 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.
K43:
Option 2: Maternity support: The nutritional and hygiene needs of babies, the benefits of different feeding methods and the importance of skin to skin contact in bonding.
K44:
Option 2: Maternity support: The principles of supporting families at difficult times, bereavement and loss and the availability of other support services.
K45:
Option 2: Maternity support: The scope of their own role in an emergency situation during pregnancy, labour, birth or the postnatal period.
Technical Educational Products
- ST0217: Senior healthcare support worker - Maternity support (Level 3) Approved for delivery
- TL0011a: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the adult nursing team (Level 3)
Technical education progression
- TL0011b: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the midwifery team (Level 3) Technical education progression
- TL0011c: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the mental health team (Level 3) Technical education progression
- TL0011d: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the therapy teams (Level 3) Technical education progression
- Reference:
- OCC0217D
- Status:
Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £25,126 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 6131/03 Maternity care assistants
- 6131/99 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants n.e.c.
S1:
Core: Work in line with legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role.
S2:
Core: Work within the scope of practice, the limits of own knowledge and skills, escalating and reporting to others when needed.
S3:
Core: Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide safe and non-discriminatory person-centred care and support with individuals’ established consent.
S4:
Core: 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.
S5:
Core: Support individuals to make informed and positive lifestyle choices.
S6:
Core: Actively seek out and act on opportunities to support individuals to maximise their health, well-being and positive lifestyle choices.
S7:
Core: Recognise and respond to changes in an individual’s health and wellbeing.
S8:
Core: Recognise and respond to the signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort to maximise comfort and well-being.
S9:
Core: Promote and monitor access to fluids and nutrition in line with an individual’s care plan.
S10:
Core: Communicate with individuals, their families, carers and others in the workplace using techniques designed to facilitate understanding.
S11:
Core: Recognise and respond to limitations in an individual’s mental capacity.
S12:
Core: Maintain a safe and healthy working environment, using infection prevention and control techniques including hand washing, sanitisation, disinfection and personal protective equipment (PPE).
S13:
Core: Maintain the safe supply, storage, use and disposal of supplies and equipment.
S14:
Core: Move and handle equipment or other items safely and assist individuals.
S15:
Core: Take appropriate action in response to concerns, risks, incidents or errors and near misses arising in the workplace.
S16:
Core: Perform basic life support techniques.
S17:
Core: Recognise and respond to potential conflict, challenging behaviour or an escalating situation.
S18:
Core: Undertake own training and development activities and contribute to the training and development of others.
S19:
Core: Participate in appraisal to support professional development.
S20:
Core: Reflect on and develop your own practice.
S21:
Core: Record and store information related to individuals securely, including the safe use of technology.
S22:
Core: Report and share information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, maintaining confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure.
S23:
Core: Participate in and support others with quality improvement activities in the workplace.
S24:
Core: Use investigatory techniques to source evidence to validate and improve the delivery of care and support within own scope of practice.
S25:
Core: Critically appraise sources of information and apply to practice.
S26:
Core: Provide leadership and act as a role model for others within the scope of own role.
S27:
Core: Contribute to mentoring and supervision of others in the workplace within the scope of own role.
S28:
Core: Undertake physiological measurements, selecting and using the correct tools or equipment.
S30:
Options 1, 2 and 5: Adult nursing support, maternity support and children and young people support: Assist with tissue viability risk assessments and manage pressure areas.
S32:
Options 1, 2 and 5: Adult nursing support, maternity support and children and young people support: Obtain and test specimens in line with the care plan.
S33:
Options 1, 2 and 5: Adult nursing support, maternity support and children and young people support: Provide care and support for individuals and their family during the end-of-life phase.
S34:
Options 1, 2, 5 and 6: Adult nursing support, maternity support, children and young people support and allied health professional therapy support: Contribute to signposting to relevant agencies and, discharge or transfer of individuals between services, in line with their care plan.
S35:
Options 1, 2, 4 and 5: Adult nursing support, maternity support, mental health support and children and young people support: Recognise and respond to deteriorations in physical health, mental health and wellbeing.
S37:
Option 2: Maternity support: Assist the midwife with teaching, feeding and hygiene needs of babies-parenting skills and antenatal and postnatal exercise.
S38:
Option 2: Maternity support: Assist health care professionals with antenatal and newborn screening and provide information to parents about immunisation activities.
S39:
Option 2: Maternity support: Provide support to the maternity team by maintaining the supply of resources, instruments and equipment.
S40:
Option 2: Maternity support: Support personal care such as providing care for women with urethral catheters.
S41:
Option 2: Maternity support: Identify the baby and provide wristband or label in line with local security procedures.
S42:
Option 2: Maternity support: Care for the physical needs of babies by undertaking routine healthy baby observations and reporting any abnormalities.
S43:
Option 2: Maternity support: Support parents and carers to meet the developmental, nutritional and hygiene needs of babies.
S44:
Option 2: Maternity support: Work in partnership with families and other support services to support individuals in difficult circumstances, bereavement and loss.
S45:
Option 2: Maternity support: Provide support to the midwife and others in the multi-disciplinary team in an emergency situation during pregnancy, labour, birth or the postnatal period.
Technical Educational Products
- ST0217: Senior healthcare support worker - Maternity support (Level 3) Approved for delivery Technical education progression
- TL0011a: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the adult nursing team (Level 3) Technical education progression
- TL0011b: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the midwifery team (Level 3) Technical education progression
- TL0011c: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the mental health team (Level 3) Technical education progression
- TL0011d: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the therapy teams (Level 3) Technical education progression
- Reference:
- OCC0217D
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £25,126 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 6131/03 Maternity care assistants
- 6131/99 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants n.e.c.
B1:
Core: Treat people with dignity.
B2:
Core: Show respect and empathy.
B3:
Core: Be adaptable, reliable and consistent.
Technical Educational Products
- ST0217: Senior healthcare support worker - Maternity support (Level 3) Approved for delivery Technical education progression
- TL0011a: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the adult nursing team (Level 3) Technical education progression
- TL0011b: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the midwifery team (Level 3) Technical education progression
- TL0011c: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the mental health team (Level 3) Technical education progression
- TL0011d: Health - Supporting healthcare: Supporting the therapy teams (Level 3) Technical education progression
- Reference:
- OCC0217D
- Status:
- Approved occupation
- Average (median) salary:
- £25,126 per year
- SOC 2020 code:
- 6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants
- SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 6131/03 Maternity care assistants
- 6131/99 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants n.e.c.
