Occupational specialism core: Supporting Healthcare

This unit is part of the T Level Technical Qualification in Health and has the following learning outcomes and assessment criteria:

1. Performance outcome 1: Assist with an individual’s overall care and needs to ensure comfort and wellbeing
   1. K1.1 The implications of health and safety regulations, their influence on practice and how they promote person-centred care within the supporting healthcare role
   2. K1.2 The requirements to safeguard individuals and their wider family/carers and promote principles to others in practice
   3. K1.3 The requirements for following a duty of care and duty of candour within the scope of the supporting healthcare role
   4. K1.4 Required standards, codes of conduct and health and safety including risk assessment relevant to their role in supporting healthcare
   5. K1.5 How to respond to incidents and emergencies relevant to their role in supporting healthcare
   6. K1.6 How to use a range of techniques for infection prevention and control
   7. K1.7 How current best practice and agreed ways of working support healthcare needs
   8. K1.8 How to support individuals’ care needs, ensuring privacy and dignity is maintained whilst recognising the importance of personal health and wellbeing
   9. K1.9 How to interpret individual care plans in order to support a person’s health, comfort and wellbeing
   10. K1.10 How to recognise indicators of good physical and mental health
   11. K1.11 The importance of fluids, nutrition and food safety when providing overall care
   12. K1.12 How to recognise the signs and symptoms of a person who is experiencing pain and discomfort and/or whose health and wellbeing is deteriorating
   13. K1.13 How and why to report changes and deterioration when supporting individuals
   14. K1.14 How to safely move and handle people when supporting their care needs using appropriate moving and handling aids
   15. K1.15 The main types of mental ill health, and their impact on people’s lives
   16. K1.16 How to recognise indicators and limitations in mental capacity and how to respond appropriately in line with local policies and procedures
   17. K1.17 The importance of early diagnosis in relation to cognitive issues
   18. K1.18 The possible signs of mental ill health
   19. K1.19 The possible signs of learning disability in people
   20. K1.20 Why the following may be mistaken for mental ill health
   21. K1.21 How changes in cognition can impact health and wellbeing
   22. K1.22 How to report changes and deterioration in cognition while following appropriate procedures
   23. K1.23 How to support others to report changes and deterioration in cognition
   24. K1.24 How to escalate changes and deterioration in cognition
   25. S1.25 Safeguard individuals and their wider family/carers if required and promote principles to others in practice
   26. S1.26 Implement a duty of care and candour when working with individuals and their families/carers, speaking clearly and confidently using appropriate tone and register that reflects audience and purpose
   27. S1.27 Follow all required standards, codes of conduct and health and safety requirements/legislation, including risk assessment, in the healthcare environment
   28. S1.28 Maintain a safe and healthy working environment, take appropriate action in response to incidents or emergencies, following local guidelines
   29. S1.29 Use a range of techniques for infection prevention and control (for example waste management, spillage, handwashing, use of PPE) and have a thorough understanding of the context of the work
   30. S1.30 Provide person-centred care and support to individuals, carers and relevant others
   31. S1.31 Provide an effective clinical environment, taking into consideration safety and promote a good experience for the individual
   32. S1.32 Move and handle individuals safely when assisting them with their care needs, using appropriate moving and handling aids
   33. S1.33 Assist with individuals’ overall comfort and wellbeing
   34. S1.34 Recognise issues and deteriorations in mental and physical health, report and respond appropriately, supporting others to do so
   35. S1.35 Recognise and respond to signs of pain and discomfort in the individual
   36. S1.36 Recognise limitations in mental capacity and respond appropriately
   37. S1.37 Use appropriate techniques and PPE to ensure effective infection prevention and control in the healthcare environment
   38. S1.38 Contribute, record and follow information in care plans
   39. S1.39 Promote physical and mental health and wellbeing, providing opportunistic brief advice on health and wellbeing
2. Performance outcome 2: Assist registered health professionals with clinical or therapeutic tasks and interventions
   1. K2.1 A background and history of the National Health Service
   2. K2.2 What the scope of their role is when assisting registered health professionals
   3. K2.3 Clinical tasks, therapeutic tasks and interventions that can be performed
   4. K2.4 The importance of delegation protocols including the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) principles of accountability and delegation
   5. K2.5 Who the other registered professionals are that they will work with and who can undertake particular clinical and therapeutic tasks
   6. K2.6 The student must understand what their own responsibilities, duties, limitations and scope of practice is
   7. K2.7 The importance of the ‘Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers’ in line with local policies and procedures
   8. K2.8 The importance of working in partnership with wider healthcare teams including those in hospital, community care and social care settings
   9. K2.9 The importance of providing relevant information to contribute to clinical handovers between shifts
   10. K2.10 The relevant points of referral for help and advice
   11. K2.11 The importance of gathering individual views and how this influences service provision
   12. K2.12 The ways to identify and escalate opportunities in order to provide a better or more effective service
   13. K2.13 Different environments that individuals may be moved to and from
   14. K2.14 The student must understand the steps taken within discharge procedures
   15. K2.15 How to gather appropriate, relevant and timely evidence to assist in obtaining an individual’s history
   16. K2.16 Why professional development, personal development plans and using feedback to develop and improve are important
   17. S2.17 Work as part of a team to assist registered health professionals with delegated clinical or therapeutic tasks and interventions, ensuring that these tasks are within scope of role and responsibilities
   18. S2.18 Gather appropriate, relevant and timely evidence to assist in obtaining an individual’s history and review health related data and information
   19. S2.19 Handle information in relation to clinical tasks, therapeutic tasks and interventions
   20. S2.20 Record, report and store manual and electronic information accurately and legibly in line with local and national policies, keep information confidential, support others to do so and apply these by taking part in audits
   21. S2.21 Maintain a record of personal development and training from undertaking CPD
   22. S2.22 Use feedback to develop and improve
3. Performance outcome 3: Undertake a range of physiological measurements
   1. K3.1 What physiological measurements commonly measured by the healthcare support worker are and what the normal range is for each measurement in adults
   2. K3.2 Why these measurements are taken
   3. K3.3 When these measurements are taken
   4. K3.4 How these measurements are taken
   5. K3.5 How to monitor elimination, nutrition and hydration
   6. K3.6 Major factors that influence changes in physiological measurement
   7. K3.7 Types of equipment used for measuring physiological states in adults
   8. K3.8 How to check that each piece of equipment is in working order
   9. K3.9 The importance of recording results from physiological measurement tests
   10. K3.10 The purpose of the NEWS 2012 and NEWS 2 2017 system
   11. K3.11 How an early warning score is calculated and used
   12. K3.12 Reasons for taking and testing venous and capillary blood and other specimens
   13. K3.13 Procedures for taking and testing venous and capillary blood and other specimens
   14. K3.14 What policy and current good practices affect work practice when undertaking physiological measurements
   15. K3.15 Why these practices are important
   16. S3.16 Use physiological measurement equipment
   17. S3.17 Record the results of physiological monitoring and measurement using relevant documentation
   18. S3.18 Demonstrate the correct process for reporting measurements that fall outside normal levels
   19. S3.19 Calculate National Early Warning Scores (NEWS) 2 and escalate findings to a registered health professional where appropriate
   20. S3.20 Apply current policy and good practice techniques when undertaking physiological measurement