Healthcare assistants (HCAs) provide direct patient care, assisting with daily living activities and supporting healthcare professionals. Their duties include personal care, mobility support, monitoring vital signs, and maintaining a safe and clean environment. They also offer emotional support and communication with patients and their families.
Key duties of a healthcare assistant include:
* Monitoring Vital Signs: Taking and recording temperature, pulse, respiration, and weight.
* Observation and Reporting: Observing patients' conditions and reporting any changes to nurses or other healthcare professionals.
* Maintaining a Safe Environment: Keeping patients' rooms tidy, ensuring equipment is clean, and promoting a safe environment.
* Communication: Providing emotional support, listening to patients, and communicating with patients, families, and other healthcare team members.
* Clinical Support: Assisting with clinical duties as directed by nurses or other healthcare professionals, such as simple wound care, collecting specimens, or assisting with procedures.
* Infection Control: Implementing and maintaining infection control measures.
* Emotional Support: Providing a comforting and supportive presence for patients and their families.
* Personal Care: Assisting patients with bathing, dressing, toileting, and grooming.
* Mobility Support: Helping patients move around, including transferring them from bed to chair, and supporting with walking.
* Feeding and Nutrition: Assisting with meals, feeding patients, and ensuring they receive adequate nutrition