You should complete this essential learning within two weeks of starting in your new role. For NHSGGC Bank Staff this must be completed prior to your first orientation shift. If you require support please seek this from your Healthcare Support Worker Mandatory Induction Standards reviewer and line manager. You can also contact us at: ggc.practicedevelopmentinduction@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Essential Learning
HCSW Fundamental Care
HCSWs work in many different clinical areas delivering safe, effective, person-centred care. These areas include inpatient wards, outpatient areas, emergency departments, critical care and theatres.
Although these resources refer to inpatient care, they have relevance to all HCSWs new to our organisation.
Essential Learning Resources
HCSW Fundamental Care Presentation
Preparing for work in health and social care | Turas | Learn (nhs.scot)
Complete the modules:
Person Centred Care
Person-centred care is about putting the person at the heart of their care. By asking and listening, we can understand more about the person and do the things that are most important to them. This helps us to provide care that is individualised and improves their experience of care. Delivering high-quality, person-centred care is everyone’s business in NHSGGC.
Essential Learning
Delivering high quality person-centred care
Enable external content to view the short videos.
Other Useful Resources
Food, Fluid and Nutrition
Food and fluid gives our body energy to allow us to carry out our everyday tasks. Delivering the right amount of food and fluid to our patients is an important role of the HCSW. In your first few shifts on the ward, work with the mealtime coordinator at meal service and find out what’s available for patients, and how to help them with their meals. By supporting people to eat and drink we can help them recover from their illness or surgery and get out of hospital sooner.
Essential Learning Resource
Food, Fluid and Nutrition (Presentation)
Other Useful Resource
Food, Fluid and Nutrition Manual (Staffnet- Access from GGC Computer)
Pressure Ulcer Prevention
A pressure ulcer is an area of skin damaged by pressure. It can be caused by sitting or lying in one position for too long or by rubbing or dragging skin across a surface. The risk of developing a pressure ulcer increases when a person has problems with walking, using the bathroom or they don’t eat and drink enough. It is important that the skin is kept clean and dry and if there are any devices (such as a splint or catheter) the skin under and around these are checked regularly to make sure no damage is developing.
Pressure ulcers can develop very quickly. There are simple measures that you can do to help reduce the risk of your patients developing a pressure ulcer including regular observation of their skin and making sure that they are not sitting or lying in the one position for too long and writing this on the Care Rounding Chart. Your colleagues may refer to pressure ulcer prevention as ‘Tissue Viability’.
Essential Learning Resources
learnPro® module GGC: 080 Prevention of Pressure Ulcers
Other Useful Resources
Tissue Viability Resource Folder (Acute) Staffnet- Accessed on GGC Computer only
Infection Prevention and Control
Infection control is everyone’s business and we all have a part to play in keeping both ourselves and the people we look after safe. People with infection are more likely to come to harm, stay in hospital longer and may even die as a result. Keeping your hands clean, washing them regularly and using personal protective equipment (known as PPE) are important in stopping the spread of infection. In healthcare, Hand Hygiene and PPE are two of the 10 Standard Infection Control Precautions (known as SICPs), which are described in more detail in the GGC:007 Statutory Mandatory Modules.
Essential Learning Resources
learnPro® module GGC:007 Standard Infection Control Precautions
learnPro® module NES: Prevention & Control Infection: C.Difficile
Put on (‘donning’) and take off (‘doffing’) PPE Please note that as we move to business as usual following the pandemic, donning and doffing remains relevant for many organisms.
Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs) may be insufficient to prevent cross transmission of specific infectious agents. Therefore, additional precautions, Transmission Based Precautions (TBPs), are required to be used by staff when caring for patients with a known or suspected infection or colonisation. More detail is available in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual: Chapter 2 – Transmission Based Precautions (TBPs) (scot.nhs.uk). Speak to your line manager about when TBPs may be required and the PPE requirements for these specific patients that require them.
Other Useful Resources
Infection Prevention and Control – NHSGGC Homepage
National Infection Prevention and Control Manual
learnPro® NES: Scottish IPC Education Pathway – Foundation (Infection Prevention & Control tab)
Palliative and End of Life Care
This outlines the minimum requirements of a Paediatric HCSW to support safe, effective, person centred palliative care within NHSGGC. The Paediatric Supportive and Palliative Care team at Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) provide tertiary specialist paediatric palliative care across the paediatric spectrum, from the antenatal period, through infancy and childhood and also for young people until they reach their 16th birthday (and those who are 17-18 years but still accessing services at RHC). The service provides an individual patient-centred pathway from diagnosis or recognition that a condition is life-threatening or life-limiting.
The team will accept referrals from any healthcare professional. If a patient requires to be assessed by a member of the team the named consultant for the child or young person’s care must give approval. Get in touch with the team with an electronic referral via TrakCare® – Paediatric Supportive and Palliative Care consult.
Essential Learning Resources
Babies,Children and Young People’s Palliative Care
Other Useful Resources
Palliative Care Resource Folder (Neonatal and Children’s services)(Access from a GGC computer)
or click on the pink leaf tile on the right hand side of Staffnet homepage
Moving and Handling
Moving and handling activities is a key part of your duties. This includes assisting patients and tasks such as moving equipment, laundry and stores. To keep yourself and patients safe it is essential you have the correct level of training.
If you have a Scottish Manual Handling Passport no foundation practical training course is required. Bring the passport document in to show your SCN or Team Lead. For Registered Nurses on the NHSGGC Staff Bank, send a copy by email to adminstaffbank@ggc.scot.nhs.uk. The dates of Moving and Handling training documented in the passport will go into the ward/ department training records. Complete the mandatory learnPro module: 005 Manual Handling Theory together with the practical competency assessment within your clinical area carried out by one of the local assessors.
If you do not have a Scottish Manual Handling Passport complete learnPro module: 005 Manual Handling Theory and your SCN or Team Lead will nominate you for the foundation practical training course (1day). Whilst waiting for your training course please review the NHSGGC Moving and Handling information page.
All patients should be verbally encouraged to move and position themselves independently. When a patient needs to be moved, handled or requiring a mechanical aid this should be carried out with a member of the ward / department team and not on your own. Please, do not to use hoisting equipment until training completed.
Basic Life Support
You may come across emergency situations when you are at work. Patients can have problems with their airway, breathing or circulation and become suddenly unwell. Your SCN will nominate you for a short course called Basic Life Support which will help you to respond correctly in an emergency situation.
As part of your orientation to your ward / clinical area take some time to locate the emergency / resuscitation trolley
If you find yourself in an emergency situation you may be asked to phone for the resuscitation team. Dial 2222- ask for the Paediatric Resuscitation Team and tell them your clinical area and the hospital you are in.
Sharps Safety
To prevent needlestick injuries, NHSGGC provides sharp safe devices across the organisation within all areas of clinical practice, for the protection of staff.
Essential Learning
If you use sharps as part of your role you must complete:
LearnPro® module: Prevention and Management of Occupational Exposure (Scottish IPC Education Pathway – Infection Prevention and Control tab)
Other Useful Resources
All new team members or internal staff transfers, working in a Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) role, are expected to meet the NHS Scotland HCSW Mandatory Induction Standards and HCSW Code of Conduct after 3 months in post (or part-time equivalent up to a maximum of six months). If your post is solely with the NHSGGC Staff Bank you are required to sign the Code of Conduct before you start and you have 6 months to complete the NHS Scotland HCSW Mandatory Induction Standards.
All the information you require can be found within Induction Step 4 Guidance and Resources for Managers/ Supervisors and Staff – NHSGGC and here: Step 4 – Health Care Support Worker Induction Standards and Code Of Conduct – NHSGGC
Checklist
Print off and sign the completion Checklist. If you are not able to print then ask a colleague to help. If your post is solely with the NHSGGC Staff Bank you are required to send a signed copy of the completion checklist to adminstaffbank@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Health Care Support Worker Step 6 induction evaluation
Further Information
Wellbeing
Throughout your career, as a Health Care Support worker, you may experience a range of emotions, which could affect your mental health and wellbeing. The NHSGGC: Mental Health and Wellbeing for NHSGGC staff link provides a range of support to prevent and assist with mental health issues in the workplace.
NHSGGC has also produced a booklet with a range of resources and links to support you to take care of your own mental health.
The National Wellbeing Hub contains information, resources and supports which you may find helpful at work and at home.
The Induction team also offer peer support, please contact us at ggc.practicedevelopmentinduction@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Next Steps
HealthCare Support Worker (HCSW) Portal – NHSGGC is where you will find all resources and updates for HCSW professional development. There are links to different support sites such as NHS Education for Scotland (NES), our own development programmes and a sample of training courses and instructions on how to access them