A Day in the Life...

..of a Health Care Assistant in Hospice at Home, by Helen Greenwood

Morning

The Hospice Home team here at Beaumond House consists of 10 members. There are three Health Care Assistants (HCAs) on each shift alongside a Registered Nurse.

The daily handover starts at 8.00am and can take up to 30 minutes, depending on staff familiarity with the patients.

HCAs use their own vehicles to visit patients. Typically, one HCA visits patients who are more independent, while two HCAs visit those requiring additional support.

We offer individualised personal care to each patient, including assistance with washing, toileting and dressing and welfare checks. During every visit, we also monitor patients’ overall wellbeing, including skin viability.

Alongside the care we provide, we also offer emotional support to patients, their family, and carers, recognising that this can be a very difficult, emotional and challenging time.

Our service covers the whole of Newark and Sherwood. However, we occasionally face difficulties with road access, particularly when the River Trent floods, which can extend travel times and require alternative routes.

After completing our morning visits, we usually return to the offi ce to update each patient’s care plan. This is done following every face-to-face or telephone call. The GPs, District Nurses, and Specialist Palliative Care Nurses all access and update the same system, ensuring everyone remains informed about any changes in a patient’s condition, medication, or mobility.

Afternoon

After that, we usually find time to have lunch! Following lunch, we can repeat calls to the same or different patients, again offering any personal care needs.

We also offer a sitting service. Usually, this is in the afternoon, but occasionally in the mornings if required. This allows the patient’s main carer to have some time out to shop, to go for a walk or to attend their own appointments.

Once we have written up our afternoon calls, we begin evening calls. We offer the same level of care while also assisting patients with bedtime routines, catheter checks, and ensuring they are comfortable.

We also make sure families are aware of available overnight services, such as District Nurses for pain relief and Call for Care for repositioning and patient support if the main carer is alone.

Evening

Our day shifts end at 8pm. Additionally, we do offer a small number of night sits from Beaumond House, working in conjunction with Notts Hospice.

During a night sit, a HCA offers emotional support to both the patient and their family, attending to the patient’s needs throughout the night.

This allows family members to get some much-needed rest.