The power of sharing perspectives

The importance of well-trained care workers can never be underestimated. From measuring blood glucose to recognising early signs of illness, they play an essential role in ensuring the wellbeing  of residents in care homes. But becoming proficient in such a wide range of skills and knowledge can be challenging.

While working as a nurse in a care home, I recognised an opportunity to enhance the training offered to the care workers. I realised that not only would this empower them by expanding their range of skills, it would also lead to an improvement in resident care.

I began by approaching the care home manager and proposing a series of workshops. Fortunately, the manager shared my vision and acknowledged the importance of supporting and empowering staff. But I quickly realised I couldn’t do this alone. I gathered a team of like-minded individuals who shared my commitment to supporting care workers, and we set about developing our curriculum:

Blood glucose measurement: To make care workers proficient in measuring blood glucose levels, aiding residents with diabetes management.

Inhaler techniques: To teach care workers how to assist residents with respiratory conditions and inhaler techniques to improve respiratory care.

Recognising signs of illness: To equip care workers with core skills to identify early signs of distress and detect symptoms of deteriorating health.

Collaborative efforts: I reached out to various experts, healthcare professionals and educators to offer their knowledge and guidance through a collaborative experience that encouraged them to share their expertise with staff.

Practical workshop: We designed the workshop to teach and give care workers hands-on experience using blood glucose machines accurately and effectively. With the support of the diabetes nurse and medical representative on-site, care workers received step-by-step guidance to help them become more proficient and confident, with a live demonstration of how to use the machine.

Building confidence: The workshop wasn't just about the technical aspects of care, but also about building up the confidence of care workers. They gained assurance on how to effectively manage diabetes care for the residents.

Measuring impact: The successful impact of the workshop was evident. Care workers became more proficient in using blood glucose machines. Diabetes management for residents improved, leading to better overall health outcomes.

Ongoing support: Empowerment is a continuous process. Ongoing support is available for care workers through regular follow-up sessions, additional training, and open channels for questions and concerns.

Commitment, care and nutrition: Enhancing the proficiency of care workers' knowledge in using the blood glucose machines proved very effective in their training and development. Recognising the impact of nutrition and hydration on diabetes management was crucial, as it provided a more holistic approach to health care and focused on lifestyle factors to improve overall wellbeing.

As a result, the Nutrition Buddies programme was created to give care workers a sense of responsibility for the nutritional needs of the residents. As Nutrition Buddies, they carried out personalised assessments of the residents' competence levels in nutrition and provided a tailored approach to their individual needs and preferences.

As care workers transitioned to using iPads, identifying patients at risk of malnutrition became easier by minimising unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for urinary tract infections through improved diagnostic tools. These tools helped to optimise and adjust the intake of nutritional supplements to better meet residents’ needs.

This commitment to using technology to improve patient care was shared on the care home’s social media platforms to encourage others to adopt similar practices. Care workers were also awarded nutrition badges for their brilliant nutrition management with the residents, which created a sense of community and celebrated positive change. The programme was such a success that it was mentioned in the nutrition section of the 2019 Care Quality Commission report.

Through the workshop programme, I recognised the remarkable power of sharing insights, experiences, and perspectives, especially on nutrition and hydration. This pursuit of knowledge and training led to a mutual exchange of appreciation, as care workers came together to enhance the lives of residents in a care home.