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  • Essay / Should healthcare assistants be regulated? - 1314

    One of the most important current debates in the field of health since the Francis report concerns the regulation and training of health assistants. Healthcare assistants (HCAs), also known as healthcare support workers, work in a wide variety of healthcare settings, from GP surgeries and clinics to acute inpatient wards . There are 1.3 million working on the frontline in the UK (DoH, 2013). These workers are currently unregulated and there is currently no mandatory training specific to their role. HCAs are legally authorized to perform most of the clinical duties of a registered nurse. However, there is no definitive list of what tasks they can or cannot undertake. This article will attempt to demonstrate that there is an urgent need for HCA regulation and standardized training. It has been divided into four parts. The first part deals with the arguments in favor of regulating HCAs, the second with the obstacles that such regulation would create and the last part will attempt to draw some conclusions and recommendations. In response to the Francis Report (Francis, 2013), published in February 2013, which highlighted poor care and management at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust, the Independent Cavendish Review made recommendations regarding recruitment, training and regulation of HCAs. The Cavendish Review (DoH, 2013) concluded that HCA training varies significantly between NHS trusts. This is particularly concerning when the bulk of patient care is now provided by CHWs rather than nurses (Kessler, 2012). There is also ambiguity about what tasks HCAs are authorized to perform. This presents significant risks for patients, healthcare staff and the CHWs themselves. The Nursing and Midwifery Council states that: "A nurse or midwife should only treat... middle of paper... of the workers they need to look after these areas." The message sent to these workers is that it is not worth investing in them. This message needs to be changed urgently. Unless governments adopt standardized training, regulation of HCAs and improved pay and conditions; excellent levels of patient care and safety will not be achieved. to provide excellent patient care and improve the education, employment and life prospects of the greater part of the 'nursing' workforce. The paradox is that the lowest paid caregivers are those we expect to work most independently, going to strangers' homes and having to manage what they find there, without any direct supervision. This requires a high level of resilience. Calling this care “basic” does not reflect the fact that performing it correctly is a highly skilled task (DoH, 2013).