Changing roles in community health care: Delegation of insulin injections to health care support workers.

Diabetes is a common long-term condition affecting many people many of whom require support with their insulin injections at home. These injections are often carried out by community nurses if individuals are unable to self-manage their condition. This paper describes a pilot project where health care support workers were trained to administer insulin at home for suitable patients. Four patients took part in the pilot study and two support workers were trained to give the insulin injections. The project was evaluated well by all those who took part. It freed up 80 hours of nursing time while also providing the support workers with an extended scope of practice and associated increased in job satisfaction. No untoward medication errors were reported as a result of this initiative. This project will now be rolled out to the wider nursing teams with a staggered approach to the delivery of the training to ensure there is not a detrimental effect on patient care.

A systematic literature review on nurses' and health care support workers' experiences of caring for people with dementia on orthopaedic wards.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To review literature on nurses' and health care workers' experiences of caring for people with dementia on orthopaedic wards. BACKGROUND: Dementia is a condition that affects a large number of the older population worldwide. It is estimated that there are 47·5 million people worldwide living with dementia with 4·6 million new cases being diagnosed annually. This number is said to increase to 75·6 million by 2030 and triple by 2050. It is also acknowledged that older people are at a greater risk of falls that are a devastating problem causing a tremendous amount of morbidity, mortality and use of health care services (Rubestein, Age and Ageing, 35, 2006, 37). Falls usually result from identified risk factors such as weakness, unsteady gait, confusion and certain medication. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that a large population of older people suffering from dementia may be admitted to orthopaedic wards with various injuries. Nurse and support health workers may experience a range of difficulties when caring for this population of patients. DESIGN: A systematic review. METHODS: An extensive literature search using; CINAHL, MEDLINE, Academic Search Complete, National Health Service Evidence, websites like Department of Health, Dementia and Alzheimer's Society. RESULTS: The search generated several articles on dementia in general, however, only 14 articles dealing with care of these people in an acute hospital setting were found. No studies dealing with the care of people with dementia on orthopaedic wards were found; therefore, this review has taken a generalist nature and applies the findings to orthopaedic wards. The main themes identified from the review were: challenging behaviour and unsuitable care environment; lack of education on dementia; strain from nursing patients with dementia; and ethical dilemmas arising from care of people with dementia. CONCLUSION: It would be an over-simplification to say that the care of people with dementia on medical wards is the same as the care of trauma patients with dementia. Therefore, there is a need for a study to explore nurses' and health care worker's experiences of caring for trauma patients with dementia on orthopaedic wards. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results of this study could provide guidance on the effective care of people with dementia on orthopaedic wards.

Relationship between staff and quality of care in care homes: StaRQ mixed methods study.

Background: Quality of life and care varies between and within the care homes in which almost half a million older people live and over half a million direct care staff (registered nurses and care assistants) work. The reasons are complex, understudied and sometimes oversimplified, but staff and their work are a significant influence. Objective(s): To explore variations in the care home nursing and support workforce; how resident and relatives' needs in care homes are linked to care home staffing; how different staffing models impact on care quality, outcomes and costs; how workforce numbers, skill mix and stability meet residents' needs; the contributions of the care home workforce to enhancing quality of care; staff relationships as a platform for implementation by providers. Design: Mixed-method (QUAL-QUANT) parallel design with five work packages. WP1 - two evidence syntheses (one realist); WP2 - cross-sectional survey of routine staffing and rated quality from care home regulator; WP3 - analysis of longitudinal data from a corporate provider of staffing characteristics and quality indicators, including safety; WP4 - secondary analysis of care home regulator reports; WP5 - social network analysis of networks likely to influence quality innovation. We expressed our synthesised findings as a logic model. Setting: English care homes, with and without nursing, with various ownership structures, size and location, with varying quality ratings. Participants: Managers, residents, families and care home staff. Findings: Staffing's contribution to quality and personalised care requires: managerial and staff stability and consistency; sufficient staff to develop 'familial' relationships between staff and residents, and staff-staff reciprocity, 'knowing' residents, and skills and competence training beyond induction; supported, well-led staff seeing modelled behaviours from supervisors; autonomy to act. Outcome measures that capture the relationship between staffing and quality include: the extent to which resident needs and preferences are met and culturally appropriate; resident and family satisfaction; extent of residents living with purpose; safe care (including clinical outcomes); staff well-being and job satisfaction were important, but underacknowledged. Limitations: Many of our findings stem from self-reported and routine data with known biases - such as under reporting of adverse incidents; our analysis may reflect these biases. COVID-19 required adapting our original protocol to make it feasible. Consequently, the effects of the pandemic are reflected in our research methods and findings. Our findings are based on data from a single care home operator and so may not be generalised to the wider population of care homes. Conclusions: Innovative and multiple methods and theory can successfully highlight the nuanced relationship between staffing and quality in care homes. Modifiable characteristics such as visible philosophies of care and high-quality training, reinforced by behavioural and relational role modelling by leaders can make the difference when sufficient amounts of consistent staff are employed. Greater staffing capacity alone is unlikely to enhance quality in a cost-effective manner. Social network analysis can help identify the right people to aid adoption and spread of quality and innovation. Future research should focus on richer, iterative, evaluative testing and development of our logic model using theoretically and empirically defensible - rather than available - inputs and outcomes. Study registration: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42021241066 and Research Registry registration: 1062. Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR award ref: 15/144/29) and is published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 12, No. 8. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

This study was about the relationship between staffing and quality in care homes. Almost half a million older people live in care homes in England. Why quality of care and quality of life for residents vary so much between and within homes is unknown, but staff and the ways they work are likely to be important. Researching staffing and quality is difficult: quality means different things to different people and a lot of things shape how quality feels to residents, families and staff. In the past, researchers have oversimplified the problem to study it and may have missed important influences. We took a more complex view. In five interlinked work packages, we collected and analysed: (1) research journal articles; (2) national data from different care homes; (3) data from a large care organisation to look at what it is about staffing that influences quality; (4) reports and ratings of homes from the Care Quality Commission; and (5) we looked at the networks between staff in homes that shape how quality improvement techniques might spread. We used theories about how our findings might be linked to plan for this data collection and analysis. The results were combined into something called a 'logic model' ­ a diagram and explanation that make it easier for managers, researchers and people interested in care homes to see how staffing influences quality. Staffing considerations that might improve quality include: not swapping managers too much; having sufficient and consistent staff for family-like relationships in homes and putting residents' needs first; supporting staff and giving them freedom to act; and key staff leading by example. Research examining care home quality should capture those aspects that mean the most to residents, their families and staff.

A Scalable Program for Improving Physical Activity in Older People with Dementia Including Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Groups Who Receive Home Support: A Feasibility Study.

Home care clients with dementia/cognitive impairment are typically functionally dependent and physically inactive. We pilot-tested a co-designed physical exercise program for its feasibility, safety, adherence and potential for benefits on physical activity, physical function, healthcare use and falls. Trained community care support workers delivered a 12-week home exercise program to clients with dementia/cognitive impairment, once weekly for 15 min during care shifts, supplemented by carers' supervision of exercises for 30 min, three times weekly. A physiotherapist provided fortnightly phone support to ensure safety and exercise progression. Baseline and Week 12 assessments using validated scales for physical activity, physical function, daily living independence, falls efficacy, quality of life, self-reported healthcare use, falls and sleep quality were undertaken. Differences were examined with regression analyses. Care support workers (n = 26) and client/carer dyads (n = 26 and 80.8% culturally and linguistically diverse) participated. Participants recorded adverse events/falls and exercises in dairies. Fifteen dyads completed the program. No falls/adverse events occurred with the exercises. The adherence rates against targets for exercise time completed and days in which exercise were undertaken for support workers were 137%/79.6%, and for client/carer dyads were 82%/104.8%, respectively. Physical activity participation, physical function and falls efficacy significantly improved at Week 12 compared to baseline. The feasibility, safety and adherence of the co-designed physical exercise program were demonstrated. Strategies to minimise dropouts in future effectiveness studies are required.

Delegation of workload from musculoskeletal physiotherapists to physiotherapy assistants/support workers: A UK online survey.

PURPOSE: There are approximately 9000 physiotherapy assistants/support workers in the UK. Many of them work in NHS physiotherapy outpatient services treating patients with musculoskeletal conditions, but their role(s) are relatively undefined and as such there is considerable variation in the duties and tasks they undertake. This study aimed to explore current practice of UK musculoskeletal physiotherapists in relation to delegation to physiotherapy assistants/support workers. METHODS: An online cross-sectional descriptive survey was designed and collected data on delegation practice and training in delegation. The survey was piloted with 10 physiotherapists. The final questionnaire was distributed via the interactive Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's website and the authors' professional networks via Twitter. Responses were collected over a five-week-period from October to November 2020. RESULTS: Of 302 survey responses, 232 were analysed (46 incomplete, 24 ineligible). The majority of respondents (66.3%, 154/232) had worked as physiotherapists for over 10 years. Most respondents indicated they had neither formal training (84%, 195/232) nor informal training (60.3%, 140/232) regarding how to delegate tasks. The clinical tasks most commonly delegated by physiotherapists were supervision of exercises (81.0%, 188/232) and walking aid provision (78.5%, 182/232) whereas the least delegated clinical task was the application of electrotherapy (19.8%, 46/232). CONCLUSION: These survey results provide evidence for the need to improve training in delegation for both physiotherapists and physiotherapy assistants, and to ensure clearer delegation processes to facilitate good delegation practice in the musculoskeletal setting.

'Doing the writing' and 'working in parallel': how 'distal nursing' affects delegation and supervision in the emerging role of the newly qualified nurse.

BACKGROUND: The role of the acute hospital nurse has moved away from the direct delivery of patient care and more towards the management of the delivery of bedside care by healthcare assistants. How newly qualified nurses delegate to and supervise healthcare assistants is important as failures can lead to care being missed, duplicated and/or incorrectly performed. OBJECTIVES: The data described here form part of a wider study which explored how newly qualified nurses recontextualise knowledge into practice, and develop and apply effective delegation and supervision skills. This article analyses team working between newly qualified nurses and healthcare assistants, and nurses' balancing of administrative tasks with bedside care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Ethnographic case studies were undertaken in three hospital sites in England, using a mixed methods approach involving: participant observations; interviews with 33 newly qualified nurses, 10 healthcare assistants and 12 ward managers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, aided by the qualitative software NVivo. FINDINGS: Multiple demands upon the newly qualified nurses' time, particularly the pressures to maintain records, can influence how effectively they delegate to, and supervise, healthcare assistants. While some nurses and healthcare assistants work successfully together, others work 'in parallel' rather than as an efficient team. CONCLUSIONS: While some ward cultures and individual working styles promote effective team working, others lead to less efficient collaboration between newly qualified nurses and healthcare assistants. In particular the need for qualified nurses to maintain records can create a gap between them, and between nurses and patients. Newly qualified nurses require more assistance in managing their own time and developing successful working relationships with healthcare assistants.