The role of the senior health care worker in critical care.

This article identifies that the introduction of the support worker role in the critical care team facilitates flexibility when organizing and managing patient care. Qualified nurses' time can be used more effectively, enhancing the quality of the patient care delivered. Aspects of the qualified nurses' workload in critical care can be shared and delegated successfully to unqualified staff. It is our view that staffing levels in critical care environments need to be reviewed with more flexible working practices to meet the current and future demands of critical care. There is a need for national consensus amongst qualified nurses to clarify and define the role of the support worker and develop a critical care competency framework to standardize training. To ensure proficiency, adequate training and appropriate accountability, support workers require regulation by a nationally recognized body.