A day in the life of…Anne – a Senior Healthcare Assistant

Anne, a Senior Healthcare Assistant in our Hospice In-Patient Unit (IPU) team has shared a day in her life at work! Read on to find out what her role involves on a daily basis.

07:20 – I arrive at the office early for my 07:30 start, as I need to make sure to have a coffee first-thing in the morning.

07:30 – I join our daily handover in the Duty room with all the night staff, who hand over to the day staff. All our nurses and healthcare assistants on shift attend and discuss how every patient has been overnight, any issues, and medication requirements. Nurses are allocated individual patients, whereas healthcare assistants provide overall support for the whole unit.

08:00 – As Senior Healthcare Assistant, I make sure the volunteer sheet is completed each day. This includes all information about the patients for the volunteers.

08:20 – I visit each patient’s room to check the hoists, equipment, take patient’s breakfast orders and prepare them for breakfast. This can include sitting them up in their beds or moving them to a chair – however, they prefer to eat their breakfast in the morning.

09:00 – Time for breakfast! The team try to have breakfast or a cup of tea together. We also use this time to discuss the plan for the morning with the other healthcare assistants based on their patient visits, such as if the patients want a bath, pain medication and if there are any reports to share with the nurses.

During this time our nurses and colleagues in the Community Palliative Care Team, In-Patient Unit and Hospital teams have a meeting to discuss IPU capacity, possible admission, overnight calls and Hospital admissions and discharges. In light of this meeting, we are notified that we are admitting a new patient, Jane, to the Hospice today. Patients can arrive at any time, so I make sure her room is fully stocked and ready for her arrival.

09:30 – In teams of two, we visit every patient that wants a wash in the morning (some of our patients prefer to have baths in the evening) – it is completely their choice if they want to wash, how they want to wash, and when they want a wash.

It is important to work in teams of two as some patients need hoisting to transition from their bed to the shower chair, and others want a bed bath – both methods need two healthcare assistants for safety. One of my favourite parts of the day is washing patients’ hair. I have been told by many patients that it really means a lot to them and helps them to relax.

11:30 – I re-group with the nurses and other healthcare assistants about our patients wellbeing, any requirement, observations and write about what everyone has had in the morning.

11:50 – I visit every patient again to check on everyone and replenish any stock, such as pads, wipes and toiletries.

Today, Morgan, one of our patients, is going home. As part of my routine, I help Morgan pack-up his belongings and provide answers to any questions he or his family may have. Families are welcome to visit patients whenever is convenient for them and the patient. So, my routine often includes checking in with patients and their families.

12:30 – I check my emails to keep on top of meetings, events and Hospice updates.

Throughout the day I answer the call bell as and when the patients need us. These calls are normally for pain relief, toilet assistance or just a cup of tea. During their time at the Hospice, I get to know each patient on a personal level and have a laugh and joke with them and their families (when appropriate). I really like that we don’t just look after the patients but the families as well. It can sound odd to some, but the Hospice can be a really happy place to be.

13:00 – Time for lunch! We try to have this together as a team in the Staff room. We have the option to bring in our own lunch or we can have lunch provided by our in-house chef at the Hospice.

13:30 – It is stock delivery day, so we check all the delivered items against the stock list. This includes all stock for the Hospice, such as needles, pads etc and put them away.

14:15 – I visit all our patients to change their pads, provide toilet assistance, food and tea. As Senior Healthcare Assistant, I can take blood samples if a patient is spiking to see the cause.

15:00 – Our new patient, Jane, arrived at the Hospice and I help her to settle into her room and unpack her belonging before the doctors and nurses arrive to speak with her.

15:20 – I make a quick coffee and check my emails

15:40 – I go back to Jane’s room after the doctors and nurses have visited to carry out observations and check her in, making sure she is comfortable and has everything she needs. Once this has happened, Jane is then included in all the same routine checks as the other patients.

16:10 – I carry out some online mandatory one-to-one training to make sure everything is up to date.

16:40 – I visit one of our patients, Mike, and notice that his chart is spiking – this means he’s temperature is high and his observations are out of the ordinary. So, I take a blood sample and walk it across to the hospital for them to determine the cause of the spike. This test is carried out within a couple of hours and is reported back to our nurses to adjust Mike’s care.

17:00 – I visit our patients and carry out observations (anything non-invasive) such as checking their blood sugars, blood pressure, and heart rate. During these visits, I also make sure they are sat up and ready for dinner – this is done in pairs for safety.

17:45 – We have supper as a team (if possible).

18:15 – Quite a lot of patients like to settle early for bed, so we get them ready with pad changes, catheter care, toilet using hoists or assistance, and changed into their pyjamas. Some patients also enjoy a bath in the evening before bed.

19:20 – Night staff arrive and nurses handover. During this time, I and the other healthcare assistants answer call bells and tend to any patients needs.

20:00 – I have a short drive home to my family.

Please note that names have been changed for confidentiality.

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