Healthcare assistants step up to assistant practitioner roles to fill nursing gaps
28.03.2023
Three newly appointed assistant practitioners have been making sure elderly patients get continuity of care at Glan Clwyd Hospital.
Care of the elderly ward manager Annette Mason (pictured left) decided to take them on after encountering difficulties recruiting Band 5 registered nurses to cover maternity leave.
The three additions to the team were all Band 2 healthcare assistants who had completed their Level 4 health and social care training and Annette was keen to help them make the step up to their temporary roles as assistant practitioners.
“The role is similar to a Registered Nurse,” she explained. “They take a small group of patients and are responsible for their nursing care.
“Initially we thought about bringing them in to cover the maternity absences we had but we reviewed the idea and decided we needed them anyway, to complement our registered nurses.”
The three new starters, Dawn Eccles, Kelly Jones and Jade Riding, have been a hit within the department, according to Annette.
She said: “The feedback from staff and patients has been amazing. They can’t praise them enough.
“This is another step on the path to undertaking a nursing degree. If they go down that route then they will get paid because it’s funded by the health board and you’re paid while you study.”
Dawn, Kelly and Jade could enter a nursing degree at the second year stage because of their qualifications and experience.
They do not administer medications in their role but they do take part in ward rounds, multi-disciplinary team meetings and shift handovers, under the supervision of registered nurses.
The move is another example in the health board’s drive to open up routes into nursing for those whose circumstances may not suit going straight into a full-time degree.
One of the new additions, Kelly Jones (pictured right), completed her Level 4 NVQ in June last year and worked in a large care home before joining Betsi Cadwaladr UHB as a healthcare assistant in 2013.
She said: “I started in Denbigh Infirmary and stayed for six years before going to Prestatyn as part of the Home Enhanced Care Service.
“I stayed for three years before coming to Glan Clwyd Hospital. I didn’t do my nursing degree because I had small kids and I was always kind of afraid to do it. I found the Level 4 really difficult.
“This role came in March last year. I did struggle at first but this ward has been amazing and they have really supported me. The staff have been so kind and we get massive support here.
“You learn every day and I’m glad I made the move. There’s always something different and we can give that continuous care.
“My favourite part of the job is giving good patient care and we can follow it up when patients are discharged. You are there all the way through the patient’s journey.
“Because you interact with them you know what their individual needs are. You can have those difficult conversations about capability.
“Above all I want to thank Anne for giving me this permanent opportunity.”
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