Healthcare support workers in the Emergency Department

An innovative scheme to develop healthcare support workers in the Emergency Department at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) is bearing fruit and creating a team unique in Scotland. 

 

Healthcare support workers assist clinical teams in a range of hospital settings and, depending on their training, can carry out initial assessments, take samples, and order certain tests. Two years ago, the Emergency Department team at ARI embarked on a plan to recruit and develop a team of highly trained healthcare support workers. Now numbering 28 in total, they can work under their own direction as well as being directed by nurses or medical staff. 

 

Paula Kidd leads the Emergency Department team and says: “A lot of work has gone into building this team and ensuring everyone has the skills and training they need. We’re able to bring people brought by ambulance into the department, taking the handover from paramedics. We can then carry out a first assessment, so we can give a complete report to nursing or medical staff.” 

 

Darren Watson is a senior charge nurse in the department. He added: “This team is invaluable. There can be few people who aren’t aware of how busy emergency departments are; having a group of such skilled healthcare support workers makes a real difference. Their training means they can get the triage process underway, so when a member of nursing or medical staff meets a patient, they’ve got a much clearer idea of the treatment they need.” 

 

 

Dr Catharina Hartman, an ED consultant, said: “The contemporary emergency department must provide more than ever before. The aging population and the increased demand for mental healthcare means there is a much bigger demand for aspects of care while a person is in the emergency department. Our healthcare support worker team helps us to provide more of that care without diminishing any of the 'medicine' we deliver. They also augment healthcare interventions and procedures with their ever-increasing practical skill set. We could not function without them and Paula, and her team, have added immense value to our department.”