23 ‘Nurturing the grass roots’ a 2 day hospice health care assistant development programme in palliative care

<h3>Background</h3> Health Care Assistants are the lowest paid clinical staff in the hospice and have the least training, yet bring a wealth of experience and spend long periods of time with patients and families. Following the delivery of a successful Nurse Development Programme at the hospice, the Health Care Assistants (HCAs) asked for a similar course. It was agreed that the HCAs would benefit from core training in palliative care to enhance their skills and increase their confidence. <h3>Aim</h3> To establish and deliver core training for all HCAs in the hospice teams (n=34) (community, night sitting, and ward) involved in delivering palliative care. <h3>Method</h3> The 2 day course was designed by one of the hospice Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) and a Registered Nurse (RN)/Education Facilitator. It is delivered by the RN and ANP with additional input from the hospice family support team, funded using the hospice’s budgeted CPD allowance. Teaching time is within existing job roles. <h3>Course design</h3> The 2 day course is delivered over 2 weeks. HCAs attend in cohorts of 6 with a mixture of community and ward staff. Learning is targeted at the HCAs’ development needs and includes pain and symptom control, communication skills, palliative care emergencies, supporting children, spiritual care, resilience and self-care. <h3>Benefits/Results</h3> 24 HCAs have completed the course to date. Evaluations indicate that 99% HCAs learned new information, which would enhance their competence and influence their practice. HCAs report that their knowledge and confidence has improved, they feel invested in by the organisation and that working across ward and community teams has supported integrated working. <h3>Conclusion</h3> The delivery of core training to hospice HCAs in their workplace, targeted at their development needs, has increased their knowledge and confidence and may help staff retention, development and service delivery in the future.