Any agency carehome staff?

Rachie1973 · 19/02/2022 17:28

@agentcarer

Posting here for traffic

Also NC

Is there any healthcare assistant agency staff about?

I have my first shift tomorrow in a care home, its a 12hr shift and wondering what to expect. Never set foot in a care home before so its all new to me.

I used to do it, but I switched to permanent staff a while back.

Assuming your agency has given you some training??

I’ll warn you, it’s exhausting. You couldn’t pay me enough money to do a straight 12 hour shift on the floor nowadays!

Expect a lot of poo and wee to be fair, to feed some people, a lot of toileting. Showers in the morning. Make sure they give you plenty of PPE.

Don’t let the permanent staff take advantage of you! Some will!!

Original poster

agentcarer · 19/02/2022 17:42

@Rachie1973 thanks for replying. Yeh had some class training tomorrow is a mentored shift, i need to cover both morning and evening to be signed off so just getting it all done at once. Feel quite nervous

OP posts:

Ak75 · 19/02/2022 17:43

It's hard work, physically and mentally. You'll start with a handover from night staff, then spend a couple of hours getting residents washed or showered, shaved, cleaning dentures and teeth and generally getting ready for the day, hoisting etc if needed. Lots won't want to get up or have personal care so this can be hard to get used to but you will, you'll find ways to get things done and bond with them all in time and know what works and what doesn't for them. Helping residents to eat breakfast, lots of paperwork, care plans, observation sheets, feeding and fluid charts, toileting charts. Every couple of hours you'll do pad changes and repositioning for the bed bound residents, more paperwork to document this and will spend a large amount of time taking the mobile ones to the toilet which can take a while depending on their needs. Room checks, emptying commodes and catheters, tidying the rooms and making beds, more paperwork, more pad changes and toileting, helping with snacks twice a day, lunch and tea. A large part of the shift will fly by and other parts seem to drag when things quieten down, usually after meals as the residents often relax and watch TV after they have eaten. Throughout the day the observation charts are normally needed to be done hourly, catheter charts 3/4 times and feeding and fluid charts hourly. There's a lot of paperwork in this role! After tea you'll start getting residents washed and dressed for bed, more careplans and paperwork and if you're lucky leave on time and go home and fall into a coma on the sofa before doing it all again the next day :) I love it but its without doubt the most exhausting job I've ever had so be ready for the exhaustion:D

Original poster

agentcarer · 19/02/2022 18:49

@Ak75 thanks for replying. Is it a hard job to learn.
I'll only be averaging 2 shifts a week and being agency wont be in the same place to get to know people.
I dread after tomorrow ill be on shifts as a regular shift but no experience. Gulp!

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BlanketsBanned · 19/02/2022 18:58

If you are on a mentored shift the person you work with will show you around the home, how to use the emergency buttons, introduce you to the residents you will both be caring for, go through the paperwork and routines with you, show you fire exits and equipment and at some stage you will need to be trained in manual handling, hoists, slings.
The staff will have a handover then allocate who works where. You may be asked to help get people up for breakfast or help with serving breakfast. You should not be expected to lidt or reposition any residents in your own or without supervision. You ned to tell the nurse in charge or the senior caree that this is your first shift. Make sure you get breaks, its hard work, enjoy yourself.

Babadook76 · 19/02/2022 19:01

Your first day should be quite easy really, they won’t expect you to do much. You’ll get thrown right in in the deep end after though. You need to develop a thick skin really quickly in this job

CorrBlimeyGG · 19/02/2022 19:03

If you are on a mentored shift the person you work with will show you around the home, how to use the emergency buttons, introduce you to the residents you will both be caring for, go through the paperwork and routines with you, show you fire exits and equipment and at some stage you will need to be trained in manual handling, hoists, slings.

More realistically, you'll be introduced to the person you're working with and you'll learn as you go. Care homes down have the staff to have staff away from their duties and showing people round.

CorrBlimeyGG · 19/02/2022 19:03

don't have the staff

BlanketsBanned · 19/02/2022 19:16

I know what you mean but they have a legal duty to show staff emergency exits, fire equipment, callbell systems, it doesn't take long but it needs to be done.

Original poster

agentcarer · 19/02/2022 19:29

Thanks all, tomorrow i'll be shadowing someone so i wont be let loose but i feel the pressure to know it all by the end as the following shift (whenever that is) i'll be somewhere totally different.

What do agency staff do in your homes? Do the ones who are new to your home work alone or support other staff?

OP posts:

BlanketsBanned · 19/02/2022 19:31

once they have received the training our agency staff work alone with residents unless the resident needs two staff to help them

Ak75 · 19/02/2022 19:33

Yes it's true that care home inductions are notoriously shit, you'll be asked to do far more than you feel confident with basically straight away as there just aren't enough staff to spend weeks showing you. I hadn't done care before and shadowed for just 2 shifts and was left to get on with it, it's how it is in care unfortunately x

Ak75 · 19/02/2022 19:37

Our agency work by themselves as long as they have moving and handling training (some residents are doubles and you'll always be with another carer for those) try not to worry too much, you'll pick it up as you go. Every carer had a first shift and was the newbie at a work place at some point and in my experience most are understanding and will help you until you find your feet x

Original poster

agentcarer · 19/02/2022 20:06

@ak75 did it take to long to feel confident that you know what to do moving from home to home?

I only have one shadow shift, i think my nerves are more from monday home will request staff coz they are short and i rock up not 100% on what i am doing.

Is it generally the perm staff give heads up and guidance to agency as they dont know the residents?

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Rachie1973 · 21/02/2022 08:48

[quote agentcarer]@ak75 did it take to long to feel confident that you know what to do moving from home to home?

I only have one shadow shift, i think my nerves are more from monday home will request staff coz they are short and i rock up not 100% on what i am doing.

Is it generally the perm staff give heads up and guidance to agency as they dont know the residents?[/quote]
How did it go?

Original poster

agentcarer · 21/02/2022 15:53

@Rachie1973 it went really well thanks for asking.
I utterly exhausted when i got home right enough, but glad i went for it

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BlanketsBanned · 21/02/2022 16:16

That sounds very positive, I would try and get a block booking there if you can rather than move around different homes.