Unpaid jobseekers to deliver patient care in three hospitals.

[carernotasaint]

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/21/unpaid-jobseekers-deliver-patient-care?CMP=twt_gu

Sounds interesting!

"general tidying, welcoming visitors, serving drinks to patients, running errands, reading to patients and assisting with feeding patients".

Sounds like a great idea to me. Hospital visitor volunteers have been doing this kind of thing for years.

Why not just employ them?

no volunteers should feed patients, current volunteers do NOT feed patients, it is dangerous, important and very intimate, only therapists, nurses and HCAs currently feed patients, never ever volunteers or hostesses.

Because employing them costs money. I was asked if I would volunteer at a nursing home. I declined. While I am doing whatever, someone else (me) could be being paid for it.

you're wrong about that bit ripsishere, on the wards where they don't have volunteers someone else isn't employed to do their tasks, the nurses and HCAs just have to do that as well as everything else or it isn't done

i agree monkeymama...i think this will be dangerous and lead more trusts to be sued for inadequate care

It's a better idea than working at Tesco. People might find they enjoy being in a carers role and go on to find work.

It says assisting with feeding. So maybe helping, bringing and fetching for the person who's doing the actual feeding.

Carer's environment rather than role, would be a better description.

can see the thread in 5 yrs time..how an elderly relative/child has had inadequate care from someone who is not qualified in their field....

The newspaper stories already exist where patients are failing to be fed or brought drinks. BTW... giving someone a sip of water is not 'dangerous, important and very intimate'

It doesn't seem as though they'll be doing anything that requires them to be qualified.

They are the tasks that nurses and HCAs don't have time to do, or those tasks that take their time away from doing nursing/caring.

yes feeding is dangerous, important and imtimate

the risk of choking is high, it is important that people who do it recognise the risks and know when SALT referrals are needed, and know how to interpret soft Vs puree Vs moist mashed instructions from SALT, and know how to thicken fluids to the consistancy rquired for that person.

feeding IS central to nursing care, its a core nursing role.

If you don't think feeding is intimate, put your hands behind your back and get someone to feed you your mid morning tea and biscuits without any verbal instruction from yourself, THEN post about how intimite it is or isn't!

feeding also needs to be properly reported and documented

another risk is chest infections when food goes down the wrong way in bed bound patients

I saw someone die over the course of a night because a new HCA didn't give the right consistancy, it went into the person's chest, they didn't have a strong cough, spiked a temperature and were dead by morning!

i agree monkeymama...am not a nurse, hca etc but spent plenty of my life in hospitals either through myself or my ds....there is no way i would want an unqualified person participating in my childs care nor mine

monkeymoma, it doesn't say they'll be feeding. It says assisting with feeding.

Rather than nurse having to get up half way through feeding, it will be mr. jsa can you please refill the glass of water, can you please pass me a wet wipe etc. Maybe take the trays from the trolleys to the beds and return after finished.

feeding IS central to nursing care, its a core nursing role.

So they're not likely to pass that task on to these job seekers.

they already passed it to HCAs (with some disasterous effects) and are now trying to back track by doing "protected meal times" where nurses cannot do paperwork etc during meal times and have to be involved in the feeding again

in nursing, assisting with feeding needs = feeding!

the link says that when the scheme was agreed, feeding was not mentioned and was added later, and now that it is the unions are not happy, so they obviously interpret it as I do

but totem what if patient was given a glass of water by jsa..and they were due for op....not all patients have nil by mouth signs above beds...etc...i thought this kind of thing was allocated to students...so in other words are students going to be cut because jsa is free

students are supernumery, they are not considered at all in staffing ratios

thx for clearing that up monkey x

unemployed untrained unqualified conscripts people will be teaching A level Physics at Harrow next year. No, wait...

How do they stop an unqualified student from giving water to a nil by mouth patient? Presumably whoever manages the ward isn't going to waive all responsibility and let everyone run wild.

general tidying, welcoming visitors, serving drinks to patients, running errands, reading to patients and assisting with feeding patients

I read that as, someone is feeding the patients and mr jsa will be assisting that someone.

trust me, assisting with feeding = the phrase used for actually feeding people

Totem it does happen, but students do actually learn about feeding quite early on, plus they have a dedicated qualified mentor - there are not enough of those to go around volunteers

also worth remembering, students WANT TO BE THERE and have worked very hard to get there often studying health and social care or access to nursing courses first, so even a first year isn't some random off the street with no background

it takes patience to help a stroke victim regain the motor skills to feed themelves again, or to allow an elderly person with swallowing issues enough time to swallow each mouthful, NOT something that should be undertaken by anyone who isn't dedicated to giving good care