Training Parents and Health Care Support Staff

Training parents and carers to feel confident in dealing with the technical aspects of the care for their child is an essential step in preparing the home support plan. Healthcare support staff need to be appropriately trained to allow timely discharge of children with exceptional healthcare needs. In addition staff from Education or Social Work who care for a child with exceptional healthcare needs will receive healthcare training. Standard well tested training guidelines are available across Scotland. Often, parent/carer involvement in training of support workers can be very helpful. Both parents and care support staff should receive continued support after training is completed.

Health support staff should have access to:

• Professional development support
• Pastoral support
• Clinical supervision
• Peer support
• Named/Key contacts
• Achieving competence in care requirements
• Maintaining competence e.g. Annual updates

Useful web sites:

• http://www.cen.scot.nhs.uk/page-20100202-160346.html
• http://www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/
• http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/
• http://pamis.org.uk/_page.php?id=20
• http://www.scope.org.uk/services/early-years/products
• https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/SP214/0311
• http://www.sleepscotland.org/

Useful documents:

• Enteral Feeding Guidelines (Lanarkshire Feb 2009)
• Caring for the child/young person with a tracheostomy (NHS QIS Sept 2008)
• Home oxygen therapy for children being cared for in the community (NHS QIS March 2010)
• Post discharge checklist for child on home oxygen therapy (NHS QIS)
• Sample training record for person caring for a child receiving long-term oxygen therapy in the community setting
• Home Oxygen- Template for useful contact numbers for parents & carers
• Paediatric enteral feeding guidelines (Dartford & Gravesham Jan 2007)
• Caring for children and young people in the community receiving enteral tube feeding (NHS QIS Sept 2007)
• Nastrogastric and Gastronomy tube feeding for children being cared for in the community (NHS Lothian Jan 2003)
• Intergrated Community Children's Service - Gastrostomy Button change leaflet (NHS Lanarkshire, June 2009)
• Intergrated Community Children's Service - Nasogastric information leaflet (NHS Lanarkshire, June 2009)
• Integrated Community Children's Nursing Service: Passing a Nasogastric Tube Information Leaflet (NHS Lanarkshire, June 2009)
• Food Talks (Scope-about cerebral palsy)
• Psychosocial Interventions for Improving Adherence, Self-Management and Adjustment to Physical Health Conditions (NHS Education for Scotland)
• Top Tips How to Meet the Needs of People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities
• The 'Joe' Report - Making Scotland an Inclusive Communication Nation for him and everyone else.
• Guidelines for Gastrostomy Feeding (Care Guidelines for Parents and Carers)
• Growth Charts (Cerebral Palsy)
• Common Sense Approach to Moving and Handling of Disabled Children and Young People