Regulation of Healthcare Support workers

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

I've been browsing some of the nursing times articles and came across this one, thought it may make an interesting discussion

How should HCA's be regulated

It has raised some interesting points about the various scopes of healthcare support workers, taking bloods, inserting urinary catheters, running smoking cessation clinics.

So should our HCA's be regulated, and by who and what about scope of practice, I wonder sometimes if we are delegating appropriately to our HCA's, I have a unqualified member of staff who practices phlebotomy, records ECG's and runs a telephone assessment service, but I am often concerned that the level of practice that is expected is high for someone who is not qualified or registered.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Personally I think there should be some body responsible for ensuring training is standard as are working practises after training. In a way I have seen HCA's take over from when EN training stopped. Yes EN's could do a bit more but they was regulated and governed and responsible for their actions.

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I agree that they should be regulated as some are doing highly skilled activities.

We as RNs are accountable in our actions even when we delegate

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