A job as a healthcare assistant is one of the very few career paths where you have a direct influence on the quality of life of others daily. The workday objectives of a care assistant are to enrich or provide aid to those in need, but every care home resident that you encounter will require your care and attention in very different measures. 

Some care home residents might only require your companionship and help at mealtimes, while some residents might necessitate round-the-clock care and safeguarding. A healthcare assistant role can be extremely varied depending on the home you are working in and if it has a particular speciality. However, there are a few primary care assistant duties that remain constant throughout many realms of care work and healthcare assistant jobs. 

Responsibilities of a Care Worker 

Your daily routine and care assistant responsibilities will vary greatly depending on what time of day you are working and the clients who you are looking after. 

Morning Care Assistant Duties

Generally, in the morning, your healthcare assistant duties will surround helping your care home residents get ready and prepare for the day. This includes assisting clients in getting up in the morning, aid them in getting dressed, washed and bathed. 

When residents are ready for the day, you should emphasise the importance of sitting down to eat breakfast. You should prepare a nutritious meal for every resident and bear in mind that some residents will need more encouragement to eat than others and some residents will need help eating. 

Another crucial morning step in your care assistant role is administering the appropriate medication at that time of day and with food for each resident. You must be thorough when cross-referencing who is due to take what medication, and being confident that you give the correct dosages. 

Afternoon Responsibilities of a Care Worker

Throughout the day, your care assistant role and responsibilities still mainly involve the direct care and attention to care home residents. You will keep on top of toileting, personal hygiene and assisting residents in looking after their hair, nails, teeth and skin. As well as regularly assessing each resident's medication and needs assessment to ensure you consistently administer the drugs they need, as well as provide niche care for any specific ailments, illnesses, disabilities or general needs. 

Around the care home, you will be expected to maintain the cleanliness and order of the residential home, carrying out domestic duties such as laundry, housework, and providing food and drink as needed. 

The afternoon is a great time to help residents manage their personal affairs if they need your assistance, as well as keep in contact with the family of residents and provide them with regular updates of the wellbeing of their loved one. You might also need to accompany the residents of the care home on day trips, community visits, or helping them with shopping and general tasks if they are still capable and willing to do these. 

Evening Care Assistant Roles and Responsibilities

While it might be time to start winding down slightly, the duties of a care worker never stop. As evening approaches, you must once again prepare a healthy meal for every resident and ensure they are all sitting down to eat and helping any residents feed if and when they require. You should assess the needs assessment and medication requirements for each resident once more and administer the correct medication at mealtime or be aware of any medication they must take upon going to bed. 

You will need to help residents wash, bath or shower, undress and get into their pyjamas before helping the clients go to bed at night. 

Consistent and Admin Healthcare Assistant Duties and Responsibilities in Nursing Home

Although we have done a brief morning, afternoon and evening breakdown above, there are many duties and responsibilities of health care assistant that need completing consistently throughout the day and as and when the resident requires. 

During your shift, you should carry out all care tasks detailed in each resident's unique care plan, offer companionship to every resident and keep excellent communication with residents, asking about their life and interests. 

There is also a certain degree of administration required by healthcare workers. You will need to maintain and update records of care, incidents and medication administration. You will often need to attend staff meetings and training sessions, complete weekly timesheets and submit them on time, monitor any issues that were previously raised and reported, plus more.

Working in a residential care home as a care worker, nurse or support staff certainly means you will undoubtedly be busy throughout your shift. However, it is one of the most rewarding jobs out there as you have the power to make a difference in the lives of the vulnerable and bring them joy throughout their day. 

If you are looking for your next step up the ladder in the healthcare industry or looking for your very first care worker job, Select Healthcare has career options for everybody. Whether you have direct care experience or not, if you can bring passion to the company and a sincere desire to help others, we want to hear from you!

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