In the healthcare industry, the job titles of healthcare assistant and support worker are often interchangeable. While the phrase “care and support” generally refers to the practical and emotional support given to vulnerable adults, caring and supporting positions like care assistant jobs and support worker jobs can have subtle differences. If you’re interested in working with vulnerable people in a care home environment, it can be confusing knowing whether you want to become a healthcare assistant or a support worker. In Select Healthcare homes, the duties of support workers and healthcare assistants differ based on the type of care home they are working in. To make it easier to decide which type of care job is best for you, we will break down the difference between care assistants and support workers.

 

Are Care Workers and Support Workers the Same?

Care workers, also known as care assistants or healthcare assistants often get grouped together with support workers when we think about the care staff in a residential care home. In some settings, the duties of care assistants and support workers may be the same and in other settings, they may differ greatly. 

Healthcare assistant jobs can be based within hospitals, residential care homes and nursing homes while support workers can be found in care homes and community-based day centres. However, both careers have some crossover and you’ll often find healthcare assistants and support workers in the same environments. Essentially, both roles are vital in the social care industry and some job responsibilities can differentiate them.

 

What is the Role of a Support Worker?

In Select Healthcare homes, support workers help vulnerable adults to live independently within the care home or in a supported living environment. Support workers can work with adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental illness and other issues and will usually be trained to support the needs associated with each specific condition. Support workers provide guidance and encouragement as well as being involved in creating person-centred care plans with other professionals. Whether you’re a mental health support worker or learning disabilities support worker, the role may involve helping someone to have a better quality of life in the following ways:

• Supporting activities in the community like attending college, grocery shopping, visiting friends or attending medical appointments.

• Support with finances like creating budgets.

• Support with household chores.

• Rehabilitation and support to move back into the community after receiving institutional care e.g in a secure unit.

• Support with medication.

• Providing companionship and emotional support.

 

What is the Role of a Care Assistant?

Care assistants in Select Healthcare homes provide hands-on care for individuals who require assistance with many aspects of their daily life. Care assistants help a range of individuals like adults with physical disabilities, people with dementia as well as elderly and medically infirm patients to name a few. The type of care provided by healthcare assistants is aimed at promoting dignity and empowerment since many duties revolve around providing personal care. People like palliative care assistants and mental health care assistants ensure that residents feel safe and respected while they are in a care home environment. This is essential to residents living meaningful lives. Some of the duties of a care assistant include:

• Helping residents to get washed and dressed.

• Preparing meals and feeding assistance.

• Supporting residents with toileting. 

• Cleaning bedrooms and living areas.

• Administering medication. 

• Providing a safe environment with companionship along with physical and emotional support.

 

What is the Difference Between Caring and Supporting?

The subtle differences between support and care are often related to the level of assistance someone may require and their health condition. Support in a care home focuses on giving individuals additional help where needed and emphasises developing skills that enhance independence and build confidence. This additional help can be in the form of providing equipment that improves mobility for example or systems that can improve communication like using PEC symbols. It's about setting and achieving goals and creating experiences and memories that lead to a more fulfilling life. The goals may be things like getting a job or moving into an independent living space or simply making an evening meal with support. Within the Select Healthcare group, support workers make a difference in our learning disability care homes, residential care homes, and our mental health care homes.

 

Caring in a care home environment is about creating a space that caters to the basic and complex needs of individuals who rely on help from others. It’s about understanding those specific needs and fulfilling requests in a way that allows people to experience dignity during their most vulnerable moments. Carers make sure things like nutrition, hydration and medication are monitored and personal hygiene is maintained. Care assistants are often trained to use equipment like hoists that help to make life more comfortable for the resident and more efficient for staff. Through person-centred care, residents have as much involvement as possible in how they want to be cared for which promotes a sense of empowerment. At Select Healthcare, care assistants can be found in our palliative care homes, EMI care homes and nursing homes.

Care Jobs at Select Healthcare

The Select Healthcare group is always looking for people passionate about care and support to work within our purpose-built care homes. If you think you could be a part of our care staff and want to become a healthcare assistant or a support worker, take a look at our careers for care assistants and support workers, or contact us for more information.

 

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