Continence Care in the Community
Community Support Worker Action Plan
The Grampians Region Home and Community Care Program for Younger People (HACC PYP) and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) values highly the role that Community Support Workers play in supporting clients in the community. The value of their role cannot be underestimated, they provide:
* An ongoing role in observing, monitoring and reporting concerns identified by the clients/themselves
* Active support for clients health and wellbeing by assisting clients to maintain their independence and continue living in the community through doing tasks that the client can no longer do themselves
* An alternative pair of hands for the health professionals through undertaking specified activities, monitoring progress and reporting back when further intervention is required to achieve goals
To define and enhance the role of the Community Support Worker in Continence Care in the Community a small working party was formed to develop strategies and tools. This working party met in March 2014 and included the Shires of Hepburn and Moorabool along with a HACC project worker. It was agreed that key tasks would include:
* Development of a Community Support Worker resource kit
* Development of a personal care provider implementation process for continence support
* Development of a training package for Community Support Workers
* Development of a sample screening tool to aid the understanding of Community Support Workers and to be made available to Living at Home Assessors
* Clarification of the role and function of the Community Support Worker in continence care
* Development of a referral pathway between personal care providers and continence service providers
* The use of existing tools such as the Personal Care Protocol: Service Handover Plan (for referral from continence service provider to personal care provider); the service provider home safety checklist (for use by all referring parties) and the use of the Outcome of Assessment Tool to ensure that when a referral is received they will send appropriate feedback to the referring party.
In July 2014 a consultation was held in the Central Highlands catchment area to review the documents developed and explore the role that Community Support Workers should play. This meeting was attended by Shires, District Nursing Services, Continence Nurse Advisors and the Grampians Region Continence Service. Since then the tools for implementation have been developed along with:
A practical guide to continence services in the Grampians Region, June 2017
A range of tools have been developed and implemented:
Community Support Worker Resource Kit – this is a large file and will take a few minutes to download – it is a ‘live’ document and new logo’s are being added as new agencies participate
Continence implementation process for personal care providers
Community Support Worker training package
Community Support Worker Role, 13th November 2014
Screening tool for bladder and bowel control problems – it is intended that this is a knowledge tool for CSWs and a functional tool for Assessment Officers
Pre Train Quiz and Post Train Quiz
Home Safety Checklist, November 2016
HACC Outcome of Referral Tool, November 2016
Service Handover Plan – Personal Care Tasks
On 11th November 2014 the training package was trialled with the Moorabool Community Support Workers – the outcome of the training will be highlighted at the HACC Best Practice Forum