Case study - the health care assistant

Maive - the clinical support worker

Maive is a clinical support worker in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) which cares for babies born prematurely or who develop health problems while in hospital following their birth.

A multi-disciplinary team comprising of specialist medical staff, neonatal nurses, clinical support workers like Maive, physiotherapists, a family care team and a transport team work on the unit.

The neonatal nurses perform most of the day to day assessment and planning of the nursing care required by the babies on the unit. Working closely with the family care team Maive supports the mothers, often with breastfeeding issues. She has been trained in breastfeeding and lactation management for neonatal staff and has learnt about the impact that prematurity has on the babies and families. Maive and her fellow clinical support workers also provide patients with information preparing them for their discharge home.

The family care team and clinical educators find the clinical support workers invaluable in all areas of caring for the neonates and their families. Not only do they support the mums with breastfeeding but they have proven exceptional at educating and helping parents to develop the skills they will need when they take their small and vulnerable babies home.

They also buddy up with students and new staff to help them settle into the unit routine. They are a great resource for information on the care of the neonates and family and are able to point them in the direction of available literature/support groups.

This continually developing role is multifaceted and has proven to really enhance the care provided by the multidisciplinary team in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Key point: the clinical support workers in this unit work with a range of disciplines and are a vital source of support and information for both the families and also the staff at all levels.