Shining a Light uncovers the long history of nursing support workers and celebrates the contribution that they continue to make today – in hospital wards, care homes, clinics and communities.
Nursing support workers are the heart of health and social care. They make up almost 40% of the clinical workforce of the NHS and there are over 1.3 million support workers delivering hands-on care across the UK.
But the nursing support workforce are far more than numbers. They deliver vital bedside care and are often the first person a hospital patient and visitors speak to. They work with adults and children, supporting physical and mental health at every age.
Nursing support workers’ roles and responsibilities have changed over the years, but they continue to put people at the heart of what they do. Whether as health care assistants, nursing associates, assistant practitioners, care workers, or one of many other roles, they make a real difference to their patients.
Early Nursing Support Work
Nurses and doctors have always relied on the help of support staff. From ward maids to orderlies, from asylum attendants to emergency volunteers, support work has taken many shapes and forms.Asylum Attendants
Before 1891, staff in psychiatric hospitals (then called 鈥榣unatic asylums鈥�) received no formal training. Known as 鈥榢eepers鈥� until 1845 when they became 鈥榓ttendants鈥�, they were expected to learn on the job. Applicants had to pass a tough physical exam, and preferably play a musical instrument or sport. Once in post, their lives were strictly monitored and work was hard, even dangerous. Staff to patient numbers were low, and attendants were expected to prevent violence or suicides, putting themselves at risk. Nevertheless, some held long careers in asylums, receiving medals for loyalty and merit.
After the Second World War: International support
The foundation of the NHS in 1948 coincided with the formation of the UK鈥檚 first social care system. Britain needed auxiliary nursing staff, hospital orderlies, porters and social care workers, just as much as it needed nurses and doctors.In the same year, one of the first large groups of African-Caribbean migrants to answer Britain鈥檚 recruitment call travelled to the UK in the Empire Windrush ship. This moment became symbolic of migration to Britain from the Commonwealth through the 1950s and 1960s. People from countries across the world have all helped keep health and social care running, staffing roles at all levels.
The skill of support
What does it take to be a Nursing Support Worker? Can you learn the skills on the job? Support work encompasses a vast array of roles and tasks, sometimes making it hard to define. At its heart, it is compassionate, people-centred care.
Nursing Support Workers are often the first colleagues that student nurses encounter on the wards and the first to show them around. They are an approachable friendly face for patients, staff and visitors.
