Overview:

A practical awareness course designed to help non-nursing care staff understand their role in supporting people who use urinary catheters or live with a stoma.

Full Description:

People using catheters or stoma appliances may require support with dignity, comfort, hygiene, infection prevention, observation, recording and escalation of concerns. Care staff need to understand what is within their role, what should be escalated, and how to support people respectfully and safely without moving into clinical decision-making or nursing-level procedures. This non-nursing awareness course introduces delegates to the basic purpose of urinary catheters and stomas, common care considerations, infection prevention, privacy, dignity, communication, observation and reporting. It does not train delegates to insert catheters, change clinical treatment plans, diagnose complications, carry out nursing procedures or provide specialist stoma or catheter management.

Course Aim:

To improve delegates’ awareness of catheter care and stoma care at a non-nursing level, with a focus on dignity, safety, infection prevention, observation and escalation.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the basic purpose of urinary catheters and common types of stoma.
• Understand the non-nursing care worker’s role in supporting people with catheters or stoma appliances.
• Support privacy, dignity and person-centred care.
• Recognise common signs that may require reporting or escalation.
• Understand the importance of hygiene and infection prevention.
• Follow care plans and local procedures safely.
• Record observations and concerns clearly.
• Recognise the limits of their role and when to seek advice from a nurse or other healthcare professional.

Mapping / How it supports:

Supports safer care, dignity, infection prevention, communication, person-centred support, record keeping, escalation of concerns and role-boundary awareness. Source grounding includes NHS urinary catheter information, NHS stoma information and CQC Regulation 12 guidance on safe care, competence, infection prevention and equipment/medical device safety.