Standard 3: The Care and Services

Outcome 3.1 requires each older person's needs, goals and preferences to be assessed, planned and regularly reviewed with them. The care plan is the shared guide that tells everyone how to support the person. As a worker you do not usually write the plan, but you play a big role: you follow it, you notice when it no longer fits, and you report changes so it can be reviewed. The person, and their supporters if they wish, must be involved in planning, and advance care planning should be offered.

Outcome 3.2 requires care and services to be safe, effective and delivered in line with each person's needs, goals and preferences. That includes supporting the person's wellbeing, independence and reablement, providing care that is trauma aware and culturally safe, and responding when their needs change. For workers, this means doing the task the way the person wants it done, encouraging them to do what they can, noticing when something is wrong and acting on it. Consistency matters, and so does recognising early signs of deterioration.

Outcome 3.3 requires important information to reach the right people at the right time. Many errors in care happen when information is lost at handover or when the wrong person receives the wrong care. This lesson covers clear handovers between shifts and services, confirming a person's identity before care and medication, using communication methods that suit the person, and recording and passing on critical information such as allergies, falls risk or a new wound. Good communication includes listening to the older person and their family.

Outcome 3.4 requires care and services to be coordinated, so the older person experiences them as one connected service rather than many separate pieces. Older people often have several providers, including a GP, allied health professionals, pharmacists, hospitals and family carers. Workers help by sharing relevant information with consent, following referrals and recommendations, and supporting smooth transitions such as a hospital discharge. This lesson explains your part and finishes with a summary of the whole of Standard 3.

This case study follows Mrs Harjit Kaur, who receives help with showering at home. During a shower she shows signs of pain and mentions a slip in the kitchen two days ago, but asks her support worker not to tell her son. The lesson shows how the worker responds safely and respectfully, explains why the change must be reported, and how the team then reviews her needs and updates her care plan. Key points: notice changes, be honest about what you need to report, involve the person, and make sure the plan keeps up.

This case study is set in a residential care home. After a rushed handover, an afternoon worker finds Mr Samuel Adeyemi drowsy, with his water jug barely touched. The lesson shows how she responds by telling the registered nurse straight away, describing exactly what she has noticed, and recording it. It then looks at what a better handover would have included and how the team changed its handover practice. Key points: a handover is a safety step, facts matter, and if something seems different, act on it rather than waiting.

This case study follows Mrs Maria Santos, a resident whose physiotherapist has recommended she walk to the dining room with her frame each lunchtime. The advice was written in her notes, but her care plan was not updated, so different shifts are still taking her by wheelchair. The lesson shows how one worker notices the gap, raises it with the registered nurse, and how the team makes sure the recommendation reaches everyone. It closes with a summary of the whole course. Key points: advice must reach the plan, and every worker helps join up care.