Delivering High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (HIDPA) is a crucial role in supporting individuals with complex health needs. It is imperative that support workers undergo specialised training which encompasses several key components designed to ensure safety, compliance, and quality care. Here are the main elements:
Core Training Components
- Medication Administration: Safe administering of medications, including dosage calculations and recognizing potential side effects.
- Complex Bowel Care: Provide appropriate complex bowel care management.
- Enteral Feeding: Safe and hygienic administration of nutrition through feeding tubes, ensuring participants receive proper dietary support.
- Ventilator Management: Includes operating, monitoring, and troubleshooting ventilators to ensure respiratory safety for participants who rely on mechanical ventilation.
- Complex Wound Care: Participants gain skills in cleaning and dressing wounds, which is crucial for promoting healing and preventing infections.
- Behaviour Support: Managing challenging behaviours through de-escalation techniques and respectful communication, maintaining the dignity of participants
- Dysphagia Management: Supporting individuals with swallowing difficulties, ensuring safe eating practices and preventing aspiration.
- Tracheostomy and Catheter Care: Training includes managing tracheostomies and urinary catheters, which require specific skills to ensure participant comfort and safety.
- Subcutaneous Injections: Developed to ensure that workers understand their responsibility to provide appropriate subcutaneous injections concerning participant’s privacy, dignity, and personal safety.
HIPA training should be conducted by appropriately qualified health practitioners and must be refreshed regularly—at least every 12 months or sooner if a participant’s support plan changes. This ongoing education helps workers stay updated on best practices and enhances their ability to respond effectively to emergencies or changes in health status.
