Unit 2- Learning Aim A: The roles and
responsibilities of people who work in the health and social
care sector
Roles of people who work in health and social care
settings
Doctors
First point of contact for medical profession
Provide care for people in the community
Provide caring for unwell people, preventative care and health education for service users.
Based in local health centres
They refer people to hospital specialists (consultants) or other care professionals for further
assessment and treatment
Provide specialist medical care
Consultant: title of a senior, hospital-based doctor who specialises in a field of medicine and
manages complex cases. They are known by the name of their specialist field.
A consultant normally leads a team, a firm or junior doctors.
Cardiologist, psychiatrists, oncologists, paediatricians, geriatricians.
The principle responsibilities of doctors in treating illnesses:
Diagnose an illness
Discuss and agree a treatment plan
Prescribe medication or treatment
Monitor the impact of treatment
The preventive care and health education services:
Vaccination programmes/ screening
Health education and advice on smoking, alcohol consumption and healthy eating
Mental health advice
Sexual health advice
Nurses
Largest group of professionals working in health and social services.
Adult nurses
Adult nurses work with adults of all ages and are based in hospitals, clinics or GP practices,
or work for specialist organisations such as the armed forces.
Many adult nurses work with people in their own homes.
They often plan individual care, carry out healthcare procedures and treatments and
evaluate their effectiveness.
They also work to promote good health by running clinics and health education
programmes.
Mental health nurses
, They can work in psychiatric units in hospitals, community healthcare centres, day care
settings, residential homes and prisons.
Most people who experience mental health problems are cared for in the community, not in
hospitals.
Children’s nurses/ paediatric nurse
They work closely with the child’s parents or carers
They ensure that the care if provided, meets their social, cultural and family needs as well as
addressing their health issues.
They may work in hospitals but also support children at home.
Learning disability nurses
They work in the community rather than in hospitals
They support people in schools and workplaces, people living at home with their families
and people who live in specialist residential settings.
They aim to work with people with learning disabilities and their carers to maintain the
person’s physical and mental health, provide specialist healthcare and support them to live
as fulfilling and independent a life as possible.
District nurses
Care for people of all ages.
They support them in their own home or residential homes.
They work closely with family members and other carers.
They assess the patient’s needs and also the care and support needs of their ‘informal
carers’
District nurses care for older people, people with disabilities and people recently discharged
from hospital.
Neonatal nurses
They work with new-born babies.
They work in specialist hospital settings and in the community.
The neonatal nurse works very closely with the baby’s parents and actively encourages them
to take a practical role in their child’s care.
Health visitors
Provide support for families in the early years of children’s life.
They offer support on health issues and minor illnesses, and advice on feeding and weaning.
They carry out routine checks on the child’s development and support parents in meeting
their carers.
They work in their homes, at clinics, at the GP practice and sometimes at a nursery or in
other community settings.
Practice nurses
Work in GP practices.
They are normally apart of a larger team of practice nurses
Their responsibilities include taking blood samples, carrying out child immunisation
programmes and administrating vaccinations for people
, They often provide health screening for men and women and family planning advice.
School nurses
Usually employed by the NHS but may be employed directly by a school.
They provide a variety of services, including developmental checks, administrating
immunisation programmes and providing health education programmes.
Midwives
Play a central role in supporting women through all stages of pregnancy.
They provide both antenatal and postnatal care.
They help families prepare for parenthood and delivering babies.
They work in maternity wards and in patients homes.
They identify high-risk pregnancies, monitor women and support them during labour and
the birthing process.
They teach new and expectant mothers how to feed, care for and bathe their babies.
Healthcare assistants
Sometimes known as nursing assistants or auxiliary nurses.
They work under the guidance and with the support of qualified healthcare professionals.
They may work in GP practices, hospitals, nursing homes and other community healthcare
settings.
They often work alongside qualified nurses, or with midwives in maternity services.
Duties include: taking and recording a patient’s temperature and pulse, weighing patients,
and recording the result, taking patients to the toilet, making beds, washing and dressing
patients, serving meals and assisting with feeding when necessary.
Social workers
They provide help and support for people of all ages through difficult times in their lives.
They aim to ensure that the most vulnerable people are safeguarded from harm and to help
people live independent lives.
They support children, people with disabilities, people with mental health problems and the
frail elderly.
Social workers tend to specialise in providing services for adults or children.
Occupational therapists
Work with people of all ages who are having difficulty in carrying out the practical routines
of daily life
These problems may be a result of a disability, physical or psychological illness, an accident
of the frailty of older age
The occupational therapist will agree specific activities with an individual that will help them
to overcome their barriers to living an independent life
They may work in people’s homes, GP practices, residential and nursing homes, prisons,
social services and other council departments and in hospitals
Youth workers
Generally, work with younger people between the ages of 11 and 25
They aim to support young people to reach their full potential and to become responsible
members of society
They work in a range of settings (youth centres, schools and colleges)
