TY  - JOUR
T1  - Understanding the Role and Contribution of Health Care Assistants in Out-of-Hours Community Palliative Care: A Multiple Qualitative Case Study
A1  - Yasmin Farouk
A1  - Hana Mostafa
A1  - Salma Adel
JF  - Journal of Integrative Nursing and Palliative Care
JO  - J Integr Nurs Palliat Care
SN  - 3006-5550
Y1  - 2026
VL  - 7
IS  - 1
DO  - 10.51847/Q2NYS3IXpe
SP  - 201
EP  - 213
N2  - Around the world, the designations, functions, and training of unregulated healthcare staff remain unstandardized. Nevertheless, a growing body of evidence indicates that these workers are vital to the delivery of palliative services. In the United Kingdom, a Health Care Assistant (HCA) is an unregulated member of the workforce who delivers patient support under the direct oversight of registered practitioners across diverse medical environments. Although the availability of community-based, out-of-hours (OOH) palliative care is recognized globally as a critical priority, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding the specific duties and impacts of HCAs in providing this type of care. To explore the specific roles, duties, and overall contributions of HCAs in community-based, out-of-hours palliative care settings. This study employed a qualitative case study design to examine six distinct out-of-hours palliative care service structures operating across the UK. Data collection involved gathering multi-perspective accounts through interviews with managers, family carers, specialist nurses, and HCAs. Between 2021 and 2022, 59 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The collected interview data were subsequently examined using framework analysis. The analysis yielded two primary themes: the systemic and operational complexities of the service and role, and the specific impact of the HCA within the OOH community palliative care. Both themes highlight the highly inconsistent environments characterizing OOH community palliative care, where Health Care Assistants carry out their duties. The findings revealed that HCAs offer hands-on care for dying individuals alongside psychological and social support for their families. Furthermore, they frequently served as the primary staff members responsible for detecting clinical changes in patients, fulfilling a vital role in identifying, managing, and escalating clinical needs. Respondents noted that these actions played a meaningful part in helping patients remain in their own homes. Gaining a clearer understanding of both the structural delivery of out-of-hours palliative care and the specific duties of Health Care Assistants is essential to building organizational frameworks that optimize patient support. Because existing evidence remains sparse, additional research is required to determine how adjusting these organizational elements can improve care delivery and maximize the overall utility of the Health Care Assistant within palliative services.
UR  - https://journalinpc.com/article/understanding-the-role-and-contribution-of-health-care-assistants-in-out-of-hours-community-palliati-wxpby2ljscxvyhc
ER  -