Meet Katie – the healthcare support worker helping patients with additional needs attend appointments using graded exposure

Meet Katie!

For the last 6 years, Katie has worked as a Healthcare Support Worker on Medical Daycare at Sheffield Children’s, introducing and delivering graded exposure clinics to support children and young people with Learning Disabilities and Autism.

Katie said: “My role is so varied, and being able to support our patients and families in this way has been a really exciting experience. Seeing patients who were initially afraid of coming to us confidently walking in at the start of the day to receive care fills me with joy and shows me that the work that we’re doing can really make a difference.”

What is a Healthcare Support Worker?

Healthcare Support Workers are professionals offering invaluable support for registered healthcare professionals in a number of settings. As part of her current role, Katie takes on a range of responsibilities, including working alongside nurses and other medical professionals to deliver outstanding care.

Katie said: “I often find myself working alongside the nurses, supporting them to deliver care. Often, I’ll welcome patients when they come and perform observations. One of the biggest things that I do is cannulate children and young people, which is something that is quite rare in the support worker community.”

Katie’s Journey

Katie has been a Healthcare Support Worker for over twenty years, starting her journey at Sheffield Children’s supporting patients at families at Ryegate House – a centre that provides short overnight stays for children and young people with complex and life-limiting conditions. After 14 years, she made the short journey across to Medical Daycare, taking with her a vast array of transferable skills.

Katie said: “I’ve always wanted to work in a care setting, and Sheffield Children’s seemed like the perfect place to do that. I love my role, and the opportunities that support workers have to make a difference in the lives of our patients and families.”

In her current role, Katie especially enjoys supporting patients and families throughout their journey on Medical Daycare. Katie said: “Sometimes, we see patients who, the first time we see them, won’t actually come onto a ward. We work really hard to make sure that patients feel comfortable and safe in this environment over time, and to see them develop confidence can be really amazing.”

Delivering graded exposure sessions

A large part of Katie’s current role is the delivery of graded exposure sessions for children and young people with learning disabilities, autism and severe anxiety. By developing a programme to support each child individually, Katie is able to offer a unique and holistic care package for each patient who requires additional support when coming to Medical Daycare for blood tests.

Katie said: “I have a number of patients that I see on a weekly basis, and we have different approach with every single one. One of the most important things about these sessions is making sure that we listen to each individual child and developing a plan that works for each of them.”

Graded exposure is an evidence-based treatment that allows children and young people to experience separate elements of a situation in a gradual manner, with the aim of demystifying the process as a whole. To support children and young people that she sees, Katie uses a number of tools, including a VR Headset which can act as a distraction for children and young people who need it.

Katie said: “For some patients, they value distractions using our VR headsets, for others, they actually prefer to see what’s going on to maintain control. For example, we can provide them with numbing cream so that they can get used to that sensation before they come in. It’s about making sure that their individual needs are met.”

Katie’s sessions have not only yielded positive outcomes for patients and families, but also support colleagues to deliver outstanding care. Katie said: “These sessions have a direct impact on patients and families, but colleagues also benefit. It means that patients on the ward feel more comfortable whilst receiving care, making the care process much smoother. This often means that there is a higher likelihood of a positive outcome, which is our shared goal.”

Looking back on the first 20 years of her career at Sheffield Children’s, Katie had some advice for those beginning their journey at the Trust. Katie said: “There is so much that you can take away from this role, there is a lot of scope to make a big difference and opportunities to build relationships with patients, families and colleagues. If this is something that you’re passionate about doing, you definitely get a brilliant feeling at the end of the day.”

Thanks for speaking to us Katie!