Case study

You are the senior carer on duty in a residential home. The housekeeper mentions in passing that Elsie hasn’t eaten her lunch which is unusual for her. You go to Elsie’s room and have a chat with her. She appears to be a little more confused than normal (although she has Dementia so is always a little confused). You ask her to describe what is wrong but she is unable to tell you, she appears to be agitated and is moving around in the chair struggling to get comfortable. She is a Type 2 diabetic on tablets and you are worried her blood sugars may drop if she doesn’t eat. You check her care plan from that morning, there is nothing especially of concern recorded although it does say that she hasn’t slept well for the past 2 nights and there is no record of when her bowels were last opened. You are unable to determine when she last passed urine as she is normally independent to the toilet and can’t tell you when you ask. She looks flushed and you are concerned she may have a temperature.

• What tools would you use to assess Elsie’s deterioration?

Taken from ‘Recognising & Responding to Deterioration in Care Home Residents’ from Bradford District and Craven NHS It is rare that there is just one way to respond to a scenario or situation, so do not consider that the responses you have to the above scenario will be judged as right or wrong. Share your scenario with a work colleague or friend and ask them to tell you whether they think you have responded appropriately. Ask them to challenge your response if necessary. You do not need to submit this task for assessment unless asked to do so by your assessor.