This online Care Certificate Standard 8 course is tailored for new and existing healthcare support workers, adult social care workers, and non-clinical staff involved in the direct care of patients in various settings such as NHS facilities, residential homes, nursing homes, and community care environments. It is designed to be part of essential induction training for new staff and as a valuable refresher for existing staff to ensure best practices in nutrition and hydration management are maintained.

This Care Certificate Standard 8 online course is divided into the following sections:

Introduction 

• Understanding the importance of hydration and nutrition in healthcare.

Assessing Needs

•  Learning to assess the nutritional and hydration needs of individuals.

Supporting hydration

•  Best practices for ensuring adequate fluid intake for patients.

Supporting nutrition

• Techniques for supporting effective nutrition.

Recording and reporting

•  How to properly record and report on patients' nutritional and hydration status.

Legal and professional responsibilities

• Understanding the legal responsibilities and professional standards related to nutrition and hydration.

End-of-course assessment

• A test to ensure understanding and capability to apply knowledge in practical settings.

This Care Certificate Standard 8 eLearning course aims to:

• Enhance understanding of the fundamental principles of good hydration and nutrition.

• Equip staff with the skills to assess and meet the nutritional needs of those they care for.

This Care Certificate Standard 8 e-learning course will:

• Highlight food safety

• Outline the importance of food safety, emphasising hygiene and diligence in food preparation.

• Discuss nutritional importance

• Explain the critical role of good nutrition and hydration in maintaining health and well-being.

• Identify signs of deficiency

• List the signs and symptoms of poor nutrition and hydration and describe their potential impacts.

• Assess needs

• Teach methods to assess individual hydration and nutrition needs effectively.

• Promote adequate intake

• Train participants on strategies to ensure and promote adequate patient nutrition and hydration.

• Ensure accurate documentation

• Instruct patients on accurately recording and reporting their nutrition and fluid intake.