ABSTRACT
Healthcare assistants (HCAs) have been very much in the background for many
years but are increasingly being used at the frontline of healthcare. The development
of the role in recent years has been exponential and left some nurses shaking their
heads in disbelief and asking if their own role is being eroded at a similar rate. Other
nurses have embraced the role with open arms, regarding it as an opportunity to
develop their own role and broaden their skills in other more complex areas.
