Hydration, Fluid Balance and Vital Signs in Adult Social Care

Drinking enough matters every day for the people you support. Changes in how much someone drinks, how they pass urine, or how they look and behave can be early signs that they are becoming unwell. Care workers are often well placed to notice, because they know the person’s usual routines.

This course helps you support people to drink well in a person-centred way, in line with their individual plans. You will learn how to spot possible signs of too little or too much fluid, keep accurate fluid records, understand what vital signs tell health professionals, and know exactly who to tell, how and how quickly. The course covers consent, capacity, dignity, equality and confidentiality throughout.

Your job is not to decide the medical cause. Your job is to support the person safely, notice changes, make accurate records and pass concerns to the right person without delay.

Each module includes realistic case studies and knowledge checks, so you can practise the decisions you will make at work. Every person in the case studies is invented.