Paper A Mock Questions

Question 1

What is the purpose of continuing professional development?

Answer 1

Maintenance of professional skills and knowledge

Question 2

Identify one practical CPD activity for healthcare assistants when working with stroke patients.

Explain how it supports the healthcare assistant

Answer 2

Shadow Speech Therapist- Help with speech difficulties to improve communication

Question 3

Anna, a nursing home resident has her care provided by female only healthcare
practitioners. This is due to her cultural beliefs.

Name one policy which the nursing home must have in place to support Anna’s
wishes.

Answer 3

Equality, Diversity, and inclusion policy

Question 4

Define indirect discrimination and give one example that Anna could face

Answer 4

Where a policy applies to everyone but can negatively impact some people more than others. There may be only male healthcare professional.

Question 5

Discuss how indirect discrimination could affect Anna’s mental or physical health

Answer 5

Mental Health - Anna may be distressed and experience anxiety which could cause her to become socially isolated and withdrawn

Physical Health- Anxiety/loss of sleep increasing fatigue or loss of energy/appetite

Question 6

‘The clinical expertise of nurses is the most important element in evidence-based
practice’.

Discuss to what extent you agree or disagree with this statement.

Answer 6

Disagree:

• Not enough research to use evidence based practice
• Outdated research
• Practitioners might use inaccurate/non-evidence based research
• • Therefore their experience is not the most important element
• Practitioners might not have enough experience
• -Depends on the individuals experience whether it is the most important element

Question 7

Mary is due to give birth soon. She has a midwife to support with her care.

Identify one aspect of the midwife’s job role and briefly explain how this contributes to the care of Mary and her baby.

Answer 7

Assist Mary in labour:

• Monitor the condition of the baby
• Asses and administer pain relief if/when needed
• Making sure that things are in place so that the mother and baby are safeguarded

Question 8

Give one way to reduce the risks of infection via oral transmission in a healthcare setting

Answer 8

• Face mask
• Gloves
• Sterilise instruments
• disposable PPE and used instruments

Question 9

Discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the role of healthcare practitioners.

Answer 9

AI- Use of computer software to perform a standardised task
Application of AI - Analysis of data to help diagnose a condition
Impact- Makes the process of diagnosis faster and can get someone effective treatment, less time doing admin work.
Reasoned judgements- Positive impact, saves time. Negative impact, doesn’t reduce workload but supports them

Question 10

State one advantage of collecting qualitative data during a research study,

Answer 10

More detailed answers

Question 11

A healthcare practitioner is supporting a patient who has reduced immunity following
a transplant. The healthcare practitioner is taking the patient’s temperature and blood
pressure after they complained of feeling unwell.

Give one reason why it is important to ensure the information is accurate and explain a possible impact of not doing so.

Answer 11

Inaccurate readings could lead to a misdiagnosis and the patient won’t receive the care that they need

Question 12

Discuss the impact on working practices of using an electronic system for patient records.

Answer 12

The record would contain up to date information about otherwise incorrect information that may be passed along and could lead to a misdiagnosis or wrong treatment being provided which would reduce the time and cost of those treatments.

More information is available to practitioners which can support their decisions for the care of their patient and establish connection between primary and secondary care teams which can lead to patients being signposted to other caring services

Additionally, data is accessible at all times to analyse patterns or trends however, if the system stops working or a staff member has missing credentials they will not be able to access the information.

Question 13

Whilst working on a delivery suite in a hospital as a midwife, you are required to attend shift handover. The purpose of a shift handover is to inform the new team of
the women in the suite, to include the stage of labour and their individual care needs.

Identify one format for sharing this information. Describe two benefits of using this
format.

Answer 13

Written Report/Birth plan

• Values and preferences of the service user
• Outlines any decisions that have been discussed with the patient

Question 14

Give one reason for restricting the use of a personal mobile phone in a healthcare
setting

Answer 14

Safeguarding of patients and other staff

Question 15

Evaluate the potential impact of using social media in the health sector.

Answer 15

Positive:
Spread awareness of conditions and treatments which can provide a platform for a patient and create communities to share advice based off of experiences. Furthermore this promotes health campaigns as it is a platform for information to be spread on.
Negative:
Information could be incorrect or misleading or not from a trusted source which could create confusion. People who have malicious intentions could get into a group and cause distress in a community.
Conclusions:
Information that is specific to a community may not actually reach them due to the way that they engage in social media.

Question 16

Outline the purpose of the Health and Safety at Work act 1974

Answer 16

Defines the responsibility of employers to protect the health and safety of employees and members of the public at work

Question 17

Outline the purpose of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994

Answer 17

Defines the responsibility of employers to control substances hazardous to health

Question 18

You are working in a hospital ward and have been asked to assist a female patient
who is 4 hours post-op surgery. The patient needs to use the toilet. Due to the surgery,
she is weak and unsteady on her feet.

Identify one possible hazard and for this hazard, give one way you could minimise the
risk of harm.

Answer 18

Patient Falling - use a wheelchair or other walking aid

Question 19

You work as a healthcare assistant in a nursing home. It is your employer’s
responsibility to follow the PPE (Enforcement) Regulations 2018.

Explain how the PPE (Enforcement) Regulations 2018 apply to the nursing home setting and discuss the limitations of the regulations for promoting health and safety in the nursing home.

Answer 19

• Training of staff (makes sure its used correct)
• -There is a cost in money and time to train staff, only works if employees show up
• Obligation to provide PPE
• -PPE only protects the person wearing it
• -PPE costs money and replacements are an extra cost

Question 20

Tom is 84 years old and after a long stay in hospital is being discharged.
Tom struggles with his mobility.

The discharge team note that Tom lives alone and has support from his son and daughter.

Give three types of support which could help Tom’s continued recovery at home.

Answer 20

Altering his home to make it more accessible for him.

Short term home care to help Tom gain his independence back.

Care assessment to determine what would be best for him in long and short term in regards to mental and physical health.

Question 21

Discuss the practices used in hospitals for infection prevention and control to comply
with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 and
the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005.

Answer 21

COSHH:

• Prevent the exposure of employee’s and patient’s to hazardous substances.
• Keep all COSHH related documents in the same folder, clearly labeled and accessible to anyone who needs it. They can check information to ensure work tasks are carried out safely.

HWR:

• To control the storage, transport and disposal of hazardous waste to minimise any risks.
• Making sure everyone who comes into contact with the hazardous material is doing so in a safe manner. They should be able to access safety training in the same ways as employees

Analysis:
These need to be legislation to ensure that organisations are responsible for keeping their employees safe and that their is standardised systems in place to ensure it is being followed.

Question 22

Briefly describe one early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 22

Short term memory loss

Question 23

State one physical change that may indicate someone is nearing the end of their life
and give the reason for this change.

Answer 23

Skin colour changes
- reduced oxygen supply
Reduced fluid intake (dryness, mouth and lips)
-Hunger and thirst decreased

Question 24

88-year-old Raya fractured her hip in a fall in her care home and was taken to accident and emergency (A&E). A&E admitted Raya onto the orthopaedic ward, dehydrated and in pain with a grade 2 pressure sore on her right heel. A&E had not documented the pressure sore. Raya was administered pain relief and fluids, as prescribed by A&E 6
hours earlier.

Give two safeguarding actions that should be carried out, and for each, explain two reasons why they are necessary for Raya.

Answer 24

Communication with the patient is important as Raya and the staff needs to have a shared understanding of what happened so the correct information is passed on. This would also make her feel safe and heard which could encourage her to be truthful.

Reporting the incident should also happen as it will open a formal investigation to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Question 25

Samira is a 72 year old widow receiving palliative care at home for uterine cancer. Her
son, Amir, lives in the home and is her main carer. You are her community nurse and Samira tells you she accepts dying but is worried about Amir.
Amir tells you he is very anxious about his mother dying in pain as she is not able to swallow her medication. He has also expressed concerns about her dying alone.

Describe three ways you could address Amir’s specific concerns.
For each, describe how you would check the effectiveness of the intervention.

Answer 25

Giving Amir written information on treatment and care options available for his mother (hospice, pain management) as well as involving him in creating a care plan for the treatment of her condition which could provide him with more clarity. Talk with amir about pain management and how he can help care for his mother.
(way to assess- get a senior to speak to them and try another approach if needed)

Have a conversation with Amir and ask whether his anxiety has been reduced as well as asking Samira how she feels through a patient survey.

Question 26

Stephen is 25, has Down’s syndrome and lives with his parents.
Charles is Stephens’s key worker and has supported him to get a part-time job at a
local supermarket, where Stephen has started a relationship with co-worker Gail.
Stephen has confided in Charles that he would like a sexual relationship.
Stephen’s mother, Marie, has contacted Charles to suggest that Stephen should stop
working at the supermarket because then he would not be able to meet Gail. Marie
believes Stephen is not capable of fully understanding the sexual health risks or
dealing with the emotions and other consequences of sexual intimacy.
There are five principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2019).
Explain how two of the principles would support Stephen in a person-centred way.
Give justifications for your answer.

Answer 26

Principle 1:
Don’t assume incapability without being proven otherwise. - supports stephen as it ensures he can determine whether sexual intercourse is consensual

Principle 4:
All decisions should be made in the best interest of the person.
-Making sure that if Stephen can’t make his own decision, the decision made is in his best interest and not someone else’s

Question 27

Dorothy is a 68 year old woman and has recently been diagnosed with type 2
diabetes. She typically consumes over 3000 kcal per day, is overweight and
has a body mass index (BMI) in the obese range.
Dorothy enjoys gardening, baking and family time with her grandchildren. She
relies on her car to get around, even locally, and does not take regular exercise.
In the evening, Dorothy likes to have a few glasses of wine whilst watching TV.
There are several lifestyle factors which are affecting Dorothy’s health.
Evaluate the lifestyle changes Dorothy could make to improve her diabetes and
overall health and wellbeing.

Answer 27

BMI-
Diet- reduced need for medication, ensure effective nutrition, balanced diet
If she remains overweight there is an increased risk of her diabetes getting worse.

Alcohol - Reduce consumption to lower glucose intake, less stress on organs, less likely to have uncontrolled hyperglycemia
If she manages to reduce alcohol consumption she will reduce the burden of diabetes on her body and reduce the need to take insulin

Physical activity- reduce excess circulating glucose which reduces insulin resistance as it lowers blood glucose which helps her diabetes. Low physical activity will mean that glucose exceed the amount needed to maintain blood glucose levels

Conclusion:
Implementing these changes may be difficult for Dorothy but even making smaller steps towards these goals will have a positive impact on her