Should Care Workers Be Trained to Give Insulin Administration?

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The ability for care workers to administer insulin in care homes is a complex issue. Should support workers administer insulin to residents in care homes?

Giving insulin in care homes involves different levels of responsibility. Registered nurses are mainly in charge of assigning insulin administration to trained care workers.

Care home managers must make sure staff get proper training and keep their skills up to date. The diabetes specialist nursing team usually leads the education and training for care workers.

Care workers who have finished special training and passed assessments can give insulin with the supervision of registered nurses.

However, district nurses may still be responsible for giving insulin in care homes that don’t have nursing staff. The care home must also follow local rules, keep accurate records, and have clear policies for reporting mistakes.

In the end, giving insulin safely requires teamwork between healthcare professionals, care home staff, and management to ensure the right training, supervision, and patient safety.

While it can be convenient and save money, patient safety must always come first.

In this piece, we focus on whether carers can administer insulin, under what conditions, what should be in place, how competency should be assessed, and the importance of proper training.

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Should Care Workers Be Trained to Give Insulin?

Training care workers to administer insulin has become an increasingly important topic in recent years. As of 2025, there is a growing trend to equip care staff with the skills to administer insulin, helping to alleviate pressure on the NHS and enhance patient care.

This approach enables care workers to provide more personalised and timely treatment to residents in care homes and community settings.

Training care workers to administer insulin brings several benefits. It allows residents to receive consistent care from familiar faces, fostering trust and comfort. It also reduces the need for external healthcare visits, which is particularly valuable during situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, it empowers care workers to take a more comprehensive approach to managing the unique needs of each resident.

However, this practice requires thorough training and ongoing assessment. Care workers must complete specialised training, achieve a minimum pass mark, and undergo supervised practical assessments.

They must also maintain their skills through regular training and audits. Organisations adopting this approach need to ensure proper support, including access to senior nursing staff and clear policies for error reporting.

While this method can significantly benefit patient care and NHS resources, it is essential that insulin administration by care workers is carried out only with proper training, supervision, and organisational support to ensure patient safety and high-quality care.

Why Training is Important

1. Insulin is a High-Risk Medication
   • Giving the wrong dose of insulin can be very dangerous. Too much can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can be life-threatening.
   • Care workers need to know how to measure and give insulin safely.
2. Many People Need Insulin
   • People with diabetes often need insulin to manage their blood sugar levels.
   • If care workers are trained, they can help these people stay healthy and avoid emergencies.
3. Legal and Safety Rules
   • In many places, only trained and qualified staff can give insulin.
   • Care workers must follow strict guidelines to keep patients safe.

Care workers can be trained to give insulin, but it must be done safely and correctly. Proper training helps keep patients healthy and prevents mistakes.

What Training Should Include

1. How Insulin Works
   • Understanding why insulin is needed and how it affects the body.
2. How to Give Insulin
   • Learning to use insulin pens, syringes, or pumps correctly.
3. Monitoring Blood Sugar
   • Checking blood sugar levels before and after giving insulin.
4. Recognising Problems
   • Spotting signs of low or high blood sugar and knowing what to do.
5. Recording and Reporting
   • Keeping accurate records of insulin doses and any side effects.

When Should Care Workers Give Insulin?

• Only if they are trained, assessed as competent, and supervised by a healthcare professional (like a nurse or doctor).
• If they are not trained, they should not give insulin. Instead, they should call a qualified person for help

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What are the potential risks of care workers administering insulin?

There are some risks when care workers give insulin:

1. Medication mistakes: If insulin is given incorrectly, it can cause serious health problems, like very low or high blood sugar.
2. Lack of knowledge: Care workers may not know as much as healthcare professionals about insulin types, dosages, and possible side effects.
3. Limited ability to handle emergencies: Care workers with basic insulin training may not be able to manage complex diabetes problems or emergencies.
4. Higher risk of low blood sugar: Mistakes in giving insulin can cause low blood sugar, which may need outside help and could lead to heart or brain problems.
5. Legal and rule problems: Not following local rules about insulin can lead to legal problems for care homes and workers.
6. Anxiety and medication issues: Even small drops in blood sugar can make patients anxious, leading them to take their insulin incorrectly or skip doses without a doctor’s advice.
7. Poor training or supervision: If care workers don’t have enough training, checks, or support from healthcare professionals, they might not be able to give insulin safely.
8. Risk of serious harm or death: In rare cases, mistakes in giving insulin can cause serious harm or even death if safety rules aren’t followed.

Who can administer insulin in a care home?

In care homes, insulin can be administered by:

• Registered nurses
• Trained healthcare workers (HCWs)
• Healthcare assistants
• Support workers
• Other non-regulated health and care staff
• Allied health professionals (AHPs)
• Nursing associates

All staff members must complete specialised training and be assessed as competent to administer insulin. The training includes:

• Completing structured education.
• Passing a competency assessment.
• Maintaining knowledge and skills through regular insulin medication training.

Care home staff administering insulin must follow organisational policies, keep accurate records, and work under the delegation of registered nurses.

This approach aims to reduce pressure on the NHS, improve patient care, and provide more personalised treatment in care home settings.

It’s important to remember that staff must be willing to take on this responsibility, and registered nurses still make the decisions about who does this task. For this practice to work well, the organisation needs to provide support, including access to senior nurses and clear rules for reporting mistakes.

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