To cater for growing numbers of older people in residential care homes requiring medical, as well as personal care, the country’s ministry of health has permitted non-nursing staff to carry out limited clinical activities. Tsuneo Inoue explains

The increasing number of frail older people being admitted to Japan’s care homes makes it difficult for healthcare professionals alone to attend to all their needs. By law, care workers are not allowed to carry out any clinical procedures but, in response to the situation, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has allowed this group of workers to carry out limited clinical activities, such as oral suctioning and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube feeding at one type of Japanese care home, welfare care homes. Care workers must be supervised by healthcare professionals and follow guidelines. The ministry has further decided to introduce a certification system, so that from 2015 certified care workers will be able to engage lawfully in these activities.