Celebrating Professional Careworkers’ Week: Spotlight on allergy training 

Professional Careworkers’ Week (12-19 September) is a chance to recognise and celebrate the invaluable work of careworkers who dedicate their lives to supporting others. 

Careworkers play a vital role in safeguarding the health and wellbeing of those in their care, including managing allergies—something that can make all the difference to safety and quality of life. 

At Anaphylaxis UK, the UK’s leading charity supporting people solely at risk of serious allergies and anaphylaxis, we are proud to support careworkers through our specialist training. Our AllergyWise® for Careworkers course provides the knowledge and confidence needed to manage allergies effectively, helping to create safer care settings for all. 

This week, we want to celebrate those who have already completed the training, showing their dedication to improving allergy management and raising awareness within care environments. 

Case Study: The Firs Residential Home, Devon 

The Firs Residential Home in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, recently completed both our AllergyWise® for Careworkers e-learning and in-person training with our Education and AllergyWise® Manager, Tracey Dunn. Here, Registered Manager Nikki Shayler shares their experience: 

How did you manage allergies before training? 

“We risk-assessed to the best of our knowledge, gathering information from outside professionals and incorporating this into care plans.” 

What prompted you to seek out allergy training? 

“We wanted to learn how to use an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) and improve our overall knowledge.” 

Why choose Anaphylaxis UK? 

“The website offered exactly the training we required.” 

How has the training helped? 

“It gave staff the knowledge to work more safely and support residents with allergies.” 

Any “lightbulb moments”? 

“Absolutely—we hadn’t realised how serious allergies could be. Learning that two AAIs may need to be used five minutes apart was eye-opening. Timing is crucial, and this was the first time we’d received training of this depth.” 

Have you seen improvements since training? 

“Thankfully we haven’t had to put this into practice yet, but staff now feel far more confident and prepared.” 

Would you recommend the course? 

“Yes—this course is very important and taught us all so much.” 

Final reflections 

“The staff feel confident after this training.” 

Allergy training for careworkers

We’re inspired by the dedication of care teams like The Firs, who go above and beyond to strengthen their allergy management and keep residents safe. 

Find out more about AllergyWise® for Careworkers here: Anaphylaxis UK – AllergyWise for Careworkers 

In this 1-1.5 hour course, you’ll learn:  

• what happens during an allergic reaction and the common causes of allergic reactions 

• what anaphylaxis is and the symptoms 

• how to read food labels and reduce the risk of cross-contamination when preparing food 

• what can increase the risk of anaphylaxis 

• how to use adrenaline auto-injectors (EpiPen® and Jext®) 

• managing serious allergies, specifically in a care setting.