Healthcare Assistant

Job Title: Healthcare Assistant

Area of Work: Hospice at Home provided in the High Peak , Derbyshire Dales , Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire

Responsible to: Hospice at Home Manage ment Team /Coordinators

Hours of work: Bank work – Days and evening s, 7 days per week

Rates of pay: Equivalent to Band 4 plus night & weekend enhancements . Mileage rate 45p per mile

Department Objectives

To provide a hospice at home service which is available 24 hours, 7 days a week, for people in the last 12 months of life , to enable them to remain at home if that is their wish.

It is intended to be complementary to Primary Health Care Services .

Role within the Team

To work in co -operation with the Primary Health Care Team and other agencies to provide skilled personal care and support to those at end of l ife who wish to remain at home.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• To provide personal care and support to patients

To provide respite, help and support to the families and carers of individual patients.

To work with, and support the patient, relatives and carers; being sensitive to their changing physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs.

To provide skilled care within the role of a H ealthcare Assistant using risk assessment and care planning tools in conjunction with the Community Nursing Team and in accordance with the me dical care prescribed by the GP.

To assist /prompt the patient to self -medicate , if it is part of their nursing care plan .

• T o assist in promoting and maintaining patient comfort.

To communicate and liaise with the Community Nursing Team, Out of Hours Service (111) /roaming car service and Hospice at Home Manage ment

Team / Co -ordinator, reporting on the condition and needs of the patient and providing and maintaining nursing reports and records as necessary.

Advise the Hospice at Home Manage ment Team /Co -ordinator of any changes to the patient’s condition or increased needs, including equipment and aids required for the provision of safe and effective care and to meet the needs of the patient.

To be familiar with the procedure in the event of an emergency or death of the patient.

• To maintain professional confidentiality in all matters relating to patient care.

To follow the instructions given for the mo ving and handling of patients and the use of handling equipment.

• To keep up to date with developments in care and treatments.

To report any complaints from patients or their carers immediately to the Hospice at Home Manage ment Team / Co -ordinator.

To be accountable to Blythe House Hospice in line with all the relevant policies and procedures including Policy BHH20 : Requirements relating to Workers

To be able to perform basic risk assessments that underpin the safe care and treatment of the patient, carers and staff.

Other Tasks and Responsibilities

To be conversant with and adhere to all the policies and procedures of the hospice.

To identify yourself as a Blythe House Hospice Health care Assistant and to act as their ambassador in the community.

• To submit reports of the patient c are delivered on behalf of the h ospice.

Checking working time and travel as collated by Webroster/ Beeapp at month end; training will be provided for this.

• Use Brigid app to document all visits, full training will be given on this.

To be aware of the Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures and the Health and Safety at Work A ct, particularly in relation to provision of care in the community and the moving and handling of patients.

To immediately report accidents and i ncidents according to procedure via Vantage .

• To have a flexible working approach to promote a client -centred service.

Partici pate in staff and other hospice meetings as required , undertaking clinical supervision, mandatory and on -going training as required.

To participate in team peer review and support learning through reflective practice.

Skills/Training

All post holders will be required to attend an induction course prior to commencing work in patients’ homes.

All post holders must attend mov ing and handling training / basic life support training as soon as possible after appointment and then on a regular basis.

All post holders must complete mandatory and job specific training in line with legal and regulatory requirements as required

• All post holders must attend regular support/ supervision group meetings

Any gaps in knowledge/requests for specific training must be communicated to the Hospice at Home Management Team so these can be addressed

All post holders will participate in the individual appraisal process which includes regular one -to-ones .

Other

This post will be subject to a n enhanced DBS check .

Hospice at Home Health care Assistant Person Specification

	Essential	Desirable
Qualifications	Maths and English equivalent to GCSEgrade 4 (C) or above	Tier 1 Communications SkillsBereavement and LossAssociated qualification
Experience	A minimum of 2 years'experience ofproviding palliative care in either acommunity or hospital setting	Community experience
Skills and Ability	Good communication andinterpersonal skillsAbility to support other teammembersAble to recognise changes insupport needs and how toescalate theseAbility to critically analyse andreflect on practiceGood IT skills
Knowledge	Knowledge and understanding ofsymptom management	Knowledge of bereavement issues
Personal Maintains professional standardsAttributes - own and othersPractises with sensitivity andintegrityAbility to recognise and managepersonal stressAble to act as patients' advocateHardworking, includingundertaking demanding andphysical workFlexible in approach to workinghoursCar owner/driverFull driving licence with businesscar insurance Willingness and confidence totravel across our catchment areawith ability to use satellitenavigation system or have goodmap reading skills.