Care Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Deliver person-centred planned care to designated babies, children and young people with predictable care needs and assessed as stable, using a range of allocated care tasks including admission and discharge to and from the hospice; medicines management and care requiring the use of technology or specific techniques, in accordance with care plans.
• Administer medicines as an authorised practitioner.
• Observe any changes in the baby's, child's/ young person's condition and promptly seek advice and report back to a Registered Nurse or appropriate professional.
• Ensure care plans are kept up to date, delivery of care is accurately recorded, and records are maintained in accordance with EACH policies and procedures.
• Participate in planning and delivering family wellbeing groups and events, and hydrotherapy.
• Participate as a team member in other activities which complete the care cycle, i.e. laundry, meals, collecting equipment and medicines, ad hoc light domestic duties and outings.
• Provide support and assistance to other team members when carrying out nursing procedures or wellbeing activities and events.
• Effectively use assistive technology and mobility equipment.
• Maintain clinical records using the SystmOne electronic records system in accordance with best practice guidance.
• Act as an EACH Family Co-ordinator maintaining regular contact with designated families.
• Actively participate at Care Co-ordination Team meetings and site Multi-Professional meetings ensuring any significant changes identified for designated families are discussed and followed up with any action required.
• When delegated by Team Leader, attend external multidisciplinary meetings when required, representing EACH to maintain positive and effective communication with other agencies involved with families receiving EACH services.
• Actively participate in health and safety processes contributing to risk assessments, highlighting any concerns and reporting all incidents, accidents and near misses promptly.
• Participate in management of clinical and pharmacy stock levels and report any concerns.
• Report any equipment and maintenance issues ensuring that all EACH property is well looked after and maintained.
• Share knowledge and skills with colleagues, demonstrating leadership and providing support to less experienced staff in line with EACH policies and SOP.
• Maintain effective communication and collaborative working with all EACH staff and other external services and agencies.
• Work within the relevant legal, ethical and professional frameworks applicable to children's palliative care practice.
• Maintain awareness of the diversity and multi-cultural nature of the community.
• Participate in quality assurance and practice development activities for example audits and evaluations to ensure that the highest standards of care are maintained.
• Set and maintain effective and appropriate professional boundaries when working with service users at all times.
• Undertake any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job role, as requested by your line manager or senior leadership team.
• This job description is not exhaustive and may be amended as necessary. It is intended as a guide to the duties and responsibilities of the post.

Person Specification

Other Requirements

Essential

• Current full, valid driving license and own transport
• Ability to travel to locations to deliver care in the community primarily within your hospice region.
• Ability to travel to attend training at the other hospice sites.

Desirable

• Experience of driving a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle

Qualifications

Essential

• Strong English language skills for both written and verbal communications
• IT literate specifically Word, Excel & Outlook

Desirable

• NVQ level 3 (health and social care) qualification or equivalent qualification
• Awareness of Safeguarding responsibilities, procedures for children and young people
• Awareness of responsibilities and procedures relating to confidentiality children and young people

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Ability to effectively communicate with colleagues, service users and families
• Enthusiastic and motivated approach to work

Desirable

• Ability to effectively communicate with a non-verbal child or young person

Experience

Essential

• Working with children or young people in a professional setting such as early years, learning disability, school, health care
• Working effectively within a team
• Ability to undertake physical activities and manual handling to support the varying needs of our service users in line with the requirements of the role

Desirable

• Working with children and young people with complex health needs
• Delivery of End of Life Care
• Providing community care services
• Using technology and complex equipment in the delivery of care such as long-term ventilation
• Using equipment such as hoists, suction machines etc
• Relevant demonstrable experience, of observing, recognising and reporting changes in the baby, child or young persons condition
• Experience of using SystmOne electronic care records

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices

Address

The Treehouse Hospice

St. Augustines Gardens

Ipswich

IP3 8NS

Employer's website

https://www.each.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)