Assistant Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

Hospice at Home West Cumbria (HHWC) provides an expert and comprehensive service to enhance the experience of patients requiring palliative and end of life care. The services provide quality care in the delivery of home nursing, family and bereavement support, and Lymphoedema care, for patients, their families and carers across West Cumbria.

The Assistant Practitioner will provide support to the home nursing/support at home service and will have direct contact with patients, their families and carers and will support the senior staff with accepting referrals, the assessment and triage of patients with complex needs, the allocation of staff and liaising with other health and social care professionals, patients, relatives and carers. From time to time, the role will also need to safely administer medication in accordance with local guidance and within scope of the role.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST

Key Responsibilities of the Job

Accepts referrals from health and social care professionals, patients, carers and families, seeking advice from senior staff and/or applying internal criteria as to the suitability of the referral where appropriate. This includes providing information as to the services offered and signposting where appropriate.

Undertakes non-complex assessments and reassessments of the patients holistic needs, taking account of other relevant information and liaising closely with senior staff and other agencies regarding the needs of the patient, in order to create an appropriate care plan and any associated documentation.

Supports the senior staff with a number of people management activities to ensure that the Home Nursing and Support at Home teams are managed appropriately and effectively. This includes the creation of staffing rotas, allocation of workload and co-ordination of clinical care, supporting the induction of new staff to the team, delivering regular training updates to the team, carrying out annual reviews and management supervision with Health Care Assistants.

Undertakes monitoring and audit activities, including monitoring standards of care being provided to patients by healthcare assistants and volunteers involved in their care.

Maintains accurate records, including care plans and EMIS records, which comply with professional, legal and administrative requirements. Monitoring of records, ensuring documentation is accurate and timely.

From time to time, to provide cover for the Healthcare Assistant role, working to the Healthcare Assistant job description during these periods.

Provide out-of-hours on-call cover as part of a rota with other senior staff.

At all times, communicates effectively with patients, families, and the wider multidisciplinary team, including communication of a sensitive and emotionally challenging nature which must be handled with discretion and sensitivity. This will include communication by phone, face to face and in written formats.

Personal Development

Work within scope of practice and adhere to organisational policies and procedures

To be committed to personal and professional development and complete mandatory and statutory training as required to maintain competence. To set challenging goals through the annual review process to ensure the effective delivery of personal objectives

To keep updated with current policies and procedures, as well as external trends and developments.

General

To ensure that personal conduct, ways of working and work activities are always aligned to the Hospices purpose and values.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations, to ensure the maintenance of confidentiality in respect of staff, volunteer and client records and all privileged information relating to the services of the Charity, its patients, staff and volunteers and particularly of the area for which directly responsible.

To promote and foster the Hospices reputation and standing within the community and with private, statutory and voluntary sector agencies and organisations.

To adhere to the Health and Safety policy and report all accidents, incidents or near misses promptly and when requested to, co-operate with any investigations undertaken.

To be aware of obligations and to abide by the spirit and nature of the Equal Opportunities policy to avoid direct and indirect discrimination.

To undertake any other duties which may be reasonably required.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Foundation Degree Health and Social care (Assistant Practitioner route)
• An understanding of how to support individuals who are deemed to be within the palliative and end of life phase of illness
• Able to undertake detailed patient assessments within agreed protocols with ability to plan, implement and evaluate patient care / intervention
• Ability to communicate and transfer information sensitively and effectively with a variety of audiences
• Ability to work in a pressured environment working under own initiative, both as an autonomous practitioner and as part of a team
• Able to travel independently
• Experience of working effectively within a team and of building relationships internally and externally
• A wide breath of experience in Health or Social Care
• Palliative care experience

Desirable

• Effective IT skills with a working knowledge of Office applications with a willingness to develop competencies to use the patient electronic record system and digital scheduling systems
• Ability to reflect on working practice and to recognise self needs to maximise professional development and resilience

Qualifications

Essential

• Foundation Degree Health and Social care (Assistant Practitioner route)

Desirable

• Care Certificate or the willingness and ability to undertake (applicable for all non-registered support workers that provide health care)

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

Hospice At Home West Cumbria

Address

Park Lane

Workington

Cumbria

CA14 2RW

Employer's website

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