Health Support Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Accountable for the delivery of efficient and appropriate care in accordance with relevant standards, guidelines and codes of conduct under the guidance of clinical staff.

To perform first visit assessments of patients in their own home following referral and assessment from a clinician. To update pre-visit summary and lone working questionnaire as appropriate.

To facilitate care and support as appropriate.

Encourage patient engagement to meet their goals and objectives as set out in a person-centered care plan.

To work as part of the Frailty Hub signposting to referral pathways within the MDT.

Support patients to complete home exercise programmes as advised by the therapy team.

Ensure patients comfort, safety, and dignity always, respecting privacy and always ensuring confidentiality.

Ensure all care and support is focused on promoting independence.

To maintain written records on System One and other related information as required and report all changes in the patients condition to the Team in an accurate and timely manner.

To assist and support patients and carers as appropriate. To assist patients with their activities of living, including prompting and administrating medication (in line with training, competency and agreed protocols), diet, maintaining personal hygiene, assessing and using toilet facilities as appropriate.

To always respect the privacy and dignity of the patient, ensuring confidentiality.

Planned and Unplanned Cover: To contribute to maintaining the safe level of service delivery.

To effectively, efficiently and appropriately acknowledge, signpost and/or handle queries as deemed appropriate and source the appropriate advice.

Administrative Record Keeping: Responsible for maintaining accurate records / discharging and archiving patients paperwork. Completing Health Support Worker visit data and ensuring this is recorded at the point of patient contact, in an accurate manner.

Ensuring Healthcare Support colleagues receive accurate patient visit information in a timely manner via updating the pre-visit summary on Systm One and telephone and escalating any concerns to a clinician.

To perform and record physical observations on patients using the necessary equipment (BP monitor, blood sugar, pulse oximeter) when it is deemed appropriate or when advised to by a clinician.

To be monitor patients for a change in condition and escalate as appropriate.

To ensure referrals to other agencies are made appropriately.

Supporting the protection of children, young people, and adults at risk through compliance with safeguarding procedures and prompt reporting of any concerns.

To be an example and support junior staff.

To ensure any CQC requirements and/or documentation for which the post holder is responsible for is completed timely and accurately. To also ensure any procedures and processes applicable to the role are followed timely and accurately.

To ensure you devote the whole of your time, attention and abilities to your role, our business and its goals.

Such other duties as may reasonably be delegated from time to time.

Education and Training:

In accordance with the concepts of lifelong learning, develop own knowledge and skills and contribute to provide information to others to help their development. This will include:

Take part in plans for development, learning and performance, including participating in team meetings.

To attend training offered by York Community Frailty Hub clinical staff to ensure this is up to date.

Ensure mandatory training is up to date and completed on time.

Demonstrating to new staff members the skills and activities carried out, including shadowing, home visits and office-based workload.

Participation in 121, performance review and appraisal.

Infection Prevention and Control is everyones responsibility; therefore, Nimbuscare is committed to ensuring that all employees work collaboratively to reduce the risk of healthcare associated infection. To achieve this, all staff are expected to comply with Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Policies, to attend IPC training as part of their induction programme, attend mandatory IPC training or complete the e-learning programme annually and/or complete the workbook, as appropriate to their role.

To undertake training identified as appropriate/necessary to perform the role.

Other responsibilities:

Establish and maintain communication with individuals and groups about difficult or complex matters, overcoming any problems in communication.

Communicating clearly, concisely and effectively with other team members.

To develop good communications with the patient and his/her family, passing on all relevant information to the Community Frailty Hub team and other professionals as appropriate, e.g. out of hours GP's.

To treat all patient information as confidential.

Risk Management: Although it is essential the post holder can work independently, it is equally important the post holder to access support and advice as appropriate.

Demonstrate an awareness of the scope / boundaries of their own responsibilities, decision making, skills and knowledge is vital and to assertively and appropriately escalate and/or access support.

IT Literate: be willing to learn about IT system used in healthcare e.g. SystmOne and Microsoft Applications.

Customers/ Key Stakeholders

Supporting the Practice in achieving our Strategic Goals. Examples of the most direct customers:

External Customers:

District Nurses

Warden Control Service

Trust: Community Response Team, Community Therapy Team

Local Authority: Adult Social Services

Patients, Carers, Families

Out of Hours Services

Social Services

Voluntary Sector Agencies

Internal Customers:

Service Coordinator

Clinical Manager

Operational Manager

Wider Clinical Team (Practice Nursing and GP team)

Community Frailty Hub colleagues

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Certification of Enhanced Criminal Record Check with childrens and/or adult barred list to be carried out after successful interview.

Desirable

• Care Certificate
• Experience in Motivational Interviewing/Coaching
• NVQ Level 3 in Care or equivalent experience of working in a community health/social care setting

Behaviours

Essential

• Teamwork - Work effectively and professionally within the team through willingness to proactively support and assist their peers and colleagues.
• Ability to work independently supported by the Community Frailty Team. Having the ability to recognise when a problem / issue should be escalated or referred to the wider clinical team because it falls outside of the scope of the role and knowledge.
• Solution Focussed Approach: Ability to react to and face challenges or setbacks in a positive manner with a commitment to continuous improvement of their own skills and behaviours and of the service.
• Customer Service - Ability to remain focused on providing and continuously improving an excellent patient and internal customer service (colleagues).
• Confidentiality - Ability to exercise and adhere to Nimbuscare confidentiality policies.
• Work Prioritisation - Ability to organise, prioritise and manage your own workload.

Skills

Essential

• Communication Skills - Good Verbal and written communication.
• Ability to build professional and appropriate rapport with patients.
• Able to calmly, professionally and efficiently deliver Meet patients needs with a warm reassuring demeanour

Desirable

• Able to motivate patients to engage in rehabilitation.
• Work as part of the Multi-disciplinary team

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

Nimbuscare Ltd

Address

Nimbuscare Limited

Gateway 1, Holgate Park Drive

Holgate

York

YO26 4GG

Employer's website

https://www.primarycareyork.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)