Healthcare Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Working under the guidance of a Registered Nurse/ AP/NA/B4, to implement the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.

2. Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support.

3. Supporting junior to staff and leading on providing hands-on care to service users including:a. Undertaking 1-1 engagement with service users in an honest, open and non-judgmental way.b. Recognising and valuing service users as individuals, acknowledging theimportance of maintaining the service users respect and dignity at all times and ensure that the care provided respects equality and diversity.c. Escalating any concerns to a Registered Nurse.d. Monitoring and recording service user clinical observations, such as Physical observations and vital signs and escalating as appropriate any signs or symptoms of deterioration or that do not fulfill the personal parameters to the relevant professional.(Band 4 or Registered Nurse).e. Implementing the principles of recovery: encouraging and supporting service users to engage with healthy lifestyles, facilitating psychosocial activities and other activities of their interest.

4. Escorting service users, as required, in line with Trust policies.

5. Facilitating the admission and discharge of service users, ensuring needs of the patient are met including activities such as property checks, orientation to services, and ensuring that community support needs are met under direction of a senior clinician.

6. Demonstrating an enhanced understanding of Mental Health signs and symptoms and an understanding of how these may present in practice including recognition of impact on patient presentation and behaviour including risk factors.

7. Recognizing and responding appropriately to challenging behaviour in line with Trust policies and training, actively seeking the supervision and guidance of a Senior Health Care Support Worker, Assistant Practitioner, or Registered Nurse.

8. Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the MHA, MCA and DOLS and other legislation applicable to the practice area and how they are implemented in practice.

9.Contributing to an effective communication process with appropriate and accurate information to patients, carers, family, friends and colleagues. Engaging and listening carefully and actively, and responding using appropriate language and accessible communication methods and skills. Developing communication skills to enable and support difficult conversations, acknowledging cultural differences and professional boundaries.

10.Demonstrating effective clinical communication and documentation: effective verbal and written handover of relevant and objective information, ability to determine key information, ability to recognize and describe effectively symptoms of mental illness, distress or of a deteriorating patient, and ability to escalate issues of concerns effectively and in a timely manner.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential

• Care Certificate
• English and Mathematics basic qualifications (eg GCSE at grade C or above) or equivalent

Desirable

• Level 2/3 Health and Social care qualification / working towards qualification

Experience

Essential

• At least one year as a Healthcare Support Worker, or equivalent level of experience.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
• Able to provide quality care that is responsive to service user's needs, without close supervision, and acting on own initiative, within protocols, policies and care plans.
• Communications skills - receiving and conveying information accurately with staff and with service users and able to keep accurate records.
• Resilient: able to respond appropriately to potential difficult interpersonal situations or demands of the role including distress and agitation.
• Approachable and Self-aware and demonstrate an ability to self-reflect

Desirable

• Training and experience in specialist skills such as ECG, Vital Signs, Phlebotomy
• Experience in facilitating groups

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Tolworth Hospital

Red Lion Rd

Tolworth

KT6 7QU

Employer's website

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