Job responsibilities
JOB DESCRIPTION
The MND care centre provides a co-ordinated interdisciplinary service to over 90 patients in Leeds and the surrounding area. The post holder will join the MND Association Care centre team currently responsible for this client group and must be able to work closely with them. Attendance at clinics and team meetings on a Thursday afternoon is an important part of this role.
Work may take place in hospital settings or in the patients home, so the ability to travel between locations is a requirement of this role.
Providing a therapeutic and safe environment for patients and families to discuss their problems, be it emotional, financial, or spiritual is key to providing holistic patient centred care and this role is intended to support and complement the existing support structures in place.
This role requires advanced leadership abilities, educational skills and a commitment to service improvement, staff development andmanagement of resources in line with allocated budgets.
Key relationships will be with the other social workers, family support workers, the care centre co-ordinator, medical staff, dietician, speech and language therapist and MND Associations Community Support Coordinator and Service Development Manager.
The post holder will be responsible
for leading and enhancing our service offer to provide a tailored whole
family support service to people with Motor Neurone disease and their
families.
To undertake assessments of people
and families independently to establish their emotional, social and
spiritual needs and support them with this.
To support whole families with
benefit applications and help them to link into services available such as
through the MND Association welfare benefits service.
To perform carers assessments and
help families to identify their role as a carer and support them in this.
To lead on the development of links
with other relevant family support workers to enhance the continuity and
offer for people with MND across the city and over time, West
Yorkshire-wide.
Lead
on the provision of education and training to the wider team and external partners regarding whole family and
bereavement support.
Lead on the development and
implementation of innovative approaches to improving the care and support
offered to children, young people and families affected by MND.
Provide emotional support to
patients and whole families of patients with Motor Neurone disease.
Provide bereavement support to
whole families of those who have died from Motor Neurone disease.
To enhance collaboration with other
family support workers in the area (e.g. in local hospices)
Line Manage the Family Support
Workers and take management responsibility for their personal development
and performance review.
Take a lead on training of NHS staff and other health & social
care professionals to raise
awareness of the needs of children,
young people and families affected by MND.
To be professional and legally
responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own practice relating
to the assessment and treatment of people in your care undertaking
clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.
To provide a therapeutic
environment to enable people with MND and their and carers/family members to talk about
their feelings/experiences of living feelings/experiences of living with
MND.
Using advanced analytical skills
and understanding of MND to formulateindividualised management and treatment
plans.
To undertake carers assessments and
provide relevant support to families, Band 6 FSWs and other professionals.
To assess and communicate with
people regarding their entitlement to benefits and liaise with appropriate
bodies to assist with this and offer guidance/support to other members of
the team
To advise on support regarding
advance care planning including lasting power of attorney and offer
support to Band 6 FSWs around this
To provide support to informal
carers and address their needs as appropriate
Use a range of verbal and
non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with people to
progress treatment and rehabilitation programmes. This will include people
who may have difficulties in understanding, communication or have
challenging behaviour. Work with MND Association and other health
colleagues to ensure that all knowledge of communication aids is up to
date and that of your team
Ability to work in a stressful
environment imparting complex information regarding poor rehabilitation
prognosis daily.
Ability to deal effectively with
emotional and/or challenging people and / or carers daily - this will
necessitate the use of developed communications skills e.g. the ability to
negotiate, motivate and reassure and also to support staff under your
management through this
Assess patient understanding of
treatment proposals, gain valid informedconsent and have the knowledge to work
within a legal framework with people who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
To ensure a high standard of
clinical care for the people under your management and support more junior
staff to do likewise.
To represent the family support
team at MDT meetings and ensure the availability of FSWs at those meetings
To lead
informal training to wider care team regarding the role and purpose of
family and bereavement support.
To
effectively communicate complex clinical information with people and
carers to maximise their independence and quality of life
To lead
on education to the local health economy on the role of family and bereavement
support for people with MND.
Manage
the education needs of those under your management to ensure that they
have all the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles.
Ensure up
to date and accurate knowledge of the grants available from MND
Association and other partners understand the relevant criteria and
ensure that any grants requests made are appropriate and a good use of
charitable funds.
Maintain and develop current
knowledge of evidence-based practice in this specialist clinical field and
manage and ensure this is also done by those that you manage through
regular supervision and support
As leader within the clinical team
you will be required to ensure that you implement policy and service
development changes.
To be responsible for maintaining
own competency to practice through continued professional development
activities and maintain a portfolio which reflects your own personal
development.
To communicate effectively and work
collaboratively with medical, nursing and therapy colleagues to ensure
delivery of a co-ordinated multidisciplinary service.This will include case conferences,
ward rounds and discharge planning as appropriate.
To
participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraise and appraiser and be
responsible for complying with your agreed personal development programmes to
meet set knowledge and competencies.
To regularly undertake the
measurement and evaluation of your work, and that of those under your
management, and current practices through the use of evidence-based
practice projects, audit and outcome measures, either individually or with
colleagues. Make recommendations for change as appropriate.
To demonstrate an understanding of
clinical governance and risk management and apply to work situation.
To maintain own continuing
professional development (CPD) by keeping abreast of any new trends and
developments, incorporating them as necessary into your work.
To regularly undertake the
collection of data for use in service and research projects. To undertake
research into specific areas of clinical practice and service delivery
using a range of research methodologies as part of MDT audit and
departmental research initiatives making recommendations for change as
appropriate.
Identify and lead staff under your
management in the implementation innovative ideas
To be responsible for a designated
area of work and staff as agreed with the directors of the MND care
centre.
To decide on a daily basis the
priorities of your own work area and those of the team who are under your
management
To maintain accurate, comprehensive
and up-to-date documentation, in line with legal and departmental
requirements and communicate assessment and treatment results to the
appropriate disciplines in the form of verbal/written reports/letters.
To be actively involved in the
collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use of the
department.
To be aware of Health and Safety
aspects of your work and implement any policies, which may be required to
improve the safety of your work area, including your prompt recording and
reporting of accidents to senior staff, and ensuring that equipment use is
safe.
To comply with the organisational
and departmental policies and procedures and to be actively involved in
reviewing, updating and implementing as appropriate including those
policies and procedures that will impact beyond your immediate department
and / or profession.
To undertakes any other duties that
might be considered appropriate by the MND care centre directors.To be responsible for ensuring the
effective selection and use of all treatment resources available both in
the department and on the wards.
To
be responsible for the line management and supervision of Band 6 FSWs within
the MND care Centre team and ensure that they have the relevant supervision and
line management in line with expectations of the Trust and MND Care Centre
Directors.
