Health Care Assistant

AIM Deliver skilled and compassionate care of the highest standard to patients, families and carers. Communication and relationships Maintain effective communication with the other members of the clinical team & with all staff, both face to face and on the telephone including prompt reporting of routine, urgent or sensitive information to qualified staff. Communicating any investigation results they have found, the general condition of patients to the qualified nurse. Receiving & acting appropriately to the receipt of sensitive information from patients, relatives etc and ensuring such information is delivered to the qualified staff.
Be actively involved in multidisciplinary team handovers & meetings. Be able to identify difficult situations & barriers to communication and respond appropriately and seek appropriate support when needed. Participate in difficult conversations with patients & their significant others within remit of HCA role & be aware when to seek support Communicate effectively with professionals from other organisations. Communicate with an empathic & caring approach effectively with patients and their significant other in an empathetic and caring way recognising the important of non verbal communication & active listening.
Identify distressed relatives and offer comfort & support and to lease with appropiate qualified staff (i.e nursing staff, family support team). Communicate with distressed and /or bereaved people in an appropriately sensitive manner. Understand boundaries of self & patient relationships and the impact of his/her own communication and approach may have on the well being of patient & carer. Understand, recognise & support individuals with their spiritual well-being.
Have an awareness of cultural beliefs & practices. Accurately document patient activity on electronic systems & paper records. Understand the dynamics of teams & to facilitate effective communication to promote functioning teams Actively participate in critical & untoward incidences, accidents & significant event analysis and report to senior managers as appropriate Analytical and judgement skills Act as a second checker alongside registered nurse in the administration of CD medications. You will be responsible for accuracy checking of controlled drugs alongside a registered nurse.
As a 'second checker' you will be required to use your judgement and knowledge to accurately check the dose and formulation of controlled drug medications to ensure safe administration to patients. Identify situations in relation to the needs of patients, families & carers Recognise limitations within the HCA role & to be able to refer appropriately accordingly to needs. Undertake visual assessment of pressure areas with appropriate competencies & collaborate with registered nurse on duty to advise of any changes. To recognise abnormal recordings or signs of change in a patients condition & report changes to a registered nurse timely.
Planning & organisational skills Manage own time effectively and efficiently to meet the needs of the service. Provide care for complex patients on basis of priority ensuring the greatest needs are addressed first. Plan personal care needs of complex patients around the daily routine, changing these plans & re arranging throughout the day as needed Planning & organising appropriate activities for patients including multimedia activities Liaise with other members of the MDT to assist in supporting establish programmes of care ie relaxation groups, complimentary therapies Physical skills Standard keyboard skills to input data onto patient database. Physical skills for safe moving & handling techniques and the use/manoeuvring of moving & handling equipment.
Patient/Client Care Support the nursing team to deliver patient centre care within a palliative care context. Provide personal care to patients with complex needs. Ability to recognise all aspects of holistic care including physical, emotional, spiritual & social aspects and to respond appropriately. Recognise needs of families & carers and to refer as appropriate.
Act as a second checker (staff to complete safe handling of medications) alongside registered nurse in the administration of CD medications. You will be responsible for accuracy checking of controlled drugs alongside a registered nurse. As a 'second checker' you will be required to use your judgement & knowledge to accurately check the dose and formulation of controlled drug medications to ensure safe administration to patients. Policy and Service Development Comply with all clinical & non clinical Hospice Policies & Procedures.
Comment on clinical procedures within own area of work to contribute towards service improvements. Financial & Physical Resources Report as necessary any faults re: equipment or office accommodation & ensure the safety & security of the building is met. Contribute towards the maintenance of stocks & supplies. Human Resources Attend any appropriate training requirements both statutory & mandatory to comply with current Health & Safety legislation and in line with the Hospices responsibility to comply with Government Directives.
Preserve confidentiality of any information regarding patients, staff, volunteers & the business of St Cuthberts Hospice Identify own learning needs & seek support to ensure that individual learning needs are met. Attend agreed courses & study days to develop knowledge and skills in line with competencies required. Participate in the St Cuthberts appraisal system. Information Resources Document and store relevant information utilising computerised & paper-based systems.
Appreciate the need for patients & carers to have access to information that enables informed choice. Research & Development Actively engage in audits as appropriate and continually look for ways to improve the quality of the service one provides to patients & visitors. Freedom to Act Work within defined policies & procedures Recognise limitations of knowledge, skills and expertise and to seek guidance from more senior colleagues where appropriate EFFORT & ENVIRONMENT Physical Moderate physical effort required frequently to manage complex patients with advanced progressive diseases i.e. manoeuvring patients into position for personal care or using mechanical aids such as hoists Mental Occasional required to concentrate whilst examining patients.
Occasional requirement for concentration when acting as a second checker in the administration of CD medication in which the workload may be unpredictable. Emotional Frequent exposure to distressing and emotional circumstances with occasional exposure to highly distressing circumstances. Recognise difficulties in relation to dealing with situations within palliative care in self & other colleagues and to engage & encourage other colleagues to participate in clinical supervision for support. Working Conditions Frequent requirement to deal with uncontained body fluids & foul linen when caring for patients.
Flexible in approach across all clinical areas in order to meet the changing needs and for the improvement of service delivery & care. Data Protection & Confidentiality All employees have a responsibility in line with information governance to maintain confidentiality and ensure the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 are applied to patients, clients, staff, volunteers & Hospice business information, including electronic information. Only information required to fulfil the duties of the role should be accessed by the post holder. All employees have a responsibility to use electronic systems in a way that preserves the dignity & privacy of people, helps to ensure services of the highest quality, and is compliant with the law and Hospice policies & procedures Health & Safety The Hospice will take all reasonably practical steps to ensure the health, safety & welfare of its employees while at work.
Employees will familiarise themselves with the Health & Safety Policy and procedure as well as the fire procedures & ensure a safe working environment for self & others in line with these. Safeguarding All employees within the Hospice have a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding & promoting the welfare of children & vulnerable adults & ensure they are protected from harm. All employees should make themselves aware of the policies & procedures of safeguarding, take personal responsibility as far as is reasonably practicable, to safeguard children & vulnerable adults, complete statutory & mandatory training and take appropriate action as set out in the Hospices policies & procedures. Infection Control All employees have a responsibility to ensure the risk of infection to themselves, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors is minimised by: Attending mandatory training & role specific infection prevention education and training Challenging poor infection prevention & control practices Ensuring their own compliance with Hospice Infection Prevention & Control policies and procedure.
Equal Opportunities The Hospice welcomes all persons without regard to race, religion or belief, age, gender re-assignment, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership, physical or mental disability. The Hospice aims to provide services in a manner that enables all members of the community to access them.