Community Healthcare Assistant

East Of England Community Health And Care Nhs Trust; Wymondham, Attleborough; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

East Of England Community Health And Care NHS Trust is seeking a Community Healthcare Assistant to join our community nursing teams in Wymondham and Attleborough. You will visit patients in care homes across the Ketts area, providing diabetes care, wound care, venepuncture and catheter care, within a seven-day service.

The role requires flexibility and a sound clinical basis with understanding of community working.

Qualifications

• NVQ 2 in health and social care or equivalent is essential.
• NVQ 3 in care is desirable.
• Experience of working in healthcare or community settings preferred.

Responsibilities

• Deliver care interventions for patients with long-term conditions and rehabilitation needs.
• Plan and prioritise visits, maintain diary and records.
• Document patient records and input data into SystmOne daily.
• Maintain infection control and use equipment safely.

Skills

Team player

Good listening

Empathy

Communication

Organisation

Initiative

Independence

Education

NVQ 2 in health and social care

NVQ 3 in care

Tools

SystmOne

Job description

Job summary

This is an opportunity to join our community nursing teams in Wymondham and Attleborough as a Community Healthcare Assistant.
The role will be to visit patients in care homes across the "Ketts" area, and address a variety of care needs, for example, diabetes care / insulin administration, wound care, venepuncture and catheter care.
Our service works 7 days a week. You will be able to demonstrate flexibility as well a sound clinical basis and understanding of community working.
We would welcome prospective applicants to contact us for further information as well as meeting the team. You will be able to demonstrate a good basic knowledge of health care and appreciation of community based working.

Main duties of the job

• To contribute to the delivery of a variety of interventions for patients with long term conditions, palliative care and rehabilitation needs for example, to achieve quality of life and independence where possible.
• To work within the integrated team to facilitate early discharge from hospital
• To work within the integrated team to prevent unnecessary admission to hospital
• To work with all health care professionals, and statutory/non statutory agencies to provide a seamless, integrated service to our service users.

About us

The nursing teams are based in Wymondham and Attleborough and consists of Nurses, Assistant Practitioners and Healthcare assistants. The Therapy team are based with the Nursing team and work very closely. They consist of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Assistant Practitioners.
We would welcome conversations with interested people, as well as meeting the team etc.
Please note, the selection processes at East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right values and skills, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain watchful of candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn't accurately reflect their skills.

Job responsibilities

Clinical

The post holder will:

• Apply competency based treatment techniques/care to patients with specific conditions under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, following a prescribed treatment/care plan.
• Plan and prioritise own visits to delegated patients, and ensure these are documented in personal work diary.
• Ensure patient held records are completed for each visit, and that SystmOne inputting is completed on a daily basis
• Make basic judgements on patients response to prescribed treatment/care plans, and report findings to a qualified practitioner.
• Liaise with other health care professionals as required.
• Overcome barriers to understanding, e.g. patients with hearing or cognitive impairment.
• Communicate with patients/carers by exchanging factual information, reassurance, tact and empathy.
• Establish and maintain appropriate working relationships with colleagues, patients, carers and other health care professionals.
• Demonstrate dexterity and coordination when undertaking treatment of patients where accuracy is important, e.g. taking blood sugars, venepuncture, supervising transfers, and passive exercises.
• Be responsible for ensuring equipment is used safely, following relevant training, and that it is maintained appropriately.
• Contribute to the requisitioning of supplies and equipment through electronic ordering systems.
• Work predominantly independently on specified tasks, with regular clinical support and supervision by a qualified practitioner.
• Work with qualified practitioners with group work/clinics as required.
• Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of consent, and gain consent, and gain consent as appropriate following organisational policies.
• Share responsibility for maintaining store cupboards, pool cars, cleaning specialist equipment and general house keeping tasks.
• Share responsibility of indirect patient contact tasks, such as, answering phones, arranging appointments, processing referrals and inputting activity data.
• Undertake health promotion/education as required, e.g. smoking cessation, falls etc.
• Will be exposed to bodily fluids, infected material, blood products on a daily basis, therefore must utilise universal precautions and adhere to infection control policies.
• Demonstrate basic IT and standard keyboard skills.

Professional

The post holder will:

• To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at and participation in staff meetings, training sessions, courses and reflective practice.
• To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee, maintaining a dynamic personal development plan.
• To demonstrate an awareness of clinical governance and risk management and apply to work situations.
• To provide peer support to other carers.
• To develop competencies to enhance practice and ability to meet needs of patients and the service.

Communication

• To establish and maintain therapeutic relationships with patients and carers, incorporating motivation, encouragement and confidence building.
• To demonstrate an ability to communicate with patients/carers with complex needs, using clear and effective verbal/non-verbal communication.
• To gather and collate information to enable co-ordinator to plan interventions/liaison with others.
• To provide direct feedback to professionals as appropriate, and in a clear and concise way.
• To contribute to accurate and timely patient records, including data collection.
• To communicate and share information with DNs, GPs and SWs as necessary.
• Be able to communicate effectively with patients/relatives with communication difficulties i.e. deafness, blindness, learning difficulties.
• To provide feedback to co-ordinator in a clear and concise way

Organisational

• Undertake mandatory training as required.
• Participate in a Personal Development Review process.
• Undertake Personal Development Plans for other staff members.
• Take part in clinical supervision as per Trust Policy.
• Follow Trust policies, and local procedures.
• Ensure absence reporting is undertaken as determined by Team Leader and Trust Policy.
• Contribute to clinical audit as required.
• Complete the staff survey as required.
• Complete risk assessments and incident forms as required

Person Specification

Personal and People Development

Essential

• Ability to manage stressful situations
• A team player
• Awareness of own limitations
• Good organisational skills
• Open to change and development
• Able to identify with the Trust's commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults
• Able to show initiative
• Able to work alone
• Assertive
• Good listening skills

Other

Essential

• Be able to kneel, bend & stoop, and work in cramped environments
• Able to manoeuvre patients using handling aids
• Able to manoeuvre limbs of around 5-6kg
• Must have a full UK driving license and have access to a vehicle
• Able to communicate effectively in written and verbal English Language

Communication

Essential

• Tact and Diplomacy
• Empathy and Sensitive
• Ability to use own initiative
• Able to communicate effectively using the English language in both verbal and written forms

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of additional specialist areas through in-house training & short courses
• Highly motivated
• Good communication skills

Desirable

• Knowledge of multi-disciplinary team roles
• Experience of working in a community setting

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with the general public
• Experience of working within a Healthcare setting
• Evidence of on-going learning
• Literacy skills

Desirable

• Experience of working in people's homes
• Experience of working with people at the End of life

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ 2 in health and social care or equivalent

Desirable

• NVQ 3 in care

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.