Healthcare Assistant (In-Patient Unit)

NHS; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job description

The Inpatient Unit at Arthur Rank Hospice has 23 beds that provide expert care to patients with complex and end of life care needs. We are holistic in our approach and the care is tailored to each person's specific needs. The compassionate team of Nurses and Healthcare Assistants provide practical and holistic care supporting patients and their families.

What will you do:

You will assist in the delivery of nursing and specialist palliative care, ensuring the highest possible standards of care are received by patients while in the hospice, under the supervision of a Registered Nurse.

You will also contribute to the effectiveness of the team by participating in the multidisciplinary team working to support individuals in the hospice.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will have experience as a Nursing Assistant, or equivalent, in a hospice or community setting, a caring and understanding attitude, and empathy as well as being able to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing. Previous experience within a palliative/terminal care setting will be an advantage.

All staff are expected to work an internal shift rotation including days, nights, and weekends.

Shift times are:

Early: 07:30 - 15:30; Late: 13:30 - 21:30; Night: 19:30 - 08:00; Long Days: 07:30 - 20:00.

This role is subject to an Enhanced Level DBS Checks with Children's and Adult's Barred Lists included.

Please note that the salary quoted is based on full-time hours and needs to be pro-rata'd for part-time posts. We regret that we are unable to negotiate salary above the maximum stated within the advert.

About us

Arthur Rank Hospice Charity has an outstanding reputation for excellence in palliative and end of life care. We support people in Cambridgeshire who are confronting life-limiting illnesses. Our positive and practical services deliver care, counselling, and education, helping patients to live well and their families to live on.

We are committed to inclusivity, respect, fairness, engagement, and equality of opportunity for our patients and their families, our staff and trustees, our volunteers, and our supporters.

We value the strength that comes with difference and the positive contribution that diversity brings to our community. Therefore, candidates with a disability that meet the minimum criteria will be guaranteed an interview. We are also working to increase diversity throughout the organisation and we particularly welcome applications from BAME people who are currently under-represented.

Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults who draw on care and support and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are a Disability Confident employer and welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. If you would like support to apply, please contact the HR Team by email at [e-mail] and we will be happy to help.

Arthur Rank Hospice Charity does not hold a sponsor license; therefore, we are unable to offer sponsorship to individuals who do not have the right to work in the UK.

Job responsibilities

Main Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the delivery of a planned programme of care under the direct supervision of the Registered Nurse.
• Carry out tasks involving direct patient care and support to patients and families.
• Act within the limits of your competency and authority.
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by participating in the multidisciplinary team working to support individuals in the hospice.
• Promote the privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of patients at all times.
• Clinical Intervention:
• Report general observations and feedback to the Registered Nurse both verbally and in written formats if required, including any significant changes in the patient's condition.
• Undertake specific duties that contribute to the assessment of patients as requested by the Registered Nurse.
• Seek appropriate advice and support from the Registered Nurse during occasions when patients or their carers become distressed.
• Adhere to Arthur Rank Hospice Charity Infection Prevention and Control Policy.
• Maintain the dignity of the patient at all times whilst dealing with aspects of personal care.
• Communicate effectively with patients, carers, staff, and other professionals. Use a variety of verbal and non-verbal skills to overcome communication barriers presented by patients due to their cognitive or impaired sensory deficits.
• Support individuals and carers to cope with their emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being.
• Maintain accurate patient records in accordance with the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity Record Keeping policy.
• Plan with registered professionals activities, interventions, or treatments to achieve specified goals and care plans.
• Contribute to care planning by monitoring and evaluating therapeutic interventions within an overall programme of care.
• Help individuals to retain, regain, and develop the skills to manage their lives and environment including enabling individuals to use assistive technology.
• Work in collaboration with family/carers to enable them to support individuals.
• Extra skills that can be used on the In-Patient Unit must be competency assessed yearly and can only be carried out under the Arthur Rank Hospice Delegation Policy and under the guidance of a Registered Nurse, such as wound care.
• Demonstrate the ability to use basic listening skills with patients and their relatives/carers when appropriate.
• Under the guidance of a Registered Nurse, maximise the physical comfort and well-being of patients in terms of hygiene, mobility, toileting, and nutritional needs.
• Exercise care and economy in the use of stores.
• Participate in the cleaning of clinical areas within the In-Patient Unit.
• Support volunteers, students, and colleagues.

Special feature of the job:

• The service provides care 24/7, 365 days a year and clinical roles are rostered to provide this coverage. Whilst the rosters are created 6-8 weeks in advance, there may be exceptional circumstances in which the job holder will need to be flexible to change a scheduled rota at short notice in times of clinical staffing crisis.

Personal Development:

• Develop your own knowledge and practice and reflect on and evaluate your own values, priorities, interests, and effectiveness. Monitor your own work practice.
• With the support of the team leader, take responsibility for attending clinical supervision and staff debriefing sessions.
• All staff are encouraged to contribute to identifying and meeting their own job-related development needs. This will be achieved through a variety of processes including 1-2-1s with line managers or senior colleagues, annual appraisal, and development reviews.
• All employees are subject to an annual appraisal and to maximise the benefit from this process the employee must engage in the review and agree with their Line Manager organisational, team, and personal objectives.
• Each employee must cooperate and attend all appropriate mandatory and statutory training as required by the organisation.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ II or willingness to undertake.
• Evidence of end-of-life care knowledge and skills is desirable.

Experience

• Experience as a Healthcare Assistant or equivalent in a hospice, hospital, or community is essential.
• Work experience in a variety of adult care settings is desirable.

Ability

• Ability to demonstrate caring, understanding attitude and empathy.

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.