Night Assistant

Riverside-12e5e24d; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holidays (pro rata)

Generous pension

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

Riverside is hiring a Night Assistant in Cambridge to support adults in our Independent Living services. The role covers night shifts (21:30–07:30) Wednesday to Saturday, 37.5 hours per week, in The Springs, Cambridge.

You will assist with personal care, maintain records, and help residents with daily activities while promoting dignity and independence. The successful candidate will have experience in customer-focused residential care, strong communication skills, and basic IT ability.

Qualifications

• Experience working in a residential care setting with vulnerable adults.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Basic IT skills with Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel).
• Awareness of housing, health and safety legislation and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Provide night-time personal care to residents with dignity and privacy.
• Recognise distress and identify ways to reduce it.
• Encourage independence wherever possible.
• Participate in care management programmes.
• Assist with laundry and catering tasks.

Skills

Customer service

Communication skills

Teamwork

MS Office

Job description

Job Title: Night Assistant

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £26,227.50 per annum plus 10% Night Allowance

Working Hours: 37.5 Hours per week

Working Pattern: Working Wednesday to Saturday 21.30-07.30

Location: The Springs, Cambridge

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.

Please note that whilst we will accept applications on the basis of any form of valid legal permission to work in the UK, we will be surrendering the Riverside Sponsorship licence, so for the avoidance of doubt, we are unable to apply for any further sponsorships whether on behalf of existing colleagues or candidates.

The difference you will make as a Night Assistant

You will empower our customers to live independent, fulfilling, and dignified lives in our Independent Living services, accommodating adults who require support with their mental health and those with learning disabilities.

Duties will include:

• Provide assistance to residents in need of physical personal care during the night ensuring dignity and privacy is upheld
• Recognise distress and identify and assess positive ways to reduce it
• Encourage independence in residents where possible
• Actively participates in specified care management programmes
• Provide assistance with laundry as well as assist customers with catering skills

About you

We are looking for someone with:

• An optimistic, flexible, and non-judgemental approach
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with individuals from a variety of different backgrounds
• Experience working in a customer focused environment within a residential setting with a diverse client group of vulnerable adults
• Basic administrative skills with the ability to use Microsoft Office including Word, Outlook, and Excel
• Awareness of housing, health and safety legislation and regulations will also be important

Why Riverside?

At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.

We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you’ll enjoy:

• Competitive pay & generous pension
• 25 days holidays plus bank holidays (pro rata)
• Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
• A wide range of benefits

Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside:

We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.

Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the role (as set out in the role profile and/or person specification) they will be guaranteed an interview.

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to be considered.

Role Profile

Work collaboratively as part of a committed team to carry out a diverse range of tasks, delivering an outstanding experience to customers whilst being supported by your colleagues and line manager.

• Recognise and identify each individual customer’s needs to ensure they receive a person-centred approach that puts the customer at the heart of everything we do by:
  • Enabling customers to meet the aspirations within their individual support plans, whilst keeping up-to-date information on their changing needs.
  • Helping customers with daily activities, domestic support and assisting with preparation of meals, snacks and drinks whilst ensuring they maintain as much independence as possible.
  • Safely helping with customer’s mobility including use of assessed equipment, aids or other manual handling equipment.
  • Supporting customers with administering medication.
  • Providing personal care and support to customers in line with Care Quality Commission (CQC) definitions, including helping customers to maintain their personal hygiene, appearance and physical wellbeing.
• Inspire and motivate customers to develop life skills, independence and emotional well-being by:
  • Recognising and engaging customers in activities that they show passion or interest in
  • Working with customers to seek employment or volunteering opportunities for their personal development.
  • Encouraging and enabling customers to communicate and interact with other people to build and develop relationships.
  • Supporting and monitoring customers’ emotional wellbeing and healthcare needs ensuring appropriate contact and support with healthcare professionals.
• Helping customers with the management of their personal affairs when this is part of their individual support plan e.g. reading letters, managing utilities, handling small amounts of money for shopping.
• Communicate clearly, building trusted relationships with customers and their wider support network (family, friends, GPs, Social Worker, etc.).
• Provide companionship to customers, engaging in conversation to build genuine and trusted relationships.
• Take pride and initiative in working with customers to meet their needs, creating a safe, comfortable and respectful living environment.
• Maintain detailed, accurate records of care and medication support provided, as well as tasks undertaken.
• Promptly respond to and report any concerns relating to the care, support, well-being or behaviour of customers to a manager, making comprehensive records, ensuring customer confidentiality is observed at all times.
• Recognising any signs of abuse and immediately reporting them to a manager, ensuring local safeguarding procedures are followed.
• Record all complaints and proactively talk through the complaints procedure with customers.
• Ensure the building is well maintained, safe and secure by carrying out basic health and safety checks, security checks, reporting maintenance repairs, maintaining the cleanliness of the building and dealing with any incidences as per the local policy.

Other Duties

• You will be required to work flexible hours to meet customer and business needs
• Ensure customers are safe at all times - carrying out all of your duties within Riverside’s Policy and Procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR opportunities, cash handling, etc.
• Deliver your role in line with Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”.
• Use the Lone Worker system as per policy as and when necessary.
• Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and reflective practice sessions.
• Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to enable you to deliver your role safely.
• From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your line manager.

Additional Information

• The Group has offices across the UK and on this basis, there may be the requirement to travel to other locations to effectively perform this role.
• The role will be exposed to sensitive information; therefore, the role holder is expected to maintain levels of confidentiality at all times.
• In order to fulfil the requirements of this role, you will be required to work flexibly during the hours of operation.
• The role holder is expected to be committed to equal opportunities and to promote non-discriminatory practices in all aspects of work undertaken.

Person specification

Essential Knowledge & Experience

• Experience of working in a team and communicating positively with other people.
• Experience of being able to organise tasks whilst supporting people and plan accordingly
• Be a team player with a caring, empathetic, flexible attitude and demonstrate a resilient, can-do attitude.
• Able to use initiative and have confidence to make and act on decisions.
• Basic administrative & IT skills.

Desirable

• Awareness of CQC standards.
• Experience of providing direct care to a vulnerable and diverse group of customers.