Therapy Assistant - Bathing Service

NHS; Blackburn; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking compassionate individuals to join their therapeutic bathing service team. This role offers a unique opportunity to provide tailored support to patients with life-limiting illnesses, enhancing their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. As part of a dedicated hospice team, you will manage a caseload, ensuring high-quality care and adapting to the changing needs of patients. If you thrive in a nurturing environment and are passionate about making a difference in the lives of others, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Experience in a practical caring role, especially with life-limiting illness.
• Good standard of education, ideally NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Manage a bathing caseload and maintain an efficient diary system.
• Collaborate with nurses for robust patient assessments and care plans.
• Provide physical care and maintain patient dignity and privacy.

Skills

Communication Skills

Compassion

Creativity

Flexibility

Empathy

Education

NVQ Level 3 in a related field

Care Certificate

Job description

An exciting opportunity is available due to the success of our therapeutic bathing service and the benefits it brings for those with life-limiting illness and associated limitations. With substantial experience of working within a practical caring role, well-developed communication skills, and an abundance of compassion, humour, and sensitivity, you will manage an identified caseload and provide tailored bathing support specific to the needs of each individual. As part of the wider hospice team, you will contribute to the delivery of the hospice strategy and values. While primarily working within the bathing service, you may be required to work across clinical departments to meet patient needs and support your own development.

Main duties of the job

You will have the creativity, flexibility, and commitment to deliver a high-quality, positive service to our patients and their families and be able to adapt quickly to their changing circumstances. You will have experience of working with individuals with life-limiting illness, a good standard of education, and will ideally have achieved the Care Certificate and be educated to the equivalent of NVQ Level 3 in a related field.

Please see attached Job Description for further information.

About us

East Lancashire Hospice is a registered charity, founded in 1984. We support and care for patients with a life-limiting illness, their families, and others close to them. We provide this in various ways; at the hospice and in people's own homes across our community of Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn, and the Ribble Valley.

With approximately 120 employees and over 250 volunteers, our people are our biggest asset whom we value tremendously. Our services to the local community would not be possible without our motivated and caring workforce who always strive to deliver excellence. The hospice is a unique and special place; kindness and compassion are qualities that run throughout, and our people truly believe in what we do.

Job responsibilities

Facilitate access to our bathing service, providing a therapeutic experience that benefits patients' physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Manage an identified bathing caseload and maintain a robust diary system to maximise use of available facilities and resources.

Collaborate with hospice registered nurses to ensure a robust assessment is undertaken, incorporating assessment of home-based facilities for bathing/showering and the safety considerations required for the delivery of the bathing service.

Actively contribute to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of individualised therapeutic bathing support that enhances health and wellbeing outcomes, consistently seeking to understand changing needs and preferences to ensure an individualised bathing experience.

Undertake dynamic risk assessments at each intervention, adapting the plan and/or accessing additional support as necessary.

Maintain the privacy and dignity of each patient.

Utilise excellent communication skills, using empathy, tact, sensitivity, and discretion when working with palliative patients who may be distressed at times.

Create an ambiance tailored to individual preferences through the use of sound, lighting, toiletries, etc.

Actively engage with patients to identify and achieve their priorities and goals, supporting meaningful activity that enhances quality of life and promotes autonomy and independence.

Maintain accurate written records and provide verbal feedback that is timely, focused, and objective, including changes/deterioration in a person's condition and/or concerns for family/carers.

Provide physical care for patients as necessary, for example, assisting people to access toilet facilities and supporting personal care needs during the hospice visit.

Contribute to information collection to meet national minimum data set requirements, organisational reporting, local and national audits, as well as other evaluation programmes.

Where required, work across hospice departments and support the delivery of therapeutic activities, including those prescribed by registered practitioners such as nurses and physiotherapists.

Maintain a robust awareness of wider hospice provision and support services and signpost where appropriate to achieve the best outcomes for patients.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Please see attached Person Specification

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, and as such, a submission for Disclosure will be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.