Purpose of role
To ensure that customers receive excellent quality care and support to keep them safe and comfortable in their own homes.
Key responsibilities
Support the registered manager and/or lead supervisor with:
· the efficient running of a designated area and the supervision of care assistants;
· ensuring that Bluebird Care provides safe, effective, high quality care that is responds to each customer’s needs and preferences; and
· ensuring that our services respect customers’ choices and promote their dignity and privacy at all times.
Duties:
Work well with customers
· Prior to each service commencing, carry out with customers (and/or their chosen representatives) an assessment of what the customer needs and what they would like to achieve from their care and support, together with a risk assessment.
· Create and agree a written individually tailored plan of care and support that respects the customer’s wishes and promotes their dignity and privacy. Agree appropriate risk control measures to reduce identified risks. Keep care and support plans up to date.
· Provide the customer and, where appropriate their representatives, with information about the service so they are clear about what to expect and how they can raise any concerns.
· Keep all information about customers and their families secure and confidential.
Work well with staff
· Give care assistants appropriate information and guidance to effectively and safely provide care and support as agreed in the care and support plan.
· Work with the Bluebird Care coordinator to appropriately match care assistants to customers. Attend the customer's first call to introduce the care corker. Report changes to care schedules without delay to the coordinator, customer and care assistant.
· Distribute, collect and monitor MAR charts.
· Support, supervise and assist with training of care assistants.
· Take part in the out of hours emergency on-call rota as and when required. Effectively deal with emergency on-call issues e.g. covering calls either directly or indirectly when care assistants are sick or absent. Record emergency calls and pass the information to appropriate parties.
· Arrange and manage staff changeovers and briefings for live in care assignments in the absence of the lead supervisor and registered manager.
Quality improvement
· Investigate matters relating to the quality of the service and implement improvements.
· Monitor the performance of care assistants and carry out quality reviews at the customer’s home to make sure the service is being delivered in line with company procedures.
· Apply Bluebird Care policies and procedures at all times and make sure that accidents and incidents are recorded, reported and acted upon.
· Make sure care and support is provided in line with regulatory requirements and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in England and Wales or Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 in Scotland.
· Work effectively with customers, their families and representatives, other social and health care professionals and managers and staff from Bluebird Care to deliver high quality homecare services.
Work well as part of the Bluebird Care team
· Work flexibly to meet business needs
· Lead staff and customer meetings
· Lead and participate in training activities, appraisals and development meetings
This list is not exhaustive and additional duties may be required.
We have provided a picture of skills, knowledge and experience required to carry out this role. We will use the essential criteria to select suitable applicants for this post. You should demonstrate, using examples where possible, how you meet the essential criteria.
Essential criteria
Personal attributes
Kind and Caring – compassionate towards others who need support.
Professional and Respected - excellent time keeper, reliable and understanding of
professional boundaries. Dedicated to non-discriminatory care practice. This means
respecting people suffering from a range of medical conditions with different backgrounds
and beliefs to your own.
Innovative – strong problem-solver, who thinks outside of the box to identify solutions and
opportunities.
Supportive – a team player and fantastic communicator, with good emotional intelligence.
Fun and Passionate – understand that homecare can bring joy and happiness to a
customers’ day, and strive to achieve this.
Knowledge and understanding
Good understanding of the needs of people who require care and support at home and the
principles of good care practice
Knowledge of effective care and support planning that is centred on the individual needs and
wishes of each customer
Relevant social care qualification, or willing to work towards gaining this qualification
Knowledge of what confidentiality means in relation to home care services and why this is
important
Good understanding of health and safety matters in relation to home care services and of
safeguarding people at risk of harm
Experience and skills
Experience of communicating clearly and building positive working relationships with people
who use social care services and social and health care professionals
Ability to support customers with all aspects of their daily living in a manner that respects
their dignity, is non- judgmental and promotes their independence, choices and privacy
Experience of care services
Able to write clear risk assessments, care and support plans and other records
Ability to plan and organise workloads effectively so that customers receive the services that they expect
Ability to use own initiative and work alone or as part of a team especially in an emergency
Good administrative skills and computer literacy
Ability to lead and manage a team of care assistants and provide appropriate support,
guidance and training
Ability and willingness to follow Bluebird Care’s policies, procedures and instructions
Additional requirements
Willingness to work flexibly and to keep knowledge and skills up to date.
This role will require you to obtain an Enhanced satisfactory clearance from the Disclosure
and Barring Service formally known as the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure
Full drivers licence with no more than 6 points and Class 1 business insurance (valid MOT)
Desirable criteria
Experience of supervising the delivery of social care services
Previous experience of risk assessment and person centred care and support planning