Palliative Care Out of Hours Community Healthcare Assistant
An exciting and rare opportunity has arisen for a Palliative Care Out of Hours Community Healthcare Assistant to join our Community team, here at St Nicholas Hospice Care.
Would you like to be part of pioneering service expanding the Out of Hours provision for specialist palliative care services supporting patients across West Suffolk and Thetford.
We are looking for a driven healthcare assistant with palliative care and community experience to work alongside our registered clinician.
You will be able to support patients where they call home. This includes providing support and education to family carers and patients in variety of areas such as mouth care and re-positioning. Supporting care needs and communicating with families and carers about key changes in the patients conditions.
(Clinical support is provided out of hours).
This is a fixed term (contract hours negotiable) working 20.00-08.00 across 7 days per week.
Post 1: 37 hours per week
Post 2: 30 hours per week
Working alongside the Early Intervention Team within West Suffolk Hospital out of hours to facilitate an effective response and to those with unmet palliative care needs.
You would be joining a passionate and committed team, supporting a seven day a week community service, delivering often complex symptom control, emotional support and family education. Working as a part of an integrated team you would work closely within a broad MDT, including our medical team, Allied Healthcare Professionals and Psychological Support
Main duties of the job
Under the direction of registered clinical staff, provide high quality palliative and end of lifecare for patients across West Suffolk and Thetford, primarily in their own homes, asdelegated by a registered health care professional
Provide formal and informal training and education for families and carers
Work collaboratively with colleagues across other organisations
Drive or navigate the OOH vehicle, allowing the registered professional to continue to triage calls and offer clinical advice
Actively support and model the SNHC Values: Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Equity
About us
St Nicholas Hospice Care is an independent charity, providing palliative and end of life care across West Suffolk and Thetford, both in the community and at our Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds site. Our vision is: Everyone in our communities has choice, dignity and support when facing dying, death and bereavement.
As an employee you will receive the following benefits:
* Working in our beautiful hospice surroundings, including our therapeutic gardens
* Social events (such as photography group, quiz nights, picnics, book club, St Nics Sings, and more)
* Access to our annual Norburn Awards ceremony, in support of our organisational values
* Occasional opportunity for some home working, on negotiation
* 25 days annual leave increasing to 29 with service (pro rata for part time employees)
* Home-made meals available in our onsite bistro
* Access to a group pension plan or continuation of NHS Pension (subject to criteria)
* Life assurance
* Free onsite parking
* Access to Blue Light Card scheme discounts
Job responsibilities
Clinical
Under the direction of the registered professional, provide personal care and comfort measures to meet the needs of people in their own homes who require palliative and end of life care, including interventions to maintain skin integrity, and pressure relief, reporting matters of concern to the registered practitioner
Measure, observe and record clinical observations as required, reporting matters of concern to the registered practitioner
Obtain specimens, as directed by the registered practitioner
Support the care of catheters and other devices to manage continence, ensuring that SNHC policy is followed
Assist individuals to undertake care related activities independently, enabling choice
Assist individuals to maintain mobility to promote independence
Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records of care
Sign post or refer to other services, as required working within own competence
Under the direction of the registered practitioner, collaborate with the assessment and provision of environment support, aids or technology, liaising with specialist services as required
Support the autonomy and independence of patients, with awareness of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005)
Demonstrate a sound understanding of safeguarding, escalating matters of concern appropriately
Provide a telephone answering service for the registered practitioner as required, ensuring accuracy and acting within the bounds of own competence
Under the direction of the registered practitioner, undertake clinical audits as required
Promote best clinical practice as per agreed national, professional and local standards and policies
Leadership
Act as a role model at all times
Work collaboratively with registered and non-registered staff, including West Suffolk Alliance partners, ensuring that care is coordinated
Promote user, carer and public experience by collecting patient experience data, as required
Actively engage in new ways of working, under the direction of the registered practitioner
Education and Research
Maintain own continuous professional development
Utilise opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills of other healthcare professionals, both by formal and informal means
Provide education and training for informal carers and family members to enable them to deliver appropriate and safe care for people at the end of life
Special Features of the Role
The OOH role will be a one year fixed term post, working 22.00-08.00 Friday Monday
Post holders may be required to work across a number of settings and locations, in West Suffolk and Thetford
The service provides care over 52 weeks of the year and clinical roles are rostered to provide this coverage. Whilst rosters are created 2-3 months in advance, there may be exceptional circumstances in which the post holder may be asked to change a scheduled rota at short notice in times of service need
The post holder will need to hold a full, valid driving licence, lease car is available for us
Follow lone working principles at all times
Person Specification
Experience
* Demonstrable palliative or end of life care experience
* Previous experience of working in a care role, preferably in a community setting
* Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
* Experience of working autonomously within lone working principles, supporting the care needs of people with complex conditions and symptoms
Skills and Abilities
* Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, engaging in interactions with empathy at all times.
* Demonstrate understanding of the principles of advance care planning and the ReSPECT process
* Demonstrable palliative or end of life care experience
* Understanding of holistic and person centred care delivery
* Ability to use a range of IT systems and software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Office 365 and electronic patient record systems (such as SystmOne) as well as virtual systems e.g. Zoom, MS Teams
* Driving licence
* Ability to motivate self and others and to lead by example
* Excellent oral/written communication and interpersonal skills
* Able to recognise the value of working as part of a team across settings and organisations
* Ability to work under pressure, manage own stress and emotional responses, and be aware of stress in others
Qualifications
* Completion of the Care Certificate or NVQ Level 2 in a related subject
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.
Advanced Clinical Practitioner/OOH Project Lead
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