Community Healthcare Assistant

Job overview

This is a newly created post to join our community nursing team in Long Stratton as a Community Healthcare Assistant.

The role will be to visit patients in care homes across the area, and address a variety of care needs, for example, diabetes care / insulin administration, wound care, venepuncture and catheter care.

Our service works 7 days a week. You will be able to demonstrate flexibility as well a sound clinical basis and understanding of community working.

We would welcome prospective applicants to contact us for further information as well as meeting the team.   You will be able to demonstrate a good basic knowledge of health care and appreciation of community based working.

Main duties of the job

• To contribute to the delivery of a variety of interventions for patients with long term conditions, palliative care and rehabilitation needs for example, to achieve quality of life and independence where possible.
• To work within the integrated team to facilitate early discharge from hospital
• To work within the integrated team to prevent unnecessary admission to hospital
• To work with all health care professionals, and statutory/non statutory agencies to provide a seamless, integrated service to our service users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

The post holder will:

• Apply competency based treatment techniques/care to patients with specific conditions under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, following a prescribed treatment/care plan.
• Plan and prioritise own visits to delegated patients, and ensure these are documented in personal work diary.
• Ensure patient held records are completed for each visit, and that SystmOne inputting is completed on a daily basis
• Make basic judgements on patients’ response to prescribed treatment/care plans, and report findings to a qualified practitioner.
• Liaise with other health care professionals as required.
• Overcome barriers to understanding, e.g. patients’ with hearing or cognitive impairment.
• Communicate with patients/carers by exchanging factual information, reassurance, tact and empathy.
• Establish and maintain appropriate working relationships with colleagues, patients, carers and other health care professionals.
• Demonstrate dexterity and coordination when undertaking treatment of patients where accuracy is important, e.g. taking blood sugars, venepuncture, supervising transfers, and passive exercises.
• Be responsible for ensuring equipment is used safely, following relevant training, and that it is maintained appropriately.
• Contribute to the requisitioning of supplies and equipment through electronic ordering systems.
• Work predominantly independently on specified tasks, with regular clinical support and supervision by a qualified practitioner.
• Work with qualified practitioners with group work/clinics as required.
• Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of consent, and gain consent, and gain consent as appropriate following organisational policies.
• Share responsibility for maintaining store cupboards, pool cars, cleaning specialist equipment and general house keeping tasks.
• Share responsibility of indirect patient contact tasks, such as, answering phones, arranging appointments, processing referrals and inputting activity data.
• Undertake health promotion/education as required, e.g. smoking cessation, falls etc.
• Will be exposed to bodily fluids, infected material, blood products on a daily basis, therefore must utilise universal precautions and adhere to infection control policies.
• Demonstrate basic IT and standard keyboard skills.

Professional

The post holder will:

1. To be an active member of the in-service training programme by attendance at and participation in staff meetings, training sessions, courses and reflective practice.

2. To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as an appraisee, maintaining a dynamic personal development plan.

3. To demonstrate an awareness of clinical governance and risk management and apply to work situations.

4. To provide peer support to other carers.

5. To develop competencies to enhance practice and ability to meet needs of patients and the service.

Communication

• To establish and maintain therapeutic relationships with patients and carers, incorporating motivation, encouragement and confidence building.
• To demonstrate an ability to communicate with patients/carers with complex needs, using clear and effective verbal/non-verbal communication.
• To gather and collate information to enable co-ordinator to plan interventions/liaison with others.
• To provide direct feedback to professionals as appropriate, and in a clear and concise way.
• To contribute to accurate and timely patient records, including data collection.
• To communicate and share information with DN’s, GP’s and SW’s as necessary.
• Be able to communicate effectively with patients/relatives with communication difficulties i.e. deafness, blindness, learning difficulties.
• To provide feedback to co-ordinator in a clear and concise way

Organisational

The post holder will:

1. Undertake mandatory training as required.

2. Participate in a Personal Development Review process.

3. Undertake Personal Development Plans for other staff members.

4. Take part in clinical supervision as per Trust Policy.

5. Follow Trust policies, and local procedures.

6. Ensure absence reporting is undertaken as determined by Team Leader and Trust Policy.

7. Contribute to clinical audit as required.

8. Complete the staff survey as required.

9. Complete risk assessments and incident forms as required