Heart Failure Healthcare Assistant

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 3 Health Care Assistant to join the Norwich Heart Failure Nurse Team, based at Norwich Community Hospital.

This small, friendly team requires a keen and motivated health care assistant to work within the heart failure team to provide care and support to Heart Failure patients in the Norwich area.

This service operates Monday to Friday, 9-5, some flexibility around working hours.

Main duties of the job

This role involves providing support to the registered nurses to visit patients in their home, providing telephone support delivering lifestyle advice, support with telemonitoring and exercise management. In addition you will be supporting patients and families with disease progression and acting  in a holistic manner working as a team member.

Good communication and collaboration as part of the heart failure team is essential. You will have regular supervision and professional development opportunities.

The Heart Failure Team, provides specialist advice and guidance to families either in their home, clinic or telephone. Working with patient and families to educate and support to be able to self manage condition.

This post involves driving to  patients homes and you must have a valid driving license to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work generically in provision of care, to patients under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, following a prescribed treatment/care plan to prevent admission to hospital.

Plan and prioritise own visits to delegated patients.

Ensure digital patient record  is completed  for each patient contact 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.

Communicate with patients/carers by exchanging factual information, reassurance, tact and empathy.

Deliver and install equipment used for telehealth monitoring.  Teach patients and carers to correctly use the equipment and assess patient.

Maintain accurate records for delivery and collection of equipment.

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 pressure.

Be responsible for ensuring equipment is used safely, following relevant training, and that it is maintained appropriately.

Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of consent, and gain consent as appropriate following organisational policies.

Share responsibility of indirect patient contact tasks, such as, answering telephones, arranging appointments, processing referrals and inputting activity data.

Undertake health promotion / education as required, e.g. exercise advice,  smoking cessation, falls, dietary education, managing breathlessness, etc.

Utilise universal precautions and adhere to infection control policies as appropriate.

Attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary team meetings and other meetings where appropriate.

Attend in-house and competency training as required in development of current job role.

Work predominately independently on specified tasks, with regular clinical support and supervision by a qualified practitioner.

Be aware of limitations of own scope of practice and competency, and when to involve a more senior practitioner, both in daily practice and in emergency situations.

Acknowledge and recognise peoples’ expressed beliefs, preferences, and choices.

Demonstrate an awareness of clinical governance and risk management and apply to work situation.

To provide peer support to other assistants.

Actively contribute to team working and express ideas on improving services for users and the team.

Share responsibility for maintaining store cupboards, cleaning specialist equipment and general housekeeping tasks.

This job description is not exhaustive and may be amended from time to time in consultation with the post holder. The post holder will be required to undertake any other duties as may be required for the effective performance of the post.