Senior Healthcare Assistant

Job overview

Please note this vacancy requires a face to face interview with the Recruiting Manager. Applicants that are unable to attend a face to face interview need not apply.

Previous applicants need not apply. If you have previously applied for this role and your application was not successful you will not be considered during the shortlisting stage.

Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT ) is currently recruiting Senior Healthcare Assistants to join their Community Care Coordination Service . This unique service supports patients living with frailty and long term conditions living at home. We provide comprehensive assessments exploring the health and social needs of patients and try to improve their quality as life as much as we can. Our aim is to support independence and dignity for patients and their support network. The service is provided across boroughs of Southend and Castlepoint and Rochford. The role is community based and requires you to be able to drive and have a full driving licence. As a part of our team will be expected to work autonomously, unsupervised and to manage own workload. You will undertake thorough reviews using assessment skills and tools to identify any health or social issues patient may have. Work with patient to identify smart goals and complete individualized care plans to support patient to maintain their independence and safety in their own homes.

Main duties of the job

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all of our job roles.  If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately your application form will be rejected from the process.

The successful candidate will carry out reviews on patients who are living with frailty and long term conditions. The role includes ordering equipment, making referrals to enhance patient well-being, working alongside Care Coordinators, pharmacy and the community integrated support team. Candidates should be enthusiastic, motivated, willing to learn and be able to demonstrate good interpersonal skills when communicating with patients, family members, colleagues and other members of the multidisciplinary team. A good sense of humour is also a plus! The team aims to support patients to maintain their independence and safety, avoid unnecessary hospital admission or readmissions.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES CLINICAL

• Effectively manage telephone and face-to-face enquiries from all staff groups, patients, relatives and carers providing information as required.
• Direct and prioritise queries as appropriate to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the service delivery.
• Provide support for activities of daily living as and when required
• To maintain efficient systems to ensure that documentation and information is effectively managed and filed with accuracy and sensitivity, maintaining confidentiality at all times
• Ability to work on own initiative, unsupervised and to manage own workload.
• To undertake through individual care plans, personal, practical and rehabilitative duties as set by the care coordinator including assist patients with rehabilitation programmes including but not restricted to personal hygiene, shopping and meal .
• To support patients with their inhaler technique, guiding and teaching where necessary.
• The Senior Health Care Assistant will work without supervision, Assess and review patients, support and co-create a goal based, personalised care plan.
• To perform welfare checks, guided by the personal support plan, work autonomously, using assessment skills to identify any problems the patient is struggling with or expresses, linking back to the care coordinator to create a new goal based personalised support plan for the patient.
• To refer to other services and collaborate with the wider professional community
• To assess and order equipment for the patient’s home, such as grab rails.
• Complete at home continence assessments refer on if necessary.
• To complete Hospital to home assessment to assess wellbeing since attending hospital.
• Preparation and support with daily routines, eating and drinking, skin care and assisting patients with their mobility as necessary.
• To perform joint visits with other professionals as required.
• To support other members of staff, teaching where necessary skills and knowledge which you may have and may be transferable to others in the team.
• To observe, record and report any changes in individual conditions and circumstances and ensure that they are reported to the care coordinator immediately.
• Assist in the risk assessment of the individual and of potential hazards in the patient’s home and ensure that any hazards or risks identified are reported immediately.
• To be aware of emergency procedures required for working in the community and how to act accordingly, ensuring that individual staff and patient safety are maintained.
• Observe patient progress against planned goals and report changes in the patients’ condition or care needs to a registered nurse in a timely manner e.g. on a routine or urgent basis depending on the priority.
• Carry out safe moving and handling practice, on a daily basis for patients in accordance with planned programmes of care and Trust policies.
• Undertake clinical observations e.g. temperature, blood pressure, urine testing and report result to care coordinator.
• Develop and establish meaningful rapport with patients and their relatives/carers and demonstrate an awareness of individual patient needs.
• Attend service meetings.
• Ensure own approach to patient care respects the patients’ privacy and dignity at all times, including a respect for patient choice.
• Communicate effectively with other members of the Care Coordination team and multidisciplinary team, and maintain good working relationships with colleagues. Work positively with health and social care colleagues to maintain effectively working relationships.
• Seek support and advice from more experienced colleagues when faced with matters outside of sphere of responsibility or knowledge.

Accurately and promptly, record patient care delivered and observations, ensuring compliance with Trust policy.

• Attend training sessions and staff development activities as deemed necessary by the Team Leader; disseminating information where appropriate to other members of staff.
• Be Open Compassionate Empowering

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) brings together key health, care, community, and voluntary sector organisations from across our area. Our aim is to work together in partnership to join up health and care services, improving our population’s health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities. One such example of this collaborative work is the launch of our HCA Academy, an ICS initiative between Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) to support the incoming Health Care assistant (HCA) workforce. The academy models a ‘one workforce’ cross system approach to the onboarding, induction, education and experience of Healthcare Assistants.

To support this ‘one workforce model’ the successful candidate for this post will be required to attend our 5 day (Monday to Friday) face to face Induction Programme at our MSE ICS Education Hub at Brentwood Community Hospital. Your start date will therefore fall on one of two of the HCA Academy induction dates across the month, which will be discussed and agreed during the recruitment process.

Our HCA Academy Induction programme has been designed to train and support the successful candidate through the early stages of their employment at EPUT and will provide opportunities to enhance skills, knowledge and experience.

Further information will be provided post interview.

This will be followed by an additional 5 day (Monday to Friday) EPUT corporate / mandatory training welcome. (EPUT Welcome will be varied between face to face and virtual delivery).