Job description

Job responsibilities

The Hospice at Home service cares for patients throughout Cambridgeshire who choose to remain in their own home in their last weeks of life. We are holistic in our approach and the care is tailored to each persons specific needs. The compassionate team of Nurses and Healthcare Assistants provide practical and holistic care supporting patients and their families.

Job Purpose:

To work within a team to assist in the delivery of nursing and palliative care, ensuring the highest standard of care are received by patients and their families in their own home.

Main Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the delivery of a planned programme of care under the direction of the Registered Nurse
• To carry out tasks involving direct patient care and support to patients and families
• To act within the limits of your competency and authority
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by participating in the multi disciplinary team working to support individuals in their own homes.
• Promote the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of patients at all times

Clinical Intervention:

• Report general observations and feedback to the Registered Nurse both verbally and in written formats on system one, including any significant changes in the patients condition

• Undertake specific duties that contribute to the assessment of patients as requested by the Registered Nurse
• Seek appropriate advice and support from the Registered Nurse during occasions when patients or their carers become distressed
• Adhere to Arthur Rank Hospice Charity Infection Prevention and Control Policy
• Maintain the dignity of the patient at all times whilst dealing with aspects of personal care

• Communicate effectively with patients, carers, staff and other professionals. Use a variety of verbal and non-verbal skills to overcome communication barriers presented by patients due to their cognitive or impaired sensory deficits.
• Support individuals and carers to cope with their emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being
• Maintain accurate patient records in accordance with the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity Record Keeping policy
• Plan with registered professionals activities, interventions or treatments to achieve specified goals and care plans
• Contribute to care planning by monitoring and evaluating therapeutic interventions within an overall programme of care
• Help individuals to retain, regain and develop the skills to manage their lives and environment including enabling individuals to use assistive technology
• Work in collaboration with family/carers to enable them to support individuals
• Extra skills that can be used within the community must be competency assessed yearly and can only be carried out under the Arthur Rank Hospice Delegation Policy and under the guidance of a Registered Nurse, such as wound care.
• Demonstrate the ability to use basic listening skills with patients and their relatives/carers when appropriate
• Under the guidance of a Registered Nurse, maximise physical comfort and well-being of patients in terms of hygiene, mobility, toileting and nutritional needs
• To exercise care and economy in the use of stores
• Support volunteers, students and colleagues.

Special feature of the job

• The service provides care 7 days a week across Cambridgeshire and clinical staff are rostered to provide this coverage. Whilst the rosters are created 5- 8 weeks in advance, there may be exceptional circumstances in which the job holder will need to be flexible to change a scheduled rota at short notice in times of clinical staffing crisis.

Personal Development

• Develop your own knowledge and practice and reflect on and evaluate your own values, priorities, interests and effectiveness. Monitor your own work practice.
• With the support of the team leader take responsibility for attending clinical supervision and staff de briefing sessions.
• All staff are encouraged to contribute to identifying and meeting their own job-related development needs. This will be achieved through a variety of processes including 1-21s with line managers or senior colleagues, annual appraisal and development reviews.
• All employees are subject to an annual appraisal and to maximise the benefit from this process the employee must engage in the review and agree with their Line Manager organisational, team and personal objectives
• Each employee must co-operate and attend all appropriate mandatory and statutory training as required by the organisation.

Health and Safety

• Attends statutory training with respect to moving and handling, fire safety and basic life support
• Reports any defect in equipment immediately to the person with overall responsibility at that time.
• Undertake dynamic risk assessments

• Under the direction of the Registered Nurse, play a specific role in maintaining a safe environment for patients, staff and families
• Ensure your own actions reduce risks to health and safety. Minimise the risk of spreading infection by cleaning, disinfection and storing care equipment. Ensure your actions contribute to a positive and safe working culture.
• Protect individuals from abuse
• Support the safeguarding of individuals

Key working relationships

• Patients and families providing personal care to patients and emotional/spiritual support and guidance to patients and families
• Colleagues working with all members of the MDT to plan and deliver specialist care and escalating information or concerns about patients to the Registered Nurse
• Other agencies sharing information regarding patient care needs to relevant agencies

Job responsibilities

The Hospice at Home service cares for patients throughout Cambridgeshire who choose to remain in their own home in their last weeks of life. We are holistic in our approach and the care is tailored to each persons specific needs. The compassionate team of Nurses and Healthcare Assistants provide practical and holistic care supporting patients and their families.

Job Purpose:

To work within a team to assist in the delivery of nursing and palliative care, ensuring the highest standard of care are received by patients and their families in their own home.

Main Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the delivery of a planned programme of care under the direction of the Registered Nurse
• To carry out tasks involving direct patient care and support to patients and families
• To act within the limits of your competency and authority
• Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by participating in the multi disciplinary team working to support individuals in their own homes.
• Promote the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of patients at all times

Clinical Intervention:

• Report general observations and feedback to the Registered Nurse both verbally and in written formats on system one, including any significant changes in the patients condition

• Undertake specific duties that contribute to the assessment of patients as requested by the Registered Nurse
• Seek appropriate advice and support from the Registered Nurse during occasions when patients or their carers become distressed
• Adhere to Arthur Rank Hospice Charity Infection Prevention and Control Policy
• Maintain the dignity of the patient at all times whilst dealing with aspects of personal care

• Communicate effectively with patients, carers, staff and other professionals. Use a variety of verbal and non-verbal skills to overcome communication barriers presented by patients due to their cognitive or impaired sensory deficits.
• Support individuals and carers to cope with their emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being
• Maintain accurate patient records in accordance with the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity Record Keeping policy
• Plan with registered professionals activities, interventions or treatments to achieve specified goals and care plans
• Contribute to care planning by monitoring and evaluating therapeutic interventions within an overall programme of care
• Help individuals to retain, regain and develop the skills to manage their lives and environment including enabling individuals to use assistive technology
• Work in collaboration with family/carers to enable them to support individuals
• Extra skills that can be used within the community must be competency assessed yearly and can only be carried out under the Arthur Rank Hospice Delegation Policy and under the guidance of a Registered Nurse, such as wound care.
• Demonstrate the ability to use basic listening skills with patients and their relatives/carers when appropriate
• Under the guidance of a Registered Nurse, maximise physical comfort and well-being of patients in terms of hygiene, mobility, toileting and nutritional needs
• To exercise care and economy in the use of stores
• Support volunteers, students and colleagues.

Special feature of the job

• The service provides care 7 days a week across Cambridgeshire and clinical staff are rostered to provide this coverage. Whilst the rosters are created 5- 8 weeks in advance, there may be exceptional circumstances in which the job holder will need to be flexible to change a scheduled rota at short notice in times of clinical staffing crisis.

Personal Development

• Develop your own knowledge and practice and reflect on and evaluate your own values, priorities, interests and effectiveness. Monitor your own work practice.
• With the support of the team leader take responsibility for attending clinical supervision and staff de briefing sessions.
• All staff are encouraged to contribute to identifying and meeting their own job-related development needs. This will be achieved through a variety of processes including 1-21s with line managers or senior colleagues, annual appraisal and development reviews.
• All employees are subject to an annual appraisal and to maximise the benefit from this process the employee must engage in the review and agree with their Line Manager organisational, team and personal objectives
• Each employee must co-operate and attend all appropriate mandatory and statutory training as required by the organisation.

Health and Safety

• Attends statutory training with respect to moving and handling, fire safety and basic life support
• Reports any defect in equipment immediately to the person with overall responsibility at that time.
• Undertake dynamic risk assessments

• Under the direction of the Registered Nurse, play a specific role in maintaining a safe environment for patients, staff and families
• Ensure your own actions reduce risks to health and safety. Minimise the risk of spreading infection by cleaning, disinfection and storing care equipment. Ensure your actions contribute to a positive and safe working culture.
• Protect individuals from abuse
• Support the safeguarding of individuals

Key working relationships

• Patients and families providing personal care to patients and emotional/spiritual support and guidance to patients and families
• Colleagues working with all members of the MDT to plan and deliver specialist care and escalating information or concerns about patients to the Registered Nurse
• Other agencies sharing information regarding patient care needs to relevant agencies

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience as a Healthcare Assistant (or equivalent) in a hospice, hospital or community setting
• Experience of working Independently

Skills/Ability/Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to empathise with the needs of the clients
• Ability to work as part of a team

Qualifications

Essential

• Good general education
• NVQ2 or willingness to undertake

Qualities and Attributes

Essential

• Ability to work under pressure and in difficult/emotional situations
• Interest in the provision of palliative care

Other Requirements

Essential

• Car driver

Experience

Essential

• Experience as a Healthcare Assistant (or equivalent) in a hospice, hospital or community setting
• Experience of working Independently

Skills/Ability/Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to empathise with the needs of the clients
• Ability to work as part of a team

Qualifications

Essential

• Good general education
• NVQ2 or willingness to undertake

Qualities and Attributes

Essential

• Ability to work under pressure and in difficult/emotional situations
• Interest in the provision of palliative care

Other Requirements

Essential

• Car driver

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Arthur Rank Hospice Charity

Address

North Cambridgeshire Hospital

The Park

Wisbech

Cambridgeshire

PE13 3AB

Employer's website

https://www.arhc.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)