Palliative Care Support Worker (Inpatient Unit) in Hereford

Spinal Point Range: 5-6 (Plus, unsocial hours payments see below)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract Type: Both Permanent and Fixed Term (12 months)

Department: Hospice Care Services

Location: St Michaels Hospice, Bartestree

Reports to: Hub Team Manager, Sister/Charge Nurse/ Senior Nurse (depending on setting)

Job Purpose: In and across all areas of St Michaels provision of Care. To deliver individualised, holistic palliative nursing care to patients and their families in their own homes/inpatient care setting to enhance their quality of life.

Care Provision:

• Provide individualised care to the patient and family members under the delegated direction of registered nurses, following care plans and risk assessment.
• Following appropriate training to undertake a range of clinical care interventions e.g. stoma care.
• Develop and utilise skills in decision-making to enhance patient care, working in an autonomous environment, where appropriate.
• Perform simple dressing changes following care plan.
• Contribute to clinical and health and safety risk assessments.
• Using discretion and judgement in emergency situations.
• Escalate changes in condition of patients/relatives to the nurse on duty.
• Provide emotional/psychological support to the patient and their family, identifying referrals to the wider hospice services.
• Ensure patients' privacy and dignity are maintained at all times.
• Maintain a safe environment for both patients and staff.
• Provide final care for the deceased patient.
• Understand the complications/harm e.g. falls, pressure sores etc. that can be caused by patient immobility and contribute to the prevention of such complications.
• Helping with food preparation, ensuring dietary needs are met and helping to feed patients when indicated.
• Provide medication management up to and including tier 3, working within your own personal competency.
• Be aware of the indications for use of syringe drivers.
• Responsible for the timely disposal and documentation of clinical waste and laundry, appropriate to care setting.

Communication:

• Create and promote a positive image for the organisation.
• Encourage patients/relatives/carers to express what is important to them to identify their needs, ensure that this information is recorded and informs the care plan.
• Communicate in a professional and effective manner, with an open and honest approach with internal and external health care professionals, patients, relatives and carers.
• Recognise own limitations when offering emotional support.
• Contribute to the bereavement care offered to families, reporting any vulnerabilities to the registered nurse.
• Maintain patient confidentiality at all times.
• Promote awareness of child and adult protection issues and hospice policy.
• Be a team player, following guidelines and policies.
• Keep accurate records of the care provided.
• Working inter-professionally within the organisation.
• Provide volunteers with information to enable them to give appropriate care to patients and their visitors.
• Encourage user feedback.

Health and Safety:

• Act at all times to promote the safety and wellbeing of patients, relatives/carers, visitors and volunteers.
• Be aware of patients that are at risk e.g. of falling and ways to prevent falls.
• Contribute to health and safety risk assessments and actions as required.
• Follow the incident reporting process.
• Follow policies of dress code to enable safe practice and ensure infection control is adhered to.
• Ensure the environment is free from hazards and all nursing equipment is clean, in good working order, safety and appropriately used and stored.
• Safe storage and use of hazardous substances according to COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations.
• Report faulty equipment to the facilities team using the WAM system.
• Adhere to all of SMH policies and procedures.

Education:

• Attend mandatory training and service training opportunities.
• Develop and maintain own knowledge and skills in palliative care.
• Undertake an appraisal and personal development review annually; considering aspirations for the future with a long-term goal; utilising education facilities offered at the hospice to enhance learning opportunities.
• Act as a mentor and role model to new staff members.

Specialist Knowledge and Experience:

• Essential: Experience of delivering hands-on care.
• Experience of dealing with challenging situations.
• Basic IT skills.
• Dependent on care setting, be in possession of a full UK driving licence, be over 21 and have held a full licence for 12 months.
• Desirable: Care Certificate NVQ Level 3 in care or equivalent.
• Experience of delivering hands-on care for people requiring palliative care.

Skills and Behaviours:

• Team Working: Fits in with the team. Develops effective and supportive relationships with colleagues. Is considerate towards them and creates a sense of team spirit.
• Patient Focus: Puts the patient first, works hard to meet their needs and look after their interests.
• Relating to others: Quickly builds rapport and easily establishes relationships. Relates well to different types of people, listens and gets on with them.
• Planning and organising: Organises own time effectively. Prioritises workload.
• Communication: Speaks clearly, fluently and demonstrates active listening.
• Reliability: Follows direction from supervisors and respects policies and procedures. Shows commitment to the organisation and task completion.
• Resilient: Remains calm and self-controlled under pressure. Reacts well to change and stays positive despite setbacks. Keeps difficulties in perspective.

Special Conditions:

• This post is conditional to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
• Requirement to work evenings, weekends and nights.
• Dependent on care setting may be prepared to travel throughout the county.

Unsocial hours payments:

• Saturdays: Payment at basic salary + 33.33%
• Sundays: Payment at basic salary + 66.66%
• Bank Holidays: Payment at basic salary + 66.66%
• Nights: Payment at basic salary + 33.33%

Our values: What matters to you is what's important to us. To ensure we deliver upon this every day, we empower people to work collaboratively to reach the best possible decisions, realise them in the best possible way and at the best possible time. We value: Knowledge, judgment, and kindness in reaching the best possible decisions; Courage, integrity, and passion in realising those decisions in the best possible way; Honesty, empathy, and determination in doing so at the best possible time. Living our values influences the way we behave. The way we behave informs the way we do things. The way we do things is the St Michaels way.

Equal Opportunities Statement: At St Michaels Hospice we are committed to an equal opportunities approach in everything we do.