Domiciliary Care Worker in Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds

To provide personal care and support to people in their own homes in line with an agreed care and support plan. To care for service users in non-discriminatory ways, respecting each user’s dignity, individuality, cultural and social background and independence. To work with other staff employed by the service and where involved with staff from other services in order to provide an integrated approach to people’s health and care. To work in partnership with users’ family members and friends who are involved in their care and support. To contribute to individual wellbeing. To be familiar with the service’s safeguarding policy and procedures and ensure that it is always implemented.

Principal responsibilities

• Help with their activities of daily living, e.g. getting up in the morning, going to bed at night, dressing, undressing, washing, bathing and toilet arrangements.
• Help service users overcome any mobility problems and other physical disabilities, including helping in the use and care of aids and personal equipment.
• Help make a person physically comfortable by, e.g. making and changing beds, tidying rooms, doing light cleaning, laundry and emptying commodes if used.
• Help with their eating and drinking by, e.g. preparing meals, snacks and drinks and helping users to eat and drink if they cannot or have difficulty in doing this by themselves.
• Contribute to specialised care plans, e.g. for people with dementia, re-enablement or people with continence difficulties.
• Help users take their prescribed medication (as specified on their care plans).
• Contribute to the care of service users who are temporarily sick and needing, e.g. minor dressings, bed nursing, help with feeding, etc.
• Contribute as needed to a person’s end-of-life care.
• Promote users’ mental and physical activity by, e.g. talking to them, helping them do things for themselves, prompting, taking them shopping, sharing with them in activities such as reading, writing, hobbies and recreations.
• Read and write reports, and take part in staff and service users’ meetings and in training activities as directed.
• Comply with the service’s guidelines and policies at all times, e.g. in respect of dress code, wearing of identity badges, travelling and security and safeguarding of service users.
• Report to the service manager any significant changes in the health or circumstances of a service user.
• Encourage and enable service users to remain as independent as possible.
• Perform such other duties as may reasonably be required.

Person specification — essential criteria

• Self-motivated.
• Organised.
• Flexible.
• Caring.
• Sensitive to the needs of others and to the needs of vulnerable people.
• An active team player but also able to work on own initiative.
• A good communicator able to follow care planning requirements and instructions.

Person specification — desirable criteria

• Be flexible in terms of availability working hours, adaptability.
• Have previous experience of care work.
• Have their own transport.
• Have knowledge of local neighbourhoods.

All staff are required to respect the confidentiality of all matters that they might learn in the course of their employment. All staff are expected to respect the requirements under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation. All staff must ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974.