Health Care Assistant - Band 3 (Hospice at Home) in Birmingham

Join us in bringing compassionate care to people where they need it most. At Birmingham Hospice, our teams are committed to improving the quality of life for people living with life‑limiting conditions and supporting their families during one of the most challenging periods they will ever face. Our hospice at home team supports patients with a palliative diagnosis who are reaching end of life in the patient’s own setting. We are looking for an experienced, innovative, patient‑centred, compassionate and motivated HCA to join this fantastic professional team.

Job Responsibilities

• Assist the Registered Nurse in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of nursing care.
• Carry out high standard of direct patient care alongside team colleagues.
• Report verbally (including hand‑over) to appropriate team members.
• Document any care given in patient‑held notes and/or System One.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary discussions.
• Be sensitive to the spiritual, psychological and social needs of patients and their families.
• Supervise and support all nursing assistants and assist in the induction of newly hired staff.
• Deliver training on in‑house training days and support new members of staff.
• Maintain up‑to‑date clinical skills and undertake post‑ural training as required.
• Take emergency action as necessary to safeguard patients and carers and report concerns promptly.
• Maintain accurate documentation of care and report changes in condition in a timely manner.
• Participate in audit activities and infection control measures to minimise risks of infection.
• Perform administrative duties as required.
• Attend mandatory and in‑service training as identified.
• Represent Birmingham St Marys Hospice in a professional and caring manner, maintaining professional boundaries.
• Work as part of a 7‑day rota, 365 days per year including late shifts, weekend and night shifts.
• Work flexibly across all hospice services.

Clinical Duties

• Accurately record vital signs monitoring and perform urinalysis and blood sugar level checks.
• Perform simple wound dressings.
• Set up oxygen equipment and administration as prescribed.
• Use nebulisers.
• Administration of eye, ear and nose drops.
• Perform oral suction.
• Monitor syringe driver sites.
• Skin care and pressure area care – assess pressure areas, evaluate skin integrity and report changes to the nurse in charge.
• Promote continence and manage incontinence.

General Duties

• All employees are required to uphold confidentiality of all information records in whatever format encountered in the course of employment.
• All employees are bound by the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations when dealing with information records relating to individuals.
• All employees have a responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act to protect and promote their own health and that of others in the workplace.
• All employees must comply with all hospice health and safety procedures.
• All employees must undertake training and adhere to information governance policies, procedures and guidance.
• All employees must participate in an annual appraisal and develop a personal development plan with their line manager.
• All employees must maintain their statutory and mandatory training.
• The hospice is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to support this commitment.

Equality and Diversity

The Hospice is committed to promoting an environment that values diversity. All staff are required to treat individuals equally and fairly and not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Staff are expected to behave in a way that recognises and respects diversity in line with the appropriate standards.

Infection Control

The prevention and control of infection is the responsibility of everyone employed by the Hospice. Employees must be aware of infection control policies, procedures and the importance of protecting themselves and their clients in maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

Professional Development

All employees must participate in an annual appraisal and develop a personal development plan with their line manager, and maintain statutory and mandatory training.

Person Specification

Experience

• Recent experience in a health care sector in community, care home or acute setting.
• Demonstrable experience in palliative and end of life care or related speciality.

Qualifications

• Good standard of education.
• NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent experience or working towards it.

Personal Skills and Attributes

• Good communication skills both verbal and written, including the ability to maintain accurate and legible care records.
• Ability to recognise, report and communicate concerns and changes in a timely manner.
• Ability to use one's own initiative and prioritise workload.
• Willingness to learn new skills and undertake training.
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Car owner/driver with full current UK driving licence.
• Basic IT skills.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This role is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service is required to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Other Information

The job description is not exhaustive and may be amended following appropriate consultation in the light of business needs. In the event of a pandemic or major incident the person in post may be asked to undertake other duties not necessarily commensurate to the banding of this role. They will receive full training and induction and will not be asked to undertake duties for which they are not competent or feel unsafe. We welcome informal discussions and encourage applications that reflect your own experience, skills and motivation.