Care and Support Worker - Wootton Vale in Bedford

As a Care and Support Worker, you would be supporting individuals who choose to remain in the comfort and security of their own homes and to help them live an independent and active life as possible. The support you give will be planned and agreed with the service users once their needs have been assessed. This will be recorded on a support plan and risk assessment, which will be kept in the service user’s home. This document will specify your duties for each individual service user you work with and it will be your responsibility to follow this and other supporting documents, reporting any changes in need that you or the service users identify.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide a high-quality standard of care to customers living in their own home within an Extra Care environment.
• Enhance the wellbeing of Service Users by assisting with differing aspects of their daily living, including personal care such as helping to get up in the morning and go to bed in the evening, dressing and undressing, washing, bathing, personal grooming, continence management and personal hygiene.
• Domestic duties including changing bed linen, assisting with laundry, cleaning kitchen, bathroom, vacuuming and dusting.
• Preparing or assisting with the preparation of meals, snacks and drinks, in accordance with their likes, dislikes, nutritional needs or cultural requirements.
• Promote and maintain physical independence of service users by correctly using mobility aids when needed as well as using moving and handling equipment safely and correctly.
• Develop a rapport with service users and cultivate a safe and supportive relationship.
• Support with their health needs as required, e.g. supporting the service user in taking medication and keeping a clear and accurate record of your visit including medication charts.
• Reflect and respond to service users' changing needs, and report changes or concerns to the office team to ensure Support plans and Risk Assessments are kept updated.
• Provide end of life/palliative care to Service Users as required to support their care as defined in their support plan.
• Promote Service Users' emotional and physical wellbeing by talking with them, helping them to do things for themselves, taking them shopping, assisting with activities of daily living which could include reading, writing hobbies and recreations, personal budget control.
• Act promptly and appropriately to protect service users from neglect or abuse, ensuring any and all disclosures or concerns are accurately documented.
• Call monitoring is used within some schemes, which would require you to log in on arrival at a service user’s home and to log out on leaving, alongside the accurate completion of Log Sheets at the end of each visit.
• Dress appropriately, wearing uniform, identity badge and using personal protective equipment provided by Care Support and within the company guidelines, recognising the personal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and current government guidelines.
• Contribute to and work effectively as part of a team.
• Be flexible and able to work in other nearby locations or cover shifts for colleagues when needed.
• Perform other duties as may reasonably be required, including working weekends and Bank Holidays as you will be working within a 24/7 care environment.
• Participate in training and team meetings.
• Respond to the Service Users' unplanned needs within the Extra Care Scheme environment as needed and ensure these are documented on the correct paperwork.
• Not provide care and support classed as nursing or medical care without appropriate supervision/training or without prior consent of a registered Health Professional or Management.
• All staff are expected to respect and comply with the requirements under the Data Protection Act 2018, National opt out and GDPR laws.

Personal Attributes:

• Compassionate, patient and empathetic with a genuine interest in helping others.
• Communicates effectively verbally and in writing.
• Flexible and approachable with a positive attitude, even under pressure.
• Able to use own initiative but also be a good team player.
• All staff are required to respect the confidentiality of all matters that they might learn in the course of their employment.
• Prepared to be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring check as required under law to assess suitability for working with vulnerable adults.
• Excellent timekeeping skills.
• Ability to keep to a good hygiene standard and maintain a professional appearance at all times.

Knowledge and Understanding:

• No prior experience necessary but willingness to attend induction training and complete the Care Certificate via e-learning and one-to-one support, within the required timeframe and to keep up to date with training and e-learning.
• Willingness to seek support and guidance.
• Able to show basic English and maths skills.
• Willingness to learn and incorporate Care Support’s policies and procedures.
• Basic understanding of confidentiality to ensure protection for service users.