Palliative Care Support Worker

Do you have the desire and passion to make the difference when it matters the most? Are you a Health Care Assistant or Carer looking for an opportunity to utilise your caring skills and knowledge in palliative care? Or someone with life experience and the motivation to use that learning to support patients and their loved ones?We are recruiting for an Adult Palliative Care Support Worker (PCSW) to join our Community team. You will be dedicated to providing professional and compassionate emotional support and personal care at the end of life for patients and families within Luton and Bedfordshire.This is a 37.5 hour per week contract consisting of shifts across weekdays (8am-4pm & 1pm-9pm) and weekends (9am-9pm).

Main duties of the job

What You\’ll Do:

• Provide patient centred care across the community
• Show compassion when communicating with patients and their families
• Support colleagues in providing high-quality palliative and end-of-life care, including pre and post bereavement support.
• Actively engage in the training opportunities to develop your palliative care knowledge and skills
• Recognise the importance of sharing experiences to manage your own wellbeing, and encourage others to do the same

What You\’ll Need:

• Previous work or personal experience in caring for patients at end of life
• Great communication skills both written and verbal
• Confident to work unsupervised with the ability to prioritise shifting workloads
• Good interpersonal and communication skills working with patients, families, carers and professionals
• Motivated to develop a career in palliative care
• Full Driving Licence held for a minimum of 2 years

What we offer:

• A competitive salary and generous annual leave
• Ability to carry over your existing NHS pension scheme
• Free car parking and cycle to work scheme
• Career development and progression opportunities
• A caring, supportive and inclusive environment

About us

Keech Hospice provides free specialist palliative and end of life care for people of all ages. We support adults in Bedfordshire. Children and their families in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes. At home, in hospice, or wherever were needed.As a teaching hospice, our exceptional people, training, and facilities are helping local communities to live and die well.

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

To participate in the provision of individual nursing care for the patient under the supervision of a Registered Nurse, or Specialist Paramedic.

Together with other members of staff, maintain standards within the community that will ensure that the care provided, physical, psychological and spiritual is of the highest possible quality, within the resources available.

To work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team, demonstrating the values of Keech Hospice.

To work flexibly across Adult Services as required to ensure continuity of patient care and service delivery (Adult Inpatient Unit, Wellbeing Centre, BPCS).

Key relationships:

Keech Inpatient and Outpatient teams; Medical Team; Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialists; Social Work Team; BPCS; Supportive Care Team; Community Macmillan & District Nursing Teams; GPs; Care Agencies.

Specific Duties:

1.Ensure patients and families are received at the hospice into a welcoming, relaxed and friendly environment. (AIPU & Outpatients)

2.To work closely with other members of the Care Team, recognising and working within own capabilities, but always acting in the best interest of the Patient and family.

3.Take responsibility for the general care and safety of patients, ensuring care is carried out to a high standard, following the patients individual care plan and that clear reports are given to other staff.

4. Assist with patients personal clinical care, record patient observation, collect specimens and other tasks for which competence has been assessed, in accordance with the patients individual care plan and under the supervision of the Lead Nurse, or Specialist Paramedic.

5. Provide support and assistance to registered nurses when carrying out nursing procedures.

6. Support the nurses with the admission and discharges of patients, including the completion of assessment template on the patients electronic record as requested, within scope of assessed competence. (AIPU & Outpatients)

7. Keep accurate, contemporaneous records and ensure that care is carried out in accordance with each individual patients care plan.

8. Report any concerns with regards to patient care, changing needs or safeguarding concerns to the Lead Nurse, or Specialist Paramedic, and record this in the patients electronic record.

9. Facilitate opportunities for patient and families to talk, should they wish to. To understand the importance of listening and develop listening skills with the appropriate training. Be prepared to give pre and post bereavement support to families, in conjunction with the Nursing Team and Family Support Service.

10.Be familiar with the range of support available for patients and carers and assist patients and families to create memories.

11.Communicate factual information to patients within using, reassurance, tact and sensitivity, overcoming barriers to understanding using a range of methods appropriate to the needs of the patient.

12.Ensure that patient and family confidentiality is maintained at all times.

13.Undertake a link role to develop own knowledge and skills and participate in audits as requested.

14.Support colleagues to achieve their objectives within their own link roles.

15.Actively participate in maintaining a safe environment, taking care of the equipment available, and ensuring all daily and weekly checks are completed, with any concerns escalated through the appropriate channel.

16.Take the opportunity to attend debrief and supervision sessions as part of self-care management and support for other colleagues.

17.Take the opportunity to attend training sessions, consider how your learning will change how you work, and share learning with other colleagues.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Good standard of English & Maths.
• Good standard of communication.
• Evidence of training relevant to the role in a health care setting, or significant personal experience.
• NVQ in health studies level 3, or equivalent

Experience

• Understands the role of Health Care Assistant in the hospice or community setting.
• Ability to prioritise work.
• Understands the work of the primary health care team.
• Experience as a Health Care Assistant, or equivalent.
• Previous work in a hospice or community setting, or relevant, transferable experience.
• Good range of knowledge of clinical products.
• Understanding of palliative care services available in the local area.
• Care of patients in the dying phase of their illness.
• Caring for cancer and palliative care patients.

Additional Criteria

• Good interpersonal and communication skills working with: patients, families, carers and professionals.
• Ability to work with others and unsupervised.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Accurate and methodical approach to work.
• Organised and able to prioritise and adapt to presenting situations.
• Ability to problem solve.
• IT skills to include Word.
• Experience of supporting families in a crisis.

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.

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