Community Healthcare Assistant (Higher Level) in Plymouth

An opportunity to further develop your competency and career. The role requires positivity, excellent communication, enthusiasm, and the ability to participate in the assessment and care needs of the individual. You will need to demonstrate integrity, initiative, and clinical knowledge with evidence-based practice from the direction of a Registered Nurse or Nurse Associate, approaching your work in a coordinated way.

We work integrated with primary care, adult social care, therapists, urgent and intermediate care services alongside our specialist services informing our ageing well MDTs which facilitates shaping our future to deliver great quality care for housebound individuals. We strive to maximise wellbeing, improve health outcomes and patient experience, and support people to remain at home with our DN Team or within a care home with our Care Home Support Service. Through expert advice and clinical support and treatment, we promote the optimum quality of life while providing an effective and efficient service delivery, utilising health promotion, wound, medication, and continence management.

If you have an interest in community nursing, preventing hospital admissions, and caring for people with complex long-term disease, through to the last stages of their life, this role is for you. We provide opportunity for continued learning and career progression; if this ignited your interest, we would like to hear from you. Advert may close early if a high number of applications are submitted.

Your role is vital to support care through holistic evidence-based best practice in accordance with National and Organisational approved policies/procedures. You will be required to be an autonomous practitioner and a team player. Be responsible for developing your competencies in clinical duties that the Community Registered Nurses and Nurse Associate delegate to you. This includes being able to recognise when a person changes in their clinical conditions and be able to perform observations. In exceptional circumstances, this can involve unplanned care in consultation with Registered Nurses and Nurse Associate.

You are required to undertake a robust induction, allocated a mentor to support your learning to develop in your role. We offer training in line with the required competencies for you to build on your knowledge, experience, and skills. You will be expected to undertake continued learning with accessibility to accredited courses. The areas of nursing care you will develop your competence in are holistic assessment, medicine and wound management, pressure ulcer prevention, continence management, palliative and end of life care.

The ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations including areas not served by public transport is essential. All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7-day service. Post may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs. As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we are guided by our values: kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives. We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation. Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions, and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Duties include:

• To maintain accurate records, which are confidential, contemporaneous, and legible, with all care given documented at the time.
• To report and record incidents and near misses relating to health, safety, security, fire, physical violence, aggression, and verbal abuse.
• To provide holistic evidence-based/best practice care to patients in accordance with National and organisation approved policies/procedures and individual care plans.
• To recognise and respond to any changes in patient care situations, which might include risks to self and others including adult and child protection concerns.
• To ensure privacy, dignity, and human rights are respected for patients and carers.
• To comply with all infection control policies and guidance, attend relevant updates, and report issues of concern to their immediate line manager.
• To contribute to the development, implementation, and monitoring of standards.
• To provide basic education and continuing support to patients, family, and carers.
• To identify areas of concern regarding practice and communicate to the Caseload Holder.
• To maintain and preserve confidentiality at all times, and be aware of the Data Protection Act, Access to Health Records, and Consent for Treatment.

Knowledge:

• Understanding of physical health, mental health, and learning disabilities.
• Understanding of the role of Clinical support worker / Health care assistant and boundaries.
• Willingness to learn.

Experience:

• Experience of formulating therapeutic relationships.
• Relevant experience of working within a health care setting (Employment, work experience, volunteering).

Qualifications:

• Maths and English GCSE grade 4 or above (A-C).
• NVQ III in Care (or evidence of working towards) or able to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and ability to work to this level.
• Care certificate.

Specific Skills:

• Ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations including areas not served by public transport.
• Effective communication and interactive skills including oral, written, and IT.
• Ability to use initiative and work independently.