Senior Social Worker - Hospice

We are seeking a compassionate and dynamic new member of our hospice multi-professional team to provide social work support to the Inpatient Unit, Community Team and Day Services.

Part-time - 22.5 hours a week.

Main duties of the job:

• To work as a member of the multiprofessional team providing social work support to the Inpatient Unit, community team and Day Services including support for relatives and carers of Mountbatten's patients.
• To work with patients and families in a way that identifies their personal goals and to help tailor care from Mountbatten and external organisations to support these goals.
• To support patients and their families within their own social context and cultural frameworks and advocate for them as and when required.
• To act as the safeguarding lead and enable the wider MDT to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns.
• To deliver regular safeguarding training as part of the lead safeguarding role.
• Undertake holistic assessments for patients, carers, service users and ensure they are reviewed.

About us:

At Mountbatten, making our employees feel valued is as important to us as making sure that our patients are safe. We are looking for people that live our values to help us make a difference to the thousands of patients and their families who come to us for help and support every year.

Our vision at Mountbatten is of a world where all dying people and those close to them, have access to expert care of the highest quality, provided by compassionate and professional teams.

Our Values:

• We care about what we do. We appreciate that people are different and we are kind and compassionate to our patients and families, to our local community and to each other.
• We are experts in our field. We are professional at all times, aspiring to be the best that we can be in everything that we do.
• We are innovative and bold. We respond quickly and creatively to the changing needs of our society within the scope of our human and financial resources.
• We respect our community. We exist for our local population, now and into the future, and we believe that we can achieve more together by working in partnership with others.

Job responsibilities:

• Promote equality as an integral part of the role and treat everyone with fairness and dignity.
• Identify vulnerable people at risk of abuse and initiate safeguarding processes where appropriate.
• Promote, enable and empower individuals, families and carers through representation of rights; advocacy; supporting patients and families to make informed choices about complex life decisions.
• Facilitate and support patients and their families to undertake shared self-assessments and reviews to identify needs and outcomes.
• Undertake assessment of need considering current support systems and including potential risks, for example Mental Capacity Act, continuing care and safeguarding issues.
• Support patients and their families in the development of support plans using a person-centred approach in liaison with statutory and non-statutory / voluntary agencies.
• Enable patients choice and empowerment through promoting independence as far as possible.
• Facilitate patients/carers in the identification of services within the community and purchasing of services on their behalf to meet both their short term and long-term needs.
• Ensure a high level of data quality for all information recorded, ensuring that the information is timely, accurate and complete.
• Maintain and contribute to the development of relevant records and statistical data upholding information governance.
• Hold a caseload of a level of complexity and provide case management, guidance, support and expert advice to the multi-disciplinary team as and when required.
• Assess and manage risk to individuals, families, carers, groups, communities, self and colleagues.
• Understand and respond to ethnic, cultural and religious influences of the patient and family / carers / friends.
• Encourage, develop and maintain effective working relationships with service colleagues and those in a wide range of partner agencies and services, locally and nationally.
• Work as a member of multi-disciplinary teams providing expert opinions on the issues around the Care Act (2014) and Social Care.
• Present patients at multidisciplinary meetings from individual caseload and where required on behalf of the team.
• Attend regular safeguarding meetings and take a lead in writing a quarterly safeguarding report.
• Negotiate with a range of local authority services, community health care teams, local service providers, voluntary organisations and agencies to meet the needs of patients being discharged from the Mountbatten In-Patient Unit.
• Consult and work effectively with other professionals to identify and meet patient / carers needs, positively contributing to the achievement of joint working practices.
• Have a good working knowledge of the Continuing Health Care process and eligibility criteria to support discharge planning.
• Promote multi-disciplinary working partnerships, sometimes acting as a liaison between the Council and other health and social care partners.
• Carry out assessment and discharge planning in accordance with the Care Act (2014) with patients admitted to Mountbatten IPU unit and source continuing care and support, working closely with Hampshire and Southampton.

PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION AND STANDARDS:

• Keep up to date with training and personal development to ensure professional registration with the Social Work England must be maintained.
• Take responsibility for ensuring professional practice is delivered within the boundaries of the Codes of Practice for Social Workers.
• Keep up to date with relevant legislation or changes in social policy that impact on social work practice.
• Manage and prioritise workloads carrying out all duties using accountable professional judgment and knowledge base on social work practices.

AUDIT, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION:

• Provide learning opportunities for student social workers.
• Participate in education and provide advice to, for example, social work and health colleagues.
• Adopt a reflective approach from personal practice and learn from experience.
• Have a clear understanding and working knowledge of both adult and children's safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Research and maintain a knowledge base of what resources are available at a local and national level to inform decision making processes.
• Actively participate in the development of bespoke educational programmes of teaching to the MDT and external courses as required to bereavement and loss, safeguarding and social care.
• Be aware and keep updated on changes at national, regional, and local legislation, theories, policies and practices in order to disseminate knowledge throughout the team and contribute to the delivery of a high standard of service.
• Lead on and participate in service improvement projects as required.
• Engage in audit, evaluation and research as required.
• Monitor own performance against agreed objectives through Mountbatten's appraisal systems.
• Provide training as part of the training programme for staff and volunteers including safeguarding and mental capacity/DOLS.

COMMUNICATION:

• Effectively communicate with patients, carers, nursing staff, allied health professionals, volunteers, the wider multi-professional team, community and hospital teams and other primary care services.
• Demonstrate advanced communication skills in order that complex and emotionally sensitive situations are managed in an appropriate way.
• Respond to feedback as appropriate from patients, families, carers and colleagues.
• Ensure effective record keeping and documentation.
• Promote an open and honest culture.

Person Specification:

• Knowledge of Social Work theory, practice and values.
• General needs and risk assessment skills in Health or Social Care settings.
• Commitment to and evidence of ongoing professional and personal development.
• Understanding of relevant legislation/guidance including Care Act, Mental Capacity Act / DOLS and Safeguarding.

Abilities:

• Commitment to and enthusiasm for multi-disciplinary and interagency working.
• Willing to work flexibly to meet the demands of the service.
• Possess emotional maturity to manage frequent exposure to highly emotional circumstances.
• Ability to work under pressure and to short deadlines being creative, tolerant and adaptable.

Other:

• Willing to undertake training.
• Current Driving Licence and use of a vehicle, with insurance for business purposes.
• Physically fit and able to carry out any manual handling tasks associated with the role.
• Ability to undertake home visits, often involving lone working.

Skills:

• Effective time management skills, with ability to prioritise/adapt to the unpredictable nature of the work.

Qualifications:

• CQSW or Diploma in Social Work or BA (Hons) Social Work.
• Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Working in a medical environment as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Member of, or willingness to become a member of, the Association of Palliative Care Social Workers.

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.