Health Care Assistant - Community in St Leonards

Clinical Care

• Recognise and work within role limitations and personal competencies, informing registered professionals of any issues and seeking support where needed.
• Enable patients with activities of daily living with attention to their personal priorities, preferences and goals.
• Enable delivery of personalised plans of care, considering the physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs of the patient and those important to them.
• Contribute to assessment of patients and carers needs using best practice tools and outcome measures.
• Practice a rehabilitative approach to palliative care to enable patients to be as independent as possible and participate in meaningful activities that enhance their quality of life.
• Provide dignified, compassionate and respectful care to patients who are dying in line with personal end of life care plans.
• Proactively identify and respond to the needs of family members and carers, including timely referral to members of the interdisciplinary team.
• Support all registered professionals to provide care and support in person in patients' homes in the community or over the telephone.
• Understand the range of services offered across the integrated clinical team, including through the Wellbeing Programme, Bereavement Service and Sara Lee Trust, and proactively refer patients in a timely way.
• Provide support and information to families and professional colleagues.
• Support patients, families and carers contacting the Telephone Support Line through provision of information, onward referral and clinical escalation.
• Undertake bereavement calls.

Interdisciplinary Working

• Be committed to integrated teamwork and show respect for others.
• Participate in and contribute knowledge of a patient and/or family to interdisciplinary team meetings, family meetings and professionals meetings.
• Contribute to the Transfer of Care between community and inpatient settings.
• Liaise effectively with external partners including district nurses, care agencies and ambulance services in a timely way to support seamless patient care.

Communication and Relationships

• Be aware of and actively demonstrate the St Michaels Hospice values in your practice.
• Be fully respectful of equality and diversity, treating each person as a unique individual and supporting their choice and maintaining dignity at all times.
• Create a trusted rapport with patients and family members to explore sensitive topics including dying, death, loss and spiritual beliefs with empathy and compassion.
• Consistently demonstrate effective verbal, non-verbal and written communication with all members of the Hospice Integrated Clinical Team.
• Uphold the highest standard of performance and conduct at all times.
• Actively supervise and mentor any new Health Care Assistants joining the organisation.
• Be aware of the Hospice vision, mission and strategy including a compassionate community's approach.

Clinical Governance

• Take responsibility for continuing professional development, participating in Education and Training opportunities.
• Comply with the Hospice Statutory and Mandatory training requirements.
• Be aware of the Care Quality Commission Key Domains: Safe, Caring, Responsive, Effective and Well-led and be able to give examples of how you demonstrate these in your role.
• Be fully aware of and act in accordance with all Hospice policies and procedures.
• Maintain accurate, timely, patient healthcare records on the electronic patient record system.
• Participate in relevant clinical governance subgroups.
• Proactively maintain own health and wellbeing, participating in clinical supervision and seeking support in a timely way.
• Evidence practice through a competency framework to a minimum of level 1.

Legal and Ethical Responsibilities

• Work within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Legislation, Guidelines and Procedures.
• Maintain the confidentiality of patients and those important to them.