Hospice at Home - Macmillan Health Care Assistant

Job content

Do you have the drive and passion for caring for patients at the end of life?
Gateshead are proud to have launched a Hospice at Home Service and we are looking for individuals to join this growing team to provide one to one care in the patient’s own home.
Full time and part time hours are available.
These posts will include Early or Late Shifts to support patients during the day and Twilight and night shifts to support patients in the evening and overnight.
The service comprises of a dedicated team of experienced Health Care Assistants, Administration Assistants and is led by 3 Band 6 Nurse Coordinator’s. This team form part of Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust Community Business Unit and has links to the Specialist Palliative Care Team who are hospital and community based.

It is an essential requirement that applicants hold full clean driving license and have own transport.

The Hospice at Home Health care Assistant will complement the Hospice at Home Community Team, providing direct care and support to patients with complex palliative care needs within their own home or care home in the last stages of life. The aim of the role is to provide any necessary support including personal hygiene care, assisting with dressing and all agreed care under the supervision and guidance of the Band 6 Coordinator. Predominately this will be for patients who wish to be cared for at home but there may be an opportunity to rotate if necessary into the acute setting within the Trust.

The post holder will be expected to work alone with access to professional advice and guidance when required. The post holder will have specialist palliative care skills in order to support the patient, carers and family.

The post holder will have a strong working relationship with other community teams.

The post holder will work with the coordinator and the multidisciplinary team, they will also liaise with multiple stakeholders in order to ensure that the day to day co-ordination and delivery of service is in a timely and professional manner.

The post holder will play a key role in ensuring that the patient remains in their place of choice and where possible any hospital admission is avoided. The post holder will work with minimal supervision, demonstrating the ability to use initiative, utilise IT systems and ensure effective and timely in a professional manner.

We are Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, better known as QE Gateshead.
Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.
Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.
As a group we employ around 4,200 staff and currently provide 600 hospital beds across Gateshead. Our primary focus is on providing excellent general health services to our local community complemented by key specialist areas including Gynaecology, maternity, palliative care and old age psychiatry.

• Implements individual nursing care packages to patients in the community under the general guidance of the care coordinator.
• Establish and maintain communication with people on routine and operational matters which includes reporting to the nurse in charge at agreed times, using appropriate communication systems, identifying significant changes in patient condition.
• Maintain written records to an agreed standard and display a positive and considerate approach to patients and their families / carers. Liaison with senior staff regarding patients.
• Support the team to provide high standards of patient care.
• Provide clinical care following training and agreed protocols, eg; simple dressings, personal care, oral hygiene, continence care, PEG care, Bp monitoring, prompting medications and support qualified staff with clinical procedures.
• Develop own skills and knowledge and provide information to others to help their development. Keep up to date with the Trusts policies and procedures and attend statutory training, study days and staff meetings as required.
• Assist in maintaining own and others health, safety and security and be responsible for reporting and actively co-operating in the application of the Trust’s health and safety policies and procedures.
• Assist in maintaining and developing services including the provision of statistical information in line with service requirements.
• Work collaboratively as a team member with colleagues, recognising and valuing each person’s contribution to the team.
• Ensure own actions promote quality and alert others to quality issues.
• Provide a high standard of Health and / or Social Care to patients in their own homes, depending on individual patient care as identified in the care plan.
• Ensure own actions support equality, diversity and rights.
• Act in such a way that is consistent with employers’ procedures and respect each patient’s need for confidentiality and maintenance of his / her dignity and individuality.
• Assist in assessing people’s health and wellbeing and related needs as agreed with the team and communicate any changes to the caseload holder.
• Assist in planning, delivering and evaluating programmes to meet people’s health and wellbeing.
• Perform routine tests and tasks related to investigations and reporting e.g. Undertake diagnostic tests, following training which may include: - Venepuncture, BP Monitoring, Pulse Oximetry, blood glucose monitoring.
• Apply standard principles of infection control to all activities at all times
• Support and assist the team to successfully deliver all activities relating to its day to day business
• Responsible for the development and delivery of high-quality administration processes to aid the delivery of safe and effective clinical services in a community setting as required
• Respond to external and internal telephone enquiries and take appropriate action as a result of the enquiry.
• Exercise excellent communication skills with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Daily use of Emis Community module