JOB DESCRIPTION

SECTION IDENTIFICATION

Job Title:
Responsible to:
Grade / Salary:
Hours:
Department:
Location/Base: / Temporary Healthcare Assistant (HCA)
(6 Month Fixed Term Contract)
Senior Palliative Nursing Assistants (PNA’s
Band 2
37.5 hours Monday – Friday (8.15am – 4.15pm)
Day Therapy
Hospice, Nottingham

SECTION 1 – JOB SUMMARY

The post holder works under the supervision of the Registered Nurses (RN)s and undertakes tasks and duties delegated by the RNs and Senior PNA’s. They will work with the clinical team to meet the needs of patients, following policies and procedures.
Undertake a broad range of Hospice related nursing activities and duties relating to the care of patients with palliative and End of Life care needs.

SECTION 2 - ORGANISATION CHART/ ACCOUNTABLITY

Chief Executive
↓
Director of Operations – Clinical Services
↓
Clinical Services Manager
↓
RNs
↓
Senior Palliative Nursing Assistant (SPNA)
↓
Healthcare Assistant

SECTION 3 - KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

  • Knowledge of care procedures and clinicalobservations e.g. stoma care, catheter care; NVQ2 plus further clinical knowledge e.g. palliative care gained through training.
  • Effective communicationand interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to communicate calmly during distressing and anxious times for patients/relatives.
  • Ability to time manage patient caseload and to balance administrative and clinical duties.
  • Ability to enhance patient care by working effectively within the Clinical team.
  • Team Player.
  • Knowledge of Data Protection and Confidentiality.
  • Competent in completing written notes accurately and legibly.
  • Ability to undertake computer related tasks e.g. internet searches.

SECTION 4 - SKILLS REQUIRED

  • Excellent communication skills, both verbally and in writing.
  • Good organisational skills.
  • Good decision making skills.
  • Literacy and numeracy skills.
  • Ability to use a telephone system.
  • Ability to use a computer and some aspects of the Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook e-mail.
  • Ability to input information onto a database.

SECTION 5 - MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST
  • To provide care for patients with palliative and end of life needs attending Day Therapy, in accordance with patient care as defined by the RN’s or SPNA’s.
  • To establish and maintain effective communication with patients, carers/families and health professionals in a professional manner.
  • To recognise changes in the patient’s symptoms and condition and notify the Registered Nurse.
  • To prompt patients with administration of regular oral medication where the patient is self medicating.
  • To update patient records, in line with Nottinghamshire Hospice policies on patient documentation, ensuring entries are accurate, relevant, legible and comprehensive.
  • To provide emotional and practical support to patient’s carers or family members.
  • To be responsible for inputting information into the clinical database and patient written records.
  • To comply with the Data Protection Act, Caldicott Guidelines and local policies regarding confidentiality and access to medical records.
  • To participate in audits, surveys or other practice development activities as requested.
  • To use resources economically and effectively.
  • To maintain IT competency in order to make full use of electronic communications and to access appropriate Hospice data sources and training opportunities.
  • To contribute to the health and safety and well-being of patients, carers, and self by being aware of and adhering to the Nottinghamshire Hospice policies and guidelines on Health and Safety at Work; Fire Precaution and Regulations, and Infection Control.
  • To maintain own conduct in accordance with Nottinghamshire Hospice ‘Code of Conduct’.
  • To ensure attendance meets agreed hours and meets patient/service needs as identified by the Clinical Services Manager.
  • To undertake training and personal development to demonstrate competencies in a range of nursing activities and tasks in support of patient care.
  • To participate in the Nottinghamshire Hospice performance and appraisal scheme, identifying personal achievements, objectives and development needs.
  • To actively engage and participate in the monthly Journal Club.
  • To escort patients in the Hospice mini-buses from their homes to the Hospice and their return journey back on a daily basis.
  • To escort patients on organised excursions.

SECTION 6 - THE PERSON SPECIFICATION
ESSENTIAL
  • Enjoys helping and interacting with people.
  • Is interested in exploring diverse ways of promoting wellbeing.
  • Sensitive to the needs of a wide range of patients.
  • Able to work as part of a team.
  • Able to access e-mail, Internet and the Hospice Intranet.
  • Good command of the English language both verbally and in writing.
  • Good organisational skills with the ability to work calmly and methodically when under pressure from a busy and varied workload.
  • Ability to work with minimal supervision.
  • Must be flexible to the needs of the post as this may require working outside normal working hours.
  • Required to participate in training and updates.
  • Complies with confidentiality and data protection.
  • Good sense of humour!
EDUCATION
  • NVQ Level 2 or equivalent.
  • Good numeracy and literacy skills are essential.
  • Good caring skills.
DESIRABLE
  • Hospice experience would be an advantage; we are keen to recruit those who have relevant transferable skills and who are keen to develop a career in Palliative Care.

SECTION 7 - WORKING CONDITIONS/ EFFORT -
  • Physical skills required include:-
  • Moving and handling of patients and equipment in a safe manner.
  • Effective operation and monitoring of equipment (oxygen concentrators, feed pumps, etc.)
  • Monitoring of changes in patient’s condition and symptoms and reporting same.
  • The ability to support relationships with other members of the team and community partners.
  • The ability to contribute to the care planning process and to deliver appropriate packages of care.
  • The ability to empathise with patients, carers and colleagues and to make effective judgments regarding the provision of appropriate level of psychological support.
  • The ability to form positive relationships with patients and carers in a professional courteous and sensitive manner.

SECTION 8 - COMMITMENT TO HEALTH AND SAFETY, CONFIDENTIALITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
HEALTH AND SAFETY / SECURITY
It is the duty of every employee to work in such a way that accidents to themselves and to others are avoided, and to co-operate in maintaining their place of work in a tidy and safe condition, thereby minimising risk. Employees will, therefore, refer any matters of concern through their respective line managers. Similarly, it is each person’s responsibility to ensure a secure environment and bring any breaches of security to the attention of their managers.
INFORMATION GOVERNANCE
Nottinghamshire Hospice is required to maintain compliance with the NHS Information Governance Toolkit. All staff must ensure compliance with the requirements for information management and security. Should a breach occur all staff are required to report it immediately to their Line Manager and the Data Protection Legislative Controller.
INFECTION CONTROL
Nottinghamshire Hospice has its own policy for Infection Control. All staff must keep up to date with the new policies and subsequent implementation in practice.
All staff must contact their Line Manager if they are suffering from any form of infection with may put patients and other staff at risk.
NO-SMOKING POLICY
From 1st July 2007 the law prescribes that employers can no longer allow employees to smoke in “smoking rooms” and employers can no longer segregate smokers and non-smokers within the building. The organisation is now enforcing this policy.
The organisation has developed this policy in consultation with its stakeholders to help assist and providing a safe, healthy and comfortable environment for its employees, customers and any other visitors to its premises.
The policy complies with the health bill and applies to staff at all levels. The Building and Transport Supervisor is responsible for implementing and maintaining the policy on behalf of the Chief Executive.
The policy applies to all visitors and patients and will also apply to company vehicles. Employees who smoke may want to take the opportunity to give up smoking and every support will be given by the employer to support this process. If you want further help or information on how to stop smoking, you can access information from NHS website
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Nottinghamshire Hospice has given its full commitment to the adoption and promotion of the key principles of equal opportunities contained within current legislation and Equal Opportunities Policy.
All staff hold personal responsibility for the application of this policy on a day-to-day basis and should not undertake any acts of discriminatory practice during the course of their employment. Similarly all staff have a responsibility to highlight any potentially discriminatory practice to their Line Manager, trade union/professional associations.
Copies of the Equal Opportunities Policy are available in the Personnel Policies and Procedures file.
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
The Hospice is committed to regular performance appraisal (including setting objectives for review annually) and agreement of personal development plans for all staff to enhance their ability to fulfil the requirements of their post.
SECTION 9 - CONFIDENTIALITY AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
Information relating to patients records, diagnosis and/or treatment of patients, staff records, or information concerning contracts, tenders and other commercially sensitive matters etc. are considered to be confidential and must not be divulged without prior authority other than in accordance with the provisions of the Policy on raising concerns about Health Care Services as may be amended from time to time. Breaches of confidentiality will result in disciplinary action, and may result in dismissal. Managers are also required as a condition of this Contract to represent the views of the Hospice in any dealing they may have with employees, their representatives, the media, general public or other organisations in which he/she may come into contact. In addition to the above confidentiality requirements you must also comply with all aspects of the law concerned with information handling. For this purpose, the relevant legislation is the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This Act places a legal duty on all staff to comply with the rights of the public to access information. Any altering, destroying or concealing of information held by the Hospice with the intention of preventing the legitimate disclosure of all or part of that information will result in disciplinary action, and may result in dismissal.
10. JOB DESCRIPTION AGREEMENT
Completed by: Emily Reece, Human Resources Advisor
Authorised by: …………………………………… Date: 2 September 2016
This job description is a guide to the duties you will be expected to perform immediately on your appointment. It is not an exhaustive list, and such duties may well be altered from time to time to meet changes in the Hospice’s requirements. Any such changes will be commensurate with the grade of the post and will be discussed with the post holder prior to the changes being made.

Temporary Healthcare Assistant – September 2016