Job Description
Job Title / Service Co-ordinator – A&E Assisted Discharge ServiceJob Band / EP2S / Salary / £18,500 per annum, pro rata
Department / Health & Social Care /
Division
/ Wiltshire, Avon & GloucestershireReporting To / H&SC Service Manager / Location / Bristol Royal Infirmary
Duration / 26 hours per week, fixed term contract until 31 July 2015 /
Last Updated
/ June 2013Context
The Red Cross is the largest voluntary humanitarian organisation in the world. It promotes humanitarian values and provides emergency help to people in short-term crisis in the UK and overseas. Within the UK, the British Red Cross (BRCS) operates through 50,000 volunteers and 3,000 staff.
We seek to ensure that our organisation and our services are relevant and accessible to all. We value fresh perspective and insight gained by involving and welcoming people from the widest possible diversity of background, culture and experience.
Scope
The post holder will primarily be based in the A&E department at the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) and will be required to travel throughout the Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire region at times. The post holder will co-ordinate the delivery and expansion of the British Red Cross Assisted Discharge service from hospitals in the Bristol area. The service involves the transportation and resettlement of vulnerable patients from hospital to their home. The work hours of this post will be from 4pm until midnight on a two weekly rotating shift pattern; working opposite another service assistant to ensure 7 day a week cover. The service operates 365 days a year and the main aim of this service is to prevent and reduce hospital admissions.
Overall Purpose of the Post
The post holder will be required to co-ordinate all elements of the British Red Cross Assisted Discharge service. The service operates from the BRI and works primarily with the A&E department but also serves other wards & departments, to provide flexible high quality short term re-settlement care to vulnerable adults who are medically fit to be discharged from hospital. It also serves the A&E department at Frenchay.
The role is based primarily in the BRI A&E department, and the key function is to act as the main point of contact for all service engagements during the shift; proactively identifying potential referral needs within the department and wider hospital; risk assessing incoming referrals made in order to ensure that they are valid can be fulfilled safely; co-ordinating BRC staff to respond to the necessary elements of the service as required by service users (including transport, resettlement and sitting services); carrying out the transport and resettlement of service users where required; promoting and marketing the service throughout the hospitals served; identifying potential future uses of the service to support expansion; completing all necessary paperwork and monitoring requirements; direct line management of service assistants and part-time staff as well as supporting the casual team.
The service also serves Frenchay / Southmead hospital and can support people from throughout the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area; therefore some travel is required. The role includes ensuring that the operational requirements of the service are met by performing the day-to-day administrative tasks required, such as maintaining rotas, dealing with incoming mail correspondence; ensuring that important information is disseminated etc.
This is a role which can be unpredictable; and the post holder needs to be able to deal with periods of both low and high activity effectively. It requires a motivated, committed and enthusiastic person with good communication skills and an ability to deal with people in a sensitive and professional manner. The post holder should want to make a real difference to people’s lives.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
To ensure the smooth running of the British Red Cross A&E Assisted Discharge service ensuring it is of high quality and meets service standards.
Act as the main point of contact at the hospital/s and coordinate all elements of the BRC response to referrals by liaising with the transportation, service assistants and on-call casual workers (resettlement and sitting service).
Meet with identified service users and conduct an assessment of need with them to establish the level of support required.
Be based in and work with the A&E department.
Be directed and line managed by the H&SC Service Manager
Hold line management responsibility for the Service Assistant, casual workers and annualised hours staff.
Ensure that service promotion is effective, including attending hospital staff meetings and department marketing.
Respond to and process referrals to the service without delay.
Assist the H&SC Service Manager to deliver any training requirements for the staff team.
Participate in meeting the recruitment requirements of the staff team.
Provide cover on occasions where the service assistant/casual workers are not available to meet service user need.
Responsible for all case co-ordination, documentation, risk assessment, monitoring and evaluation.
Conduct a daily handover to enable day time staff/services to continue service provision for the service user.
Provide regular formal reports regarding service progress & outcomes to management team
Produce ‘ad hoc’ reports on various elements of the service as requested
Work flexibly to enable staff team meetings to occur.
To adhere to the BRCS confidentiality and safeguarding policies.
To undertake training as required.
To uphold the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and to work within the BRCS Equal Opportunities Policy.
To undertake any other relevant duties requested by the line manager.
Person Specification
Job Title: Service Co-ordinator – A&E Assisted Discharge Service Band: EP2SEducation/ Training
/ Educated to GCSE level or equivalent**Experience
/ Experience of working in the care professionExperience of working with vulnerable people**
Working in partnership with external organisations**
Knowledge/ Technical Skills
/ Knowledge of British Red Cross Health and Social Care services - or willingness to undertake trainingIT literate. Experience of using email, word processing and spreadsheet packages**
Knowledge of Safeguarding legislation, Health & Safety practices and Lone Working policies - or willingness to undertake training
Ability to identify and assess people’s needs**
Ability to promote the Assisted Discharge service and to raise its profile**
Understanding of monitoring and reviewing service standards and quality**
Ability to contribute to the development and achievement of operation/functional plans
Personal skills
/ Excellent communication skills**Ability to work as part of a team**
Ability to work alone, use own initiative and to be self-motivating**
Organisational skills**
Ability to manage own time and workload, prioritising a range of competing demands**
Passion and enthusiasm for supporting vulnerable people**
Special Circumstances
/ Able to work unsociable hours**Own driving licence and car**
Able to work flexible hours on occasions**
Able to work and travel as appropriate to the needs of the job**
**Minimum short-listing criteria. N.B. All disabled candidates who meet these criteria must be short-listed for interview in line with our commitment under the two- tick symbol scheme.
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