Job Description
Are you an experienced health care assistant who is keen to widen your experience and skills? If so, we would welcome you to join our Community Heart Failure team. Our team has a new Lead Nurse and recently merged with North Middlesex University Hospital, so this is an exciting time for you to join us. We care for patients at risk of developing, or living with, heart failure in Enfield and we have funding for this post as part of our Heart Failure Health Inequalities project.
You will work as part of an established community heart failure service providing support to patients and carers within their home environment and / or clinic setting, under the direction of the Community Heart Failure Nurse Specialist. This includes assisting in the ongoing assessment and provision of care and reporting changes in patient status to the nurses. The role will involve promoting optimum independence and individualised client centred care to a delegated caseload. You will be working within a multi-disciplinary team and the voluntary care sector to support people who are at risk of admissions to hospital.
This is a fixed-term contract until March 2023 with a view that this will extend and become permanent with funding from NHSE. This may be an ideal secondment opportunity.
The Health Care Assistant is expected:
- To contribute to the assessment of a patient by completing the appropriate paperwork for allocated patients, recording, and reporting all clinical information to the nurse for action and planning purposes.
- To weigh patients, to accurately take and record temperature, pulse, blood pressure, O2 saturation levels, recognise heart failure signs and symptoms and to be able to interpret results and take subsequent appropriate action.
- To be able to undertake phlebotomy as directed by the Heart Failure Specialist Nurse.
- To use clinical judgement and skills to report any untoward changes in patient’s health status immediately to the Heart Failure Nurse, GP, or emergency services.
- Liaise and communicate effectively with other team members and clients of different backgrounds and levels of understanding.
- To demonstrate a high standard of care that meets with accepted standards of care within the Clinical Governance framework, and work within own level of scope of practice.
- To participate in health promotion of patients. This may include smoking cessation, promoting exercise, healthy eating. To assist in the referral of patients, to the relevant healthy living services.
- Organise own workload and prioritise patient visits.
- To order and maintain stock levels.
- To communicate effectively with patients, relatives, and colleagues always.
- To have computer skills to enable access to trust databases, emails, and patient/care reporting programs.
We are committed to equal opportunities in employment and offer a range of flexible working practices. Part-time and job share applications will be considered.
Employment with NMUH is offered subject to a six month probation period for all staff with the exception of Doctors in training and Consultants.
The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
Take a tour of our hospitalhere
DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical
The Health Care Assistant is expected:
- To contribute to the on-going assessment of a patient by completing the appropriate paperwork for allocated patients, recording, and reporting all clinical and behavioural information to the nurse for action and planning purposes.
- To weigh patients, to accurately take and record temperature, pulse, blood pressure, O2 saturation levels, recognise heart failure signs and symptoms and to be able to interpret results and take subsequent appropriate action.
- To be able to undertake phlebotomy as directed by the Heart Failure Specialist Nurse.
- To seek assistance from other colleagues, promptly, any questions that you are unable to resolve.
- To assist with errands and general duties appropriate to the clinical area as required.
- To use clinical judgement and skills to report any untoward changes in patient’s health status immediately to the Heart Failure Nurse, GP, or emergency services if appropriate.
- To collect data from patients/carers for recognised outcome measure and document for nurses to interpret.
- To plan and implement straightforward tasks and work guided by standard operating procedures and protocols and undertake roles/duties as delegated by a nurse.
- To undertake a variety of clinical intervention tasks after achieving appropriate competencies delegated by a nurse/therapist.
- To maintain and replenish stock levels and clinical supplies for the clinical area.
- Liaise and communicate effectively with other team members and clients of different backgrounds and levels of understanding.
- To demonstrate a high standard of care that meets with accepted standards of care within the Clinical Governance framework, and work within own level of scope of practice.
- To be physically fit for duty and undertake all moving and handling procedures when carrying out clinical duties.
- To report concerns and safety issues within the working environment to the nurse in charge.
- To deal safely and effectively, in accordance with Trust policy, with exposure to hazards and highly unpleasant working conditions at times, including face to face physical/verbal aggressive behaviour from patients or relatives and contact with body fluids.
- To participate in health promotion of patients. This may include smoking cessation, promoting exercise, healthy eating. To assist in the referral of patients, to the relevant healthy living services.
Administrative
The Health Care Assistant is expected:
- To update and keep accurate patient records according to Trust guidelines on record keeping.
- Organise own workload and prioritise patient visits.
- To liaise effectively with members of the wider multidisciplinary team and patients and their carers, in line with Information Governance standards.
- To share responsibility with team members for ensuring that care environment is always kept tidy.
- To order and maintain stock levels to meet team and client needs.
- To adhere to Infection Control Policy.
Communication
The Health Care Assistant is expected:
- To communicate effectively with patients, relatives, and colleagues always.
- To use appropriate communication that takes account of the well being of the individual.
- To observe and report any changes in a patient’s condition to the Heart Failure Specialist Nurse promptly.
- To participate and contribute to team meetings, and multidisciplinary meetings as appropriate.
- To maintain accurate and legible patient records in accordance with the Trust standards.
- To participate and contribute to teaching sessions.
- To have computer skills to enable access to trust databases, emails, and patient/care reporting programs.
- To have the ability to interpret sensitive information and communicate with a sympathetic and empathic approach to patient centred care.
- To be able to work appropriately with any barriers to communication: older people, physical disabilities, and cultural backgrounds.
- To be able to motivate and persuade patients/carers through effective communication skills, utilising verbal, and non-verbal skills. Communication will be tailored to the patient/carers’ level of comprehension or cognition for example, using interpreters.
Personal and people development
The Health Care Assistant is expected:
- To be able to work the direction of qualified nurses but not directly supervised. To understand their principles of delegation and personal responsibility in relation to scope of practice.
- To be responsible for own personal development, including keeping up to date with Mandatory training and training relevant to the area of practice.
- To identify own development needs and take action to enhance own knowledge skills and areas of competence as appropriate, considering organisational needs and objectives.
- To plan own under development and objectives with support from the Team leader.
- To attend organised training sessions and complete all relevant competencies within agreed time frames.
- To attend regular reviews with your team leader and have yearly appraisals in line with the Trust’s vision, mission, and values.
- To assist in the induction, training, and development of others.
- To value others and display team working by recognising and valuing individuality of team members and displaying sensitivity to other feelings and needs.
- To act as a professional role model for your service and for BEH NHS Trust.
Apply
Go Back