Care Assistant

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clients

To meet the needs of the Clients through:

• Assisting Clients in carrying out self care tasks including personal washing; showering; bathing and bed bathing; dressing and undressing; toileting; feeding; assistance with personal appearance such as hair brushing; continence management, catheter care; stoma care; and getting in and out of bed 
• Providing housekeeping duties in each service users house to ensure beds are made up and changed as appropriate; adequate disposal of incontinence products; rooms are clean and tidy and commodes are emptied and cleaned 
• Assisting in practical support such as house cleaning; fire lighting; shopping; cooking; dish washing; laundry and other duties as instructed and written in the task schedule 
• Providing day sitting and night sitting service to clients.
• Ensuring Clients are provided with refreshments and light snacks as appropriate   
• Observing care planning needs for service users
• Reminding service users to take medication
• Cleaning and maintaining aids used by the service users such as spectacles false teeth and hearing aids
• To help promote as much personal, physical independence and choice as possible
• Uphold service users rights and preserve dignity
• To ensure the delivery of care services in the community are meeting the
• required standard as laid out at Homecare’s  induction and set out by NISCC

Personal Development

Training & Development:

• Maintain professional knowledge and competence
• Attend training courses and updates as deemed necessary
• Attend regular meetings with team leaders and line manager
• Assist in the training and mentoring of new staff

General Responsibilities

Other Duties:

• To assist theOncall in an advisory capacity regarding adverse events including:
• Securing cover for shifts
• Confirming weather conditions/adverse occurrences in relevant area
• Responsible for the completion of good quality written records in relation to personal care, medication and well being and also reports regarding the service users in our care; as instructed by the Line manager and in line with company policies and procedures.  

Night Sits

You are being paid for the full duration of the night sit.  Under no circumstances are you to sleep during the night, even if family members say you can and/or offer you a blanket/bed to sleep, as you are putting yourself at risk if anything should happen to the client, this may also annoy family members who may believe you are not paying attention to the client.

Procedures to follow:

• Read the careplan and Daily Report Sheets on arrival
• Carry out tasks as per careplan, speak with family to get the necessary updates on client’s condition.
• When your client goes to bed, stay with them to ensure they settle to sleep.
• You are responsible for the client for the full duration of the sit. 
• Check on your client regularly throughout the night (depending on details in the careplan)
• You may take your own food and drink with you, to consume at a convenient time when the client is settled and asleep.
• You are not permitted to leave the client’s home at any time.
• Mobile phones must remain on silent or switched off at all times.
• Remember the smoking policy – you are not permitted to smoke in the client’s home
• Please arrange with a family member an agreed appropriate area to sit upright when your client is sleeping and get permission from family if you wish to watch TV or read a book when the client is sleeping, also if you wish to make a cup of tea/coffee.
• Ensure you are well rested before commencing a night sit and ideally take 11 hours break after the night sit.
• If possible, update the family member of the client’s condition at the end of your night sit.

If you are unsure of any procedure, contact your line manager for clarification.

Health and Safety:

• Report immediately to the office or Oncall facility any illness, accident or non entry to a service users home as per company policies and procedures
• Promote safe working practices within all service users home

Special Conditions:

• This post requires the holder to be available at varying times, which include early morning and late evening work and may involve an on call rota system.  The post holder is required to work weekends and bank holidays when required.      
• To carry out other duties and responsibilities commensurate with the  post and the needs of the organisation in order to develop and maintain service delivery. 
• The post requires the holder to have a clear disclosure check in accordance with the regulatory body Access NI. 
• Ensure all information of confidential nature is not divulged to third parties
• Notify the office or Oncall facility as soon as possible of your inability to report for duty and abide by the company policy on sickness and absence

This job description indicates only the main duties and responsibilities of the post.  It is not intended as an exhaustive list.  Homecare reserves the right to amend this job description from time to time, according to business needs.  Any changes will be confirmed in writing. 

Knowledge and Qualifications:

Essential:

Experience/Knowledge:

• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Team player
• Flexible approach to work according to the needs of the service  
• Basic literacy and numeracy skills
• Understanding of confidentiality
• Demonstrate motivation, reliability and commitment to team working and the development of others
• Ability to maintain accurate and up to date records and task schedules in accordance with company policies and procedures

Personal Qualities/Skills:

• Flexible, reliable and responsive to change
• Ability to convey information that requires tact and persuasive skills and deal empathetically with distressed or anxious service users      and care staff
• Understands and able to carry out instructions and directions given verbally and in writing
• Ability to cope with competing priorities
• Ability to work on own initiative and without daily supervision
• Maturity and genuine compassion for caring for our service user group

Working conditions:

• Ability to undertake personal care with service users
• Must be able to travel between service users in the community
• Fitness to do the job

Other:

• Satisfactory Police clearance
• 2 work related references
• Right to work in UK
• Fluent in English
• Own transport with full European driving licence and business class insurance

 Desirable: 

• NVQ 2 in Care or willingness to work towards
• Experience in care setting
• Experience and certification in moving and handling (although full training will be provided)