Adult Bladder & Bowel Care Service Assistant

Job overview

Be at the heart of our Community.

Are you a Band 2-3 looking to specialise? Are you looking to join a small and friendly team?

The specialist Adult Bladder & Bowel Care Service for Hertfordshire Community Trust has an exciting opportunity for a Band 3 Bladder & Bowel Care Service assistant to join the team.

The successful applicant will demonstrate a keen interest in bladder & bowel care. In return we will offer you a comprehensive induction to learn new skills to enable you to support the specialist nurses and administration within the team. A car driver with access to a vehicle for work is essential.

You will gain experience in continence management. You will be involved in conducting assessments with patients in their own homes and Care Homes. This role would be ideal for someone with an interest in fraility and dementia, gynaecology and urology and spinal injury and neurogenic conditions.

You will be working in an estrablished nurse-led friendly and supportive team with opportunities to progress your clinical career.

Main duties of the job

To work within the Adult Bladder & Bowel Care Service Specialist Team assisting with the provision of assessment and clinical care of a high standard to patients, with bladder and/or bowel dysfunction, in their own homes and Residential Care Homes.

To support the management of the supply and delivery of continence products to adults and provide a point of contact for all enquiries and communications regarding the Home Delivery Service.

To deputise for the service co-ordinator as requested.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To assess the effect of bladder and/or bowel dysfunction on the individual as well as carer’s/relatives within the designated remit of the Band 3 grade under the direction of a designated nurse
• To assess the needs for appropriate continence products (e.g. Continence pads; urinary sheaths) including instruction on fitting and use of the products.
• To provide basic advice on lifestyle changes which can have a positive effect of bladder and bowel function.
• To work with care staff in residential homes to enable them to provide excellence in continence care.
• To involve patients, carers and relatives in the planning of bladder and bowel care programmes and encourage self-management where appropriate.
• To be able to communicate with a wide range of patients, carers and relatives on sensitive issues relating to bladder and bowel function in a calm and respectful manner and deal with potentially distressed and occasionally angry patients, relatives and carers in a professional and sympathetic way.
• To work under the direction of the service coordinator regarding the Home Delivery Service for continence products and be able to deputise for some specific service coordinator functions.
• To act as a Delivery Service ‘Helpdesk’ for the Bladder & Bowel Care Service, giving support and assistance to a range of healthcare professionals and service users and their carers and/or relatives.
• To access patient data using the IT system for the home delivery of continence products when dealing with patient queries.
• To develop and utilise IT skills (word, e-mail, PowerPoint, internet) to improve communication and disseminate best practice.
• To understand the budgetary constraints of the home delivery service for continence products.

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.