Band 3 Healthcare Support Worker - Swindon

Job overview

We are looking for a motivated and passionate individual to join our team in the challenging role of a support worker. This role offers the opportunity to provide a comprehensive package of care to inpatients from day one. Working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team, you will be able to take advantage of their skills and experience to create an individualised and specialised programme to help patients on their road to recovery.

Hodson Ward is an older adult functional admission ward based in Swindon. As an acute inpatient service, we provide high quality, multi-disciplinary, multi-skilled treatment to people whose health care needs cannot be managed in their own homes due to their level of complexity, intensity and unpredictability. The ward is a mixed ward with 12 beds for older adults with a wide range of mental health conditions.

To support you in your role, you will be allocated a supervisor to offer guidance and direction as well as a buddy to settle you into Hodson Ward and support you through your role.

This role is on a ward that operates on a 24/7 shift basis and applicants will need to be happy to participate in the 24 hours, 7 day a week rota to meet the needs of the people who use our services.

Main duties of the job

Working closely with our multi disciplinary teams, supporting service users, you will receive training to complete the NHS Care Certificate and request a Level 3 Healthcare apprenticeship. If you have some experience of caring work already that would be great – but if not, we will support you to develop the skills and experience needed.

This role is on a ward that operates on a 24/7 shift basis.  Staff will qualify for unsocial enhancements in addition to their basic pay.

You will have excellent communication skills, and be happy to participate in the internal 24 hours, 7 day a week rota to meet the needs of people who use our services.

We expect you to be able to demonstrate how you have worked effectively in a multi-disciplinary team setting. You will need to demonstrate your commitment to personal development.

Your attitude is crucial.  On Hodson Ward we deliver person-centred care. We believe that with our help people can improve their mental health to promote independence .

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To deliver high quality care and recovery interventions for service users within designated clinical areas, in collaboration with, and under the indirect supervision of, registered care staff. These may include:

Supporting individuals with fluids and nutrition, physical wellbeing, and personal care.

Assisting service users with financial or accommodation issues.

Escorting or accompanying service users for planned periods of  leave on hospital grounds and in the community facilitating social inclusion.

Encouraging service users to talk about their experiences in one-to-one or group discussions.

To help maintain a clean, well-organised, safe and therapeutic environment that meets the needs of service users, carers and colleagues, and to support registered care staff to perform standardised environmental assessments to monitor and improve the care setting.

To deliver psychosocially-informed one to one and group interventions aiming to positively impact service users’ cognitive and emotional wellbeing.

To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team. To assume lead or link roles on core practice initiatives and priorities (e.g. Essence of Care, Safewards and carer engagement) under the supervision of registered staff. To integrate areas of personal interest with clinical practice to enhance the diversity of the team’s provision of care.

To practise planned care, and to directly participate in the development of recovery-focused interventions that address service users’ and carers’ needs and preferences. To proactively review, record and assess the on-going impacts of such interventions.

To participate in the on-going care planning, CPA and risk assessment processes in collaboration with service users, their carers, and other members of the care team and to contribute to all aspects of clinical record keeping.

To maintain a basic working understanding of both the Mental Health Act (1983) and Mental Capacity Act (2005), and any other relevant legislation, as required by mandatory and statutory training (MaST).

To adhere to AWP’s Code of Conduct for unregistered practitioners; promoting and embedding it through the delivery of peer support and supervision to junior, temporary and newly appointed Health Care Support Workers.

To observe and record interactions with service users and carers both verbally and in writing via clinical records and staff handovers.

To deliver a wide range of fundamental care interventions using evidence based clinical tools, to monitor and improve physical health and personal wellbeing and to model a high standard of dignity, respect and candour.

To engage in reflective practice to maintain and promote ongoing clinical practice.

To promote and enhance a positive learning culture, being proactive in the induction, orientation and support of junior, temporary and newly appointed Health Care Support Workers,  seeking to embed core care values into practice.