Health Care Assistant

Job overview

Here is an exciting opportunity to join us as a band 3 Health Care Assistant.

Marjory Warren Ward has 27 beds, of which provide care to general medical patients and those requiring End-of-Life palliative care, liaising closely with Community services and St Luke’s Hospice to ensure that patients can choose a preferred place of care, and receive specialist symptom management control.

This is a rewarding and fast-paced area delivering high quality specialist care in Cancer Medicine and Palliative Care, working alongside Macmillan Specialist and Community MDT.

Main duties of the job

Communicates with other relevant professionals for example senior nurses / MDT for information regarding patients’ clinical condition / clinical problems / workload issues

• Maintain good relationships and an empathetic approach to the patient’s’ family, relatives and carers and refer them to a registered nurse for any questions they may have on the patient’s condition or for any concerns they wish to raise.
• Communicates with others in accordance with the Trust values
• Maintain excellent communication with patients, relatives, and members of the MDT regarding all aspects of care demonstrating a variety of communications skills in accordance with the client group.
• Assist and maintains accurate patient care documentation utilizing a range of different IT systems e.g., datix, electronic observations
• Take & relay messages accurately

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Demonstrates care and compassion to patients, carers, and relatives to help to ensure high quality patient centered care is delivered at all times.

• Accurately measure and record a patient’s weight, height, and BMI in preparation for assessment by a Registered Nurse or Doctor.
• To assist patients with personal and oral hygiene as instructed.
• To assist patients with eating and drinking.
• Monitoring and accurate recording of dietary and fluid intake appropriately reporting any abnormalities to the registered nurse.  Complete Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and refer to a registered nurse as necessary.
• Enable patients to access appropriate toilet facilities, collecting and disposing of body waste.  Monitor patients who are at risk of falls and escalate concerns where appropriate.
• Following relevant training and competency assessment, catheterise females following clinical decision making by a registered nurse in relevant clinical area
• Testing blood sugars, urine and stool specimens & accurately record results and report abnormalities to the Registered NurseRemoval of male/female
• indwelling urethral catheters
• Obtain specimens & process specimens to the laboratory
• Identify the physical signs and symptoms of pressure damage during a skin assessment and escalate to a registered nurse
• Provide pressure area care to patients recognizing abnormal skin appearance
• Recognise and assess patients who are in pain using a simple pain score and escalate to the registered nurse where appropriate
• Provide care to patients who are end of life
• Able to prepare equipment for aseptic procedures as instructed
• Undertake simple wound dressings as delegated by the Registered Nurse
• Taking and recording of temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure, CAVPU, oxygen saturation and pain scores on instruction from the Registered Nurse.
• Accurately recording the results and reporting significant findings, as per NEWS 2 policy.
• Under the supervision of a qualified nurse, support patients undergoing clinical procedures ensuring their dignity, respect, comfort, and safety/chaperone