Nutrition Support Healthcare Support Worker

Job overview

The health care support worker will work within the specialist multidisciplinary Nutrition Support Team and Cardiff Intestinal Failure and Rehabilitation Centre and contribute to delivering a high-quality service for patients with Intestinal Failure and their families. The post holder will assist registered nurses in undertaking appropriate procedures, education and training and a range of clerical duties to support the team.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Main duties of the job

To assist the nutrition nurses to deliver effective clinical care in both the inpatient and outpatient setting for patients requiring parenteral nutrition.

To support the team in clerical and administrative tasks including stock control and preparation of resources and data collection.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Planning and Design

• Manage own time effectively to plan delegated daily workload in collaboration with other team members.

• To work effective within the team, scheduling, cancelling and rearranging appointments.

• Contribute to maintaining and updating of all training and patient information resources and displays education displays and assist the team with activities.

• Report any adverse incidents in the most appropriate way following the relevant Local and National Policies.

• Keep an accurate diary.

Improvement and Monitoring

• To contribute to the monitoring of the intervention, reporting back to the lead practitioner.

• To participate in the evaluation of activities working with other disciplines within the Nutrition Support Team.

• Contribute new ideas to improve the Nutrition Support Team service for staff and patients.

• Contribute to developments within the service e.g. attending relevant meetings, contribute to service changes.

• To work as part of the wider Nutrition and Dietetic service, participating in service developments, service initiatives, attending staff meetings and Clinical Governance forums.

• To participate in reflective practice as part of ongoing personal and professional development

Communications

• Initiating appointments and encouraging patient attendance.

• To answer the telephone, record messages accurately and ensure the information is received by the relevant staff.

• Provide appropriate health related advice to patients and their relatives.

• Respond appropriately to patients and family’s queries, this may include dealing with anxious and distressed patients and families either face to face or by telephone.

• Provide and receive routine information in a non-judgmental manner to patients and their families/carers in hospital.

• To provide confidentiality, privacy, dignity and equality to patients and their families/carers.

• Recognise situations that may be detrimental to the health and well-being of the individual and reporting concerns to the Registered Nurse.

• To report any concerns or issues to the Registered Practitioner and complete Datix incident forms.

• Keep accurate, contemporaneous records in accordance to health board policy.

Clinical

• To assist Nutrition Nurses in providing a day-case nurse-led clinic for enteral and parenteral nutrition patients.

• Recording and documenting the patient’s physiological observations which include blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature and oxygen saturations in accordance with the National Early warning score (NEWS). To understand its significance and report to the registered practitioner when essential.

• Contribute to assessment and assist in the development, implementation of individualised care plans including brief interventions for patients with Intestinal Failure.

• Support to manage waiting lists e.g. Parenteral Nutrition Clinic, nurse-led clinics and PEG lists. Making appointments and participating in investigations under the supervision of the Registered Practitioner.  Follow up patients who default appointments.

• Use appropriate equipment, handling techniques in line with the All Wales Passport for manual handling, when assisting with patient’s mobility needs e.g. manoeuvring patients for weighing or line removals/reviews.

• Undertake venepuncture and cannulation.

• Introduce families to the range of support that is available to them i.e. PINNT, NST resources

• To liaise with catering, housekeeping and nursing staff to provide information relating to personal and cultural food preferences of patients.

• To be competent in the safe use of anthropometric equipment under the supervision of a Dietitian.

Non-Clinical

• To provide and input data collection.

• To undertake a range of clerical duties to support the team for example photocopying, filing, stock monitoring, clinic admin, as directed by the registered practitioner

Finance and Budget

• To ensure the effective use of all resources, materials and equipment in the clinic or hospital setting, paying particular attention to the safety and well-being of patients and their relatives.

• To order and monitor the usage of nutritional products and equipment under the direction of the intestinal failure service lead and to maintain the records for monthly re-charging.

Management, Leadership and/or Training

• Use initiative when acting on information from patients, relatives and carers and be able to respond appropriately e.g. safeguarding disclosures, POVA.  Report to the Registered Practitioner.

• Adheres to “The Code of Conduct for Health Care Support Workers in Wales”.  All delegated activities will be in line with “All Wales Guidelines for Delegation” (NLIAH, 2010).  The Code of Professional Practice for Social Care (2017 Social Care Wales).

Digital and Information

Complete and return statistical information as required and maintain / update electronic data systems as appropriate.