Health Care Assistant

Due to the expansion of the in-hospice services we have an opportunity for a caring and compassionate Health Care Assistant to join our experienced team. This is a rare opportunity to support children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families.

As a Healthcare Assistant you will take a role in creating a welcoming, safe and caring environment in which families can be relieved of all or some of the care needs of their child, working alongside them and supporting them.

You will provide care within Christopher's Hospice near to Guildford, working alongside the wider multi-disciplinary team.

The post requires a person with relevant experience of working with children and families in a health or social care setting. You will be expected to participate in a rota to cover 24/7, working a reasonable share of weekends and public holidays.

Main duties of the job

• To support and assist in providing nursing / palliative care for the children, ensuring that the needs of the children and their families are at the centre of all decisions.
• To participate in the appropriate clinical care of the children.
• Assist with nutrition where applicable (i.e. assisting with menu completion, feeding assistance), working closely with the Nurses.
• Participate equally with all Care Team members in general household duties.
• To behave at all times in a manner that is sensitive to the differing cultural and religious needs of the children / families.
• To ensure that the provision of care is consistent with the policies and philosophy of Shooting Star Childrens Hospices.
• To be aware of child protection issues and be able to take the required action. To identify personal training and development needs with the Care Team Leader / Head of Care.
• To attend appropriate in-house training as identified in the personal development plan and to take proactive advantage of the professional support offered by Shooting Star Childrens Hospices to meet the demands of working within this challenging field.
• To work with the Lead Nurses and the Head of Hospice Services to promote and develop the work of Shooting Star Childrens Hospices.
• To ensure the maintenance of effective communication skills with the children and families, within the care team, and with the Shooting Star Childrens Hospices Management team.

About us

Shooting Star Childrens Hospices provides specialist care and support to families who have a baby, child or young person with a life-limiting condition, or who have been bereaved. Rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, we support families across Surrey, north-west London and south-west London from diagnosis to end of life and throughout bereavement with a range of nursing, practical, emotional and medical care.

Our specialist care and support is free of charge to families and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It includes specialist nursing in the community, symptom management and pain relief, overnight respite stays, end-of-life care, specialist bereavement care and a comprehensive range of therapies, groups and clinics for the whole family.

At the heart of what we do are our dedicated staff; their exceptional commitment and professionalism means every family has the opportunity to make every moment count.

It costs £10 million a year to run Shooting Star Childrens Hospices. Just 30% of our funding comes from the government, so we rely on our supporters generosity to keep the service running. We employ 175 members of staff, including 98 nursing and medical staff, and support around 700 families.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 2 in relevant field
• Health and Social Care, Nursery Nurse Care Certificate or willingness to undertake
• NVQ Level 3 Health and Social Care

Other

• Ability to motivate others
• The ability to work on own initiative and under pressure.
• The ability to adapt working patterns to provide the flexibility of service required by the families seeking our care.
• Sound communication skills both written and verbal
• Basic IT skills
• Moving and handling children with complex needs
• Competent in caring for children and young people who use enteral feeding devices (Gastrostomy tube)
• Experience of seizure management
• Experience of children requiring oxygen support
• Experience of using suction management devices

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Depending on experience £22,836 - £24,968 Plus Geographical allowance and enhancements