Hospiscare Call Handler (Health Care Assistant)

Hospiscare

Job summary

As a Call Handler in our Clinical Co-ordination Centre, you will be a first point of contact for patients, carers and healthcare professionals calling the charity. Liaising with registered nursing staff, Clinical Nurse Specialists and wider community teams, you will ensure patients are prioritised appropriately.

Main duties of the job

Alongside your Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care or equivalent, you will have experience in adult specialist palliative care and an understanding of the complexities of working with individuals at times of distress and conflict. You will work autonomously, acting on your own initiative and seeking advice or escalating issues when necessary. Your highly developed communication skills, ability to act as a patient advocate, and appreciation of the importance of effective teamwork in a healthcare context, will also be important.

In return you will join a clinical employer of choice in the region and receive a competitive salary and wide range of employee benefits including Employee Assistance Programme and free parking at Searle House.

About us

Do you believe that every day matters? We do and not just for our patients. We believe our employees should enjoy coming to work. That means creating a positive working environment and rewarding staff with competitive pay, generous holiday entitlement and a wide range of benefits. If youd like to work for an outstanding charity, the first step is to apply

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Description

1. JOB DETAILS

Job Title: Health Care Assistant Call Handler

Band: 3

Location: Clinical Coordination Centre, Searle House

Hours: 22.5/week, 3 days over 7 (8am – 6pm)

Team/Directorate: Community

Responsible To: Community Cluster Team Leader (CCTL)

Responsible For: N/A

Accountable to: Head of Community Services

2. JOB PURPOSE

To provide holistic and person-centred care and support by telephone for patients with complex life-limiting illnesses.

To work within the multi-disciplinary team and alongside registered nursing staff to contribute to the delivery of a high standard of evidence-based specialist palliative care.

3. KEY RESULT AREAS/PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 Main Responsibilities

· Provide a first point of telephone contact for patients, carers and healthcare professionals to ensure a timely response whenever information or support is required.

· Liaise with Hospiscare’s Clinical Nurse Specialist teams to ensure a consistent approach to the triage process and that patients are prioritised appropriately.

· Assist in the identification of appropriate palliative and end of life care for patients in order to provide safe and effective treatment and support to patients and those close to them.

· Communicate in a sensitive and professional manner with patients, relatives, colleagues and others, considering potential barriers to understanding, to promote and maintain Hospiscare’s values and to ensure dignity and respect are observed.

· Adhere to Hospiscare’s clinical recordkeeping policy when providing and sharing verbal, digital or written information and instructions, to ensure patient confidentiality is observed at all times.

· Attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary team meetings and case discussions to inform decisions which ensure patients receive the best possible care.

· Assist with the identification and assessment of complex bereavement to enable a seamless handover to Hospiscare’s Supportive Care team.

Infection Prevention and Control

Maintaining a safe environment for patients, visitors and employees is everyone’s responsibility. All staff are required to adhere to Hospiscare’s Infection Prevention and Control Policy and make every effort to maintain high standards of infection prevention and control at all times. This includes ensuring personal and team compliance with all relevant policies and procedures, and acting upon or reporting any identified risks.

3.2 Key Contacts

Internal

· Clinical Coordination Centre team

· Community Cluster Team Leader· Community Clinical Nurse Specialist teams· Head of Community Services· Medical team

· Inpatient Unit team

· Supportive Care Services

· Clinical Administration

External

· Patients and those close to them

· Royal Devon & Exeter Foundation Trust

· NHS Community Services

· General Practitioners

· Social and Domiciliary Care Workers

· Residential and Nursing Homes

· Providers of out-of-hours services

3.3 Health & Safety

· Ensure that Health and Safety guidelines and fire regulations are strictly adhered to

· Comply with safe working practices as defined by Hospiscare

· Complete online training as and when required

· Take reasonable care for your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by acts or omissions at work

· Report any accidents, incidents or near misses as soon as reasonably practicable

· Manage own work life balance and general wellbeing, including any relevant pressures in respect of lone working, travel, difficult environments and challenging situations

3.4 General

· Be aware of and adhere to Hospiscare policies and procedures at all times

· Take part in progress/performance reviews throughout the year

· Cooperate with other Hospiscare departments

· Attend training courses and complete online training modules as required to meet the requirements of the post

· Take responsibility for own personal development, seeking out opportunities to learn new skills

· Undertake any other duties as requested by management which are reasonably deemed to be within the scope of the role

3.5 Other

· Apply the Hospiscare values and behaviours to every aspect of the role at all times

· Promote and maintain the brand standards of Hospiscare

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care or equivalent
• Evidence of ongoing professional development

Desirable

• Level 4 qualification or Foundation degree in Health and Social Care or equivalent
• Communication Skills training

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable clinical experience in adult specialist palliative care
• Demonstrable experience of working as part of a team within Health and Social Care

Desirable

• Experience of assessing, planning and evaluating individualised care plans for patients at end of life
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Experience of working under appropriate supervision as part of a multi-disciplinary team and of multi-agency partnership working
• Experience of providing and receiving complex sensitive information
• Experience of working within the community setting

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of the complexities of working with individuals at times of distress and conflict
• Understanding of the importance of effective team working in a healthcare context

Desirable

• Awareness of the principles of advance care planning
• Awareness of theoretical nursing models and understanding of their impact on delivery of care
• Awareness of key issues relating to End of Life care including policy developments

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills
• Developed IT skills
• Developed skills in recognising and responding to the changing physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs of palliative care patients and those close to them

Personal attributes

Essential

• Ability to work autonomously and act on own initiative, seeking advice/escalating issues when appropriate
• Flexible and adaptable with the ability to respond positively in a rapidly changing environment.
• Commitment to continuing professional development.
• Ability to act as a patient advocate
• Ability to evaluate own strengths and development needs
• Awareness of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in all areas of work

Employer details

Employer name

Hospiscare

Address

Searle House

Dryden Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5JJ

Employer's website

https://www.hospiscare.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)

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