Job summary
Are you passionate about making a difference for people living with dementia? Dougie Mac is seeking a compassionate and skilled Senior Health Care Support Worker to join our expanding Dementia Services Team, working both in the community and across our hospice services in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
In this rewarding role, youll work alongside our Admiral Nurse team to provide holistic, timely, and non-complex support to people with dementia and their carers. You will manage your own caseload, delivering practical advice, emotional support, and enablement-focused care to reduce crisis and improve wellbeing for families affected by dementia.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is confident working independently, passionate about person-centred care, and committed to making a lasting impact.
Main duties of the job
Deliver tailored, non-complex advice and support to people with dementia and their carers, both at the hospice and in the community
Manage a clinical caseload, conducting community visits and follow-ups
Work jointly with Admiral Nurses on more complex cases
Maintain accurate and timely records using an electronic patient system
Contribute to MDT discussions and care planning
Build meaningful relationships with families and identify signs of carer strain
Promote autonomy, enablement, and person-led outcomes in line with Dougie Macs CARE values
About us
Dougie Mac provides compassionate care and support for adults, young adults, and children with life-limiting conditions across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. As a values-driven organisation, we strive to deliver high-quality, person-led, and inclusive care across our inpatient, community, and supportive care services. Following our merger with Approach Dementia Support and expansion into children and young adult services, Dougie Mac now supports more people than ever before across all age groups and diagnoses.
Our team is made up of dedicated, skilled professionals who are committed to delivering responsive and meaningful care in line with our hospice values. We offer a collaborative working environment with access to professional development, reflective practice, and staff wellbeing support.
Dougie Mac is proud to be a financially independent local charity, offering a competitive salary and benefits package including generous annual leave, contributory pension scheme, funded study opportunities, hospice-paid healthcare cash plan, and free on-site parking.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Principal Duties & Responsibilities:
1.Take a central role in the day-to-day co-ordination of patient contact using an electronic database.
2.Monitor and co-ordinate the flow of emails and information into the team.
3.To carry out noncomplex telephone contact with patients and families. This includes bereavement calls.
4.Support in monitoring the lone working within the team.
5.Assist the Admiral Nurses with joint visit as necessary and carry out independent home visits for noncomplex patients needs.
6.Provide physical care to patients if required during a crisis situation.
7.Liaise with external health care professionals, namely the GP and District Nurses where required.
8.Carry out internal and external referrals to support the delivery of holistic care for the patients.
9.Support with audit.
10.To observe and report any change in the patients condition to the appropriate Health Care Professional.
11.Be observant to challenges for care givers and escalate timely to the Admiral Nurse service.
12.To report any accident, or incident, involving the patient or carer to the appropriate Health Care Professional.
13.To deliver patient care in accordance with the care plan and ensure accurate and up to date documentation is maintained either in written notes or on computer records.
14.Establish and maintain good relationships with the patient, carers and all health care professionals.
15.To identify personal training needs and attend relevant in-service education programmes.
16.To provide patient and carer centred, enablement focused support to each individual, supporting them to achieve their goals and engage in a treatment / support programme to work towards mutually agreed goals with particular emphasis on adaptation to illness, and developing self-management strategies.
17.To work as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team, ensuring that the needs of patients and carers are identified within a holistic framework, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to rehabilitation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Principal Duties & Responsibilities:
1.Take a central role in the day-to-day co-ordination of patient contact using an electronic database.
2.Monitor and co-ordinate the flow of emails and information into the team.
3.To carry out noncomplex telephone contact with patients and families. This includes bereavement calls.
4.Support in monitoring the lone working within the team.
5.Assist the Admiral Nurses with joint visit as necessary and carry out independent home visits for noncomplex patients needs.
6.Provide physical care to patients if required during a crisis situation.
7.Liaise with external health care professionals, namely the GP and District Nurses where required.
8.Carry out internal and external referrals to support the delivery of holistic care for the patients.
9.Support with audit.
10.To observe and report any change in the patients condition to the appropriate Health Care Professional.
11.Be observant to challenges for care givers and escalate timely to the Admiral Nurse service.
12.To report any accident, or incident, involving the patient or carer to the appropriate Health Care Professional.
13.To deliver patient care in accordance with the care plan and ensure accurate and up to date documentation is maintained either in written notes or on computer records.
14.Establish and maintain good relationships with the patient, carers and all health care professionals.
15.To identify personal training needs and attend relevant in-service education programmes.
16.To provide patient and carer centred, enablement focused support to each individual, supporting them to achieve their goals and engage in a treatment / support programme to work towards mutually agreed goals with particular emphasis on adaptation to illness, and developing self-management strategies.
17.To work as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team, ensuring that the needs of patients and carers are identified within a holistic framework, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to rehabilitation.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent (A)
- Ability to travel independently throughout the locality with access to suitable vehicle for business purpose (A)
Desirable
- Tier 2 training in Dementia
- Intermediate communication training (A)
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a Health Care Support Worker (A /I)
- Experience of caring for patients with dementia (A / I)
Desirable
- Palliative Care experience (A)
- Community healthcare experience (A)
- Experience of supporting patients and families during uncertainty (A / I)
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Ability to carry out aspects of physical care as directed (I)
- Good verbal and written communication skills (A / I)
- Ability to observe changes and report (A / I)
- IT skills including Microsoft Office Suite, electronic patient records (A / I)
- Ability to work autonomously (A / I)
- Ability to establish and maintain good relationships with patients, carers and members of the multi-disciplinary team within the Hospice and with external agencies (A / I)
- To be able to meet the requirements of the post
- Flexible working to meet shift requirements
- Present a professional appearance appropriate to the role
Desirable
- Confidence in the ability to manage your own workload and delegate fairly (A / I)
- To be agile and adaptable to change
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent (A)
- Ability to travel independently throughout the locality with access to suitable vehicle for business purpose (A)
Desirable
- Tier 2 training in Dementia
- Intermediate communication training (A)
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as a Health Care Support Worker (A /I)
- Experience of caring for patients with dementia (A / I)
Desirable
- Palliative Care experience (A)
- Community healthcare experience (A)
- Experience of supporting patients and families during uncertainty (A / I)
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Ability to carry out aspects of physical care as directed (I)
- Good verbal and written communication skills (A / I)
- Ability to observe changes and report (A / I)
- IT skills including Microsoft Office Suite, electronic patient records (A / I)
- Ability to work autonomously (A / I)
- Ability to establish and maintain good relationships with patients, carers and members of the multi-disciplinary team within the Hospice and with external agencies (A / I)
- To be able to meet the requirements of the post
- Flexible working to meet shift requirements
- Present a professional appearance appropriate to the role
Desirable
- Confidence in the ability to manage your own workload and delegate fairly (A / I)
- To be agile and adaptable to change
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.
