Healthcare Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will be required to support the emotional needs of young people and their families within the CAMHS Eating Disorder Pathway and offer mealtime support in their own homes.

The post holder will work as part of Livewell CAMHS providing physical health checks and monitoring where required.

The post holder will also be responsible for the accurate recording and reporting on of physical assessments, highlighting risk accordingly.

The post holder will provide the highest standards of nursing care to children and their families.

The post holder will be an effective communicator in all aspects of their duties both in direct and indirect patient care.

Communicate clearly with children and young people, their families, and all other health professional groups about their health problems.

To liaise effectively with the other CAMHS pathways across the city.

To develop and maintain relationships with providers statutory and non-statutory.

Take responsibility for, prioritise, and manage own workload to support clinical teams across CAMHS.

Work without direct supervision using experience and knowledge to ensure the highest quality care is delivered

The post holder will work within the confines of their mandatory and statutory obligations, to the prevention and control of infection in all care settings.

Create and maintain relationships with young people, parent/carers, offering advice and support where necessary.

Promote and maintain a safe and comfortable therapeutic environment for young people and their families.

To work as part of the locality facing CAMHS to work with children and young people who may present with emerging mental health difficulties.

Co-delivery of group based, needs led groups within a community setting to promote well-being and increase resilience.

Where appropriate represent CAMHS in multi-agency meetings such as CAF, SEND meetings or child protection meetings to share and gather relevant information

Maintain standards of care to highest level within available resources.

To always maintain confidentiality in respect of children and young people.

Ensure that children and young people are encouraged to play a part in decision making about the help they need and how they can access specific interventions. This is to promote person-centred planning.

Knowledge, Training and Experience:

• The post holder will be responsible for updating their own practice, knowledge and skills within their sphere of practice including Livewell Southwest mandatory training.
• Knowledge of Policy and legislation.
• Knowledge of physical and health observations.
• Knowledge of Mental Health &Eating Disorders

Analytical and Judgmental Skills:

• Good ability to know when to involve senior staff in a child or young persons care and share relevant information.

• Planning and Organisational Skills:

• Good organisational skills and time management.

Physical Skills:

• Confidence to travel in an urban environment
• Competent key board skills
• Ability to take accurate physical observations i.e. blood pressure, pulse and temperature. Further on-going training may be required to increase skills crucial to the role as identified by the candidates line manager.

Responsibilities:

• Undertake physical checks and health monitoring and communicate findings.
• To work as part of a team, supporting the delivery of care to young people and their families.
• The post holder will be required to support the emotional needs of young people and their families within the eating disorder pathway and offer mealtime support in their own homes.
• Provide education to children, young people and their families to enhance their knowledge of mental health issues and management of this.
• Promote resilience, good physical health and prevention of mental health issues.
• To support families in their own homes.
• To liaise and work with other CAMHS pathways to ensure the needs of children and met by the right team, on the right pathway at the right time.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development

• Implement all appropriate National, Livewell Southwest and Local Home Treatment policies and protocols.

Responsibilities for Human Resources:

• Have the ability to challenge staff where the standard falls below expectations.
• The post holder will behave in a manner that does not bring the Team or Livewell Southwest into disrepute.

Responsibility for Information Resources:

• Responsible for Systm1 contacts Maintain accurate, timely paper and electronic records. Ensure they are kept safely in accordance with Livewell Southwest policy.

Responsibility for Research and Development:

• Provide a positive role in clinical audit and service evaluation to ensure high levels of clinical effectiveness.

Freedom to Act:

• The post holder will be individually accountable for their practice
• The post holder will actively participate in line management supervision with the Team Manager of the Team.
• The post holder will actively participate in clinical supervision in accordance with Livewell Southwest policy.
• The post holder will actively participate in the Livewell Southwest appraisal system and provide appraisals for junior staff.
• The post holder will carry out other duties commensurate with the position as required.

Mental Effort:

• Accurate manual and electronic record keeping whilst coping with constant interruptions and distraction in the work place for example: telephone calls and questions from colleagues.

Physical Effort:

• Ability to navigate around community sites, which may involve using stairs.
• Home visits to multi-occupied buildings, some without lifts.
• Frequent driving to different areas of the city.

Emotional Effort:

• Ability to deal with children and young people with emerging mental health difficulties.

• People who self-harm.
• People who are presenting in distress or with distressing thoughts and behaviours.
• People who are very difficult to engage within a therapeutic relationship.
• Ability to cope with stress generated from the constant changing priorities within the Team.
• Ability to make clinical decisions to meet the needs of children and young people in the school/community setting.

Working Conditions:

As this is a community post, it will involve working in a variety of different environments and will require the post holder must have the ability to adapt to these settings.

• Team office
• Revive and other Mount Gould Settings.
• GP surgeries/community settings.
• Schools
• Patients home

Additional information for all posts

The post holder is required to comply with all relevant policies and procedures pertinent to their post. Current versions can be found on Healthnet or via your manager. The areas listed below are those Plymouth Community Healthcare (CIC) currently places particular emphasis on. Failure to follow correct policies and procedures may result in disciplinary action.

Risk Management:

In Accordance with the Risk Management Strategy, employees will participate, whenever required, with the risk management process. They will support line managers by attending mandatory and statutory training, completing incident/accident forms for every adverse event or near miss that occurs, report all defects and complaints, and communicate any dangerous situation to individuals potentially at risk.

Health and Safety at Work:

You must co-operate with those in authority and others in meeting the statutory requirements and in following policies and procedures. A copy of the Health and Safety Policy is available from the Healthnet or from the Risk Management Department.

You are reminded that in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 you have a duty to take reasonable care to avoid injury to yourself and to others affected by your work activities.

You will be notified where your post carries a requirement for immunisation.

You may be required to be able to undertake physical intervention training and participate in physical intervention as part of a physical intervention team and BLS.

Infection Control:

Plymouth Community Healthcare (CIC) is determined to eradicate healthcare-acquired infection and puts a great deal of emphasis on the responsibility of all staff to ensure their own personal and others compliance with Infection Control (including Hand Washing) Policies.

All staff must comply with infection control policies and guidance, attend relevant updates and report issues of concern to their immediate line manager (if no action or explanation received, then it is the individuals responsibility to escalate their concerns to the Director of Operations or Chief Executives Office).

Safeguarding Children:

All employees have a duty for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and are required to act in such a way that at all times safeguards the health and well being of children. Familiarisation with and adherence to national and local Safeguarding policies is an essential requirement of all employees as is participation in related mandatory/statutory training.

Safeguarding Children and Adults

All employees have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults and are required to act in such a way that at all times safeguards their health and wellbeing. Familiarisation with and adherence to national and local safeguarding adults and children policies is an essential requirement upon all employees. Plymouth Community Healthcare has specific safeguarding policies and in addition, employees also have a responsibility to practice and work within the multi-agency policy developed by the Safeguarding Adults Board and the Safeguarding Children Board. Staff are also required to participate in related mandatory/statutory training.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ level 3 or equivalent level of relevant study.
• Ability to take accurate physical observations i.e. blood pressure pulse and temperature.
• Ability to communicate effectively with young people and their families/carers who are experiencing mental health problems in the community setting.
• Some experience/ability in communicating with other professionals from the multidisciplinary team and professionals from other health settings and agencies.
• Team player.
• Experience of working with children & young people.
• Caring and supportive attitude but with the ability to be firm.
• Good communication skills.
• Clear accurate record keeping.
• Computer literate.

Desirable

• Provide 1:1 support for activities with young people in the community.
• Understanding and commitment to multidisciplinary methods of working.
• Facilitate group activities under the guidance of senior members of the team
• In delivering routine physical monitoring independently.
• Understanding and commitment to multidisciplinary methods of working.
• Further on-going training may be required in order to increase skills crucial to the role as identified by the candidates line manager, such as taking bloods.
• Car Driver

Experience

Essential

• A background of working in a health care setting or equivalent and/or a desire to undertake a career in childrens mental health.
• Experience of working with children & young people.
• Previous experience of working with children/young people in a professional/voluntary capacity or experience of working within childrens mental health.

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of professional boundaries.
• Knowledge of physical health
• Understanding of confidentiality.
• Knowledge and/or awareness of mental health problems.
• Knowledge of own limitations.
• Understanding of professional boundaries.

Desirable

• Knowledge of mental health problems/mental illness in young people and evidenced based treatments.
• Understanding of child protection.
• Knowledge of Mental Health Act.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Livewell Southwest

Address

200 Mount Gould Road

Mount Gould

Plymouth

Devon

PL4 7PY

Employer's website

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