HCA Education and Pastoral Assistant - B4

Job description

Job responsibilities

ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System will comprise the Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is the statutory body for the NHS, and the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP), which is a committee of the ICB, and brings together key health, care, community and voluntary sector organisations across the area.

The HCA Academy is an Integrated Care System (ICS) initiative between Essex Partnership University Hospital Trust (EPUT) and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) and will model a one workforce cross system approach to the recruitment, education and experience of Healthcare Assistants (HCA), establishing a career framework that supports retention in the role and will offer a supported progression into apprenticeships for our population.

The HCA Education and Pastoral Support Assistant will work under the supervision of the Health Care Assistant (HCA) Development Facilitator as part of the centralised HCA Academy.

Working as part of a supportive corporate team with the existing Education Facilitators and the wider Education Team across the MSEICS, the postholder will support HCA team members realise their full potential by providing development opportunities and a supportive environment allowing them to deliver the highest quality of patient care.

The post holder will help to champion and co-ordinate the development of the Band 2 -3 staff who are new to the Trust and to the care environment. This will include supporting the Health Care Assistant (HCA) Development Facilitator in designing and coordinating the delivery of the system wide induction programme and the Fundamental of Care Certificate (FCC) and other clinical educational programmes to support service situated learning opportunities linked to the requirement of Band 2- 3 roles.

The post holder will be able to prioritise duties with the support of the Health Care Assistant (HCA) Development Facilitator for care certificate and be accountable for their own actions and demonstrate initiative and ability to work autonomously with minimal direct supervision but must work within their level of competence.

KEY DELIVERABLES

Under the supervision of the Health Care Assistant (HCA) Development Facilitator, the post holder will liaise with Senior Sisters/Charge Nurses and ward staff to ensure the education developmental and pastoral needs of the Health Care Assistant workforce are identified and addressed.

Education and Development

Support the co-ordination, facilitation and delivery of the induction programme for HCAs, ensuring that candidates progress from appointment and progression on the programme is monitored and tracked.

Support the Organisations complete and maintain central registers of all candidates enrolled on the Care Certificate programme.

Oversee and support where needed.

To assist in ensuring the provision of named supervisor/assessor support for candidates registered on the FCC programme.

To work in conjunction with the education teams to promote and support the delivery of a range of generic and bespoke learning activities for new and existing Band 2 -3 HCAs

To set up and prepare teaching rooms and learning resources and to facilitate our virtual learning programme.

To provide clinical or developmental support for other Band 2-3 staff by working one to one or within the ward areas for 50 % of their role.

To support Band 2 -3 learners to overcome barriers to learning and provide opportunities to develop knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed in completing the FCC.

To support the Education Teams in evaluating the effectiveness of learning activities and support in redesigning programmes to meet the organisational needs.

To provide support to the clinical teams in identifying areas of learning for the HCA

Pastoral Support

The postholder will be required to offer pastoral support outside of the immediate line manager structure and to champion the role and work of the Health Care Assistants:

Support the establishment of a buddy system or peer support network for new HCAs

Offer pastoral support through one-to-one mentoring or group sessions, building positive, effective relationships

Promote career progression opportunities and maintain up-to-date knowledge of career pathways

Act as a positive role model to the HCA workforce, coordinating recognition events and annual development days as well as playing an active role in the recruitment and selection process.

Make recommendations to HCA onboarding and support to improve retention

As appropriate escalate and discuss all concerns and issues to manager.

Skills, Knowledge, and Attributes

Undertake continuous training and development required for the role

Support the Education Team in research, design and delivery of a variety of generic and bespoke learning activities for staff; developing schemes of work, lessons plans and training resources

Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of virtual learning solutions

To be responsible for own allocated caseload in supporting HCA on the FCC programme within timeframes and escalating issues to the Health Care Assistant (HCA) Induction Facilitator

To work within agreed policies and procedures ensuring compliance with regulations and the code of practice for the registered organisation

Communications and Relationships

The ability to communicate in a way that inspires, motivates and engages potential applicants, clinical leads and colleagues is essential to this role. The postholder will be required to:

Working alongside clinical managers to provide support, guidance, mentorship, and coaching to individual band 2-3 staff who are undergoing a performance review due to concerns raised regarding capability.

To ensure effective communication between the ward managers/matrons and external contributors to facilitate effective learning.

Additional Responsibilities

In addition to the above duties you will also be expected to perform the below key activities in line with your job role;

Complete mandatory training in line with Trust policy and procedures

To keep yourself updated on all matters relating to Trust policy

To provide management supervision where appropriate

Due to the nature of this project, the above duties are not exhaustive and may evolve to meet the dynamic needs of both organisations.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE English and Maths 4-9/ A-C or equivalent
• Educated to Foundation degree in healthcare or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing professional and personal development

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of working as a Health Care Assistant
• Experience of working with individuals in a training, learning or development capacity
• Ability to produce clear, accurate, written records

Knowledge / understanding

Essential

• Ability to use own initiative, manage own time and workload effectively
• Ability to relate to and influence or challenge clinical staff
• Ability to promote an effective learning environment

Partnership Working / Leadership Management

Essential

• Demonstrate reliability, motivation, and commitment
• Work effectively and flexibly as part of a team to meet the needs of the service
• Proactive and self-motivated with ability to motivate others

Skills

Essential

• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to teach fundamental skills in patient care
• Prioritization and organisational skills and ability to work to tight deadlines and perform under pressure

Other

Essential

• Able to work and travel across all Trust sites and to external sites as required
• Able to work flexibly including unsociable hours
• Ability to work and travel cross site and to external meetings sites as required

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.

Employer details

Employer name

NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board

Address

Phoenix House

Christopher Martin Road

Basildon

Essex

SS14 3HG

Employer's website

https://www.midandsouthessex.ics.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)