Caring Hearts Scotland

Job Description

Home Support Worker

Post title          Home Support Worker

Reports to        Care Manager

Job Description

It is important that all employees of the company follow the rules and policies and procedures as laid out in the staff handbook and in the ’Policies and Procedures’ book which is kept in the office and available for any Support Worker to use.

The role of the support Worker is to perform duties and tasks to facilitate our clients to live at home in a safe and secure and comfortable way.

Duties

It is sometimes difficult to generalise about what the role of a support Worker is. The best way of summing it up is that we might perform the tasks carried out by a close friend or relative but in a trained, professional and knowledgeable way.

In order to do this successfully the Support worker must be aware of the needs and requirements of the client and must communicate successfully, not only with the client but also with other stakeholders, such as family, friends and other Healthcare Professionals. The support Worker also has a responsibility to alert the supervisor (or their representative) of any changes or causes for concern in the client’s condition.

There will be specific tasks identified for a particular client. These may include cooking and/or preparing meals and possible assistance with feeding. Housekeeping and laundry as well as personal care may also be part of the role.

The Support Worker will be briefed before undertaking any assignment with the specific tasks involved but in every case it is incumbent upon the Support Worker to carry out the work in a safe and professional way and to adhere to the specific instructions as well as the policies and procedures of the Company.

Support Workers are frequently the only people that a client may see on a daily basis and clearly there is a responsibility to report any relevant information back to the Manager. It is not the role of the Support Worker to become involved in notifying family, friends or relative of changes. This will be carried out by the Caring Hearts admin team, based on the advice received from the Support Worker. The Support worker does not have responsibility for staff. It should be clearly understood that the role requires a great deal, sometimes both in physical and emotional ways, and also carries a weight of responsibility.

Anyone who does not genuinely care about the welfare of other people will not be suitable for this job.

The permanent equipment provided by Caring Hearts such as uniform, identity badge and any other equipment required to carry out the role, are the responsibility of the Support Worker, as is making sure that consumables such as disposable gloves and aprons are available and not is short supply.

Whilst the supply and upkeep of any equipment such as wheelchairs and hoists are not the responsibility of Caring Hearts or its employees, it is expected that causes for concern with any of such items would be passed by the support Worker to the Manager.

By its nature home care requires Support Workers to travel from place to place. Support Workers must therefore have the ability to do this, either by public transport or by their own means.

A thorough training programme is applicable to every member of the caring Hearts team. This constitutes both initial and ongoing training and is a requirement of all staff. Every member of staff will be required to be a member of Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme. (PVG)

Job specification

Essential

            Genuine care for others

            Good communication skills

            Ability to understand what the role entails

            Ability to follow instructions.

Desirable

            Experience in care provision

            Own transport

            Flexible availability

Key Competencies

            To be able to attend to all client calls

            To understand the importance of such calls

      To be able to cope with emergency and difficult situations.

      To be able to communicate with other people.

       To be able to maintain high standards of care

       provision.

Tasks

(The role may involve some or all of the following. This is not intended as a complete list and is supplied for information only)               

Assist clients to get up, dressing and preparing them for their day

Washing, bathing, showering, oral care, grooming.

Toileting, assisting with use of commode, emptying commode.

Continence management

Using manual handling equipment as specified

Working with other care professions such as District Nurses, GP’s etc

Assisting/prompting/administering with prescribed medication

Assist clients to go to bed, including undressing and washing

Preparation of meals and assistance with feeding

General household duties

Bed making and laundry

Shopping and supplies management

To keep accurate records of care visits