Health Care Assistant

Please note, due to the nature of the role the successful applicant must hold a driving license, in order to transport service users.

The Health Care Assistant (Band 3) is the second step on a skills escalator of unregistered practitioners. This level of practitioner will have extensive
experience at HCA Band 2/3 with an appreciation and knowledge of unit
procedures, competency based clinical observations, is able to organise day
to day tasks and activities based on an agreed and allocated work plan.
This role will work with more experienced Registered and Unregistered
practitioners providing support to both health and social care professionals,
whilst offering support and supervision to band 2 practitioners as required.
The Health Care Assistant role at this level, will be allocated and agreed via
plans of care, assessed and evaluated by a registered nurse. They will
implement, deliver care under the guidance of registered practitioners
supported by a monitored process of on-going supervision and support. This
role will be expected to work with ongoing levels of support and supervision
as determined via a monitored supervisory process and supported by
educational development via the NVQ process., Undertake a range of duties as agreed by unit policies and protocols
which involve direct patient care, under monitored supervision

To assist as instructed in the coordination of care delivery for a case
load of patients for those with mental health problems including those
with severe, enduring mental illness and Learning Disability

To work through and with the Directorate, psychiatric / learning
disability multidisciplinary team, patients and other community
agencies as instructed and guided

Contribute to the monitoring of the physical environment ensuring
that it is safe and conducive to the therapeutic work of the
unit/community setting, whilst being able to accurately monitor and
feedback concerns the registered practitioners

Have informed knowledge and understanding in the psychological,
social, physical and spiritual needs of all patients as guided as
agreed in a monitored supervisory framework

Actively participate and assist in the care and rehabilitation of
patients as per the plan of care determined and supervised by a
registered practitioner,

• Adhere to unit protocols and policies (e.g. supportive observations)


• To assist patients with all Activities of Daily Living as required


• To assist members of the multidisciplinary team with agreed

procedures (chaperoning)

• To have a basic understanding of the principles of infection control and

the importance of dietary and fluid requirements of individual patients

• Inform the nurse in charge of any potential hazard, accident, incident or

patient problem that occurs

• To undertake basic clerical and reception duties, including organising

patient transport and related tasks as required

• To undertake basic housekeeping tasks such as cleaning, tidying to

maintain a suitable environment in line with PEAT standards

• To recognise and promote all aspects of cultural diversity, devising

care plans as guided by a registered practitioner, that respond
positively to ethnic awareness with sensitivity, where necessary


• Minimum of 12 months experience as a Band 2 HCA, UK driving Licence
  
  Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.


Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Our Trust values are:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!

Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were "blown away" by our people's achievements and that everything they saw "sings and hums". This year, our staff rated us the 4^th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional