Health Care Assistants

Within this role you will have support from an experienced and friendly team and will benefit from bespoke training opportunities with our stroke specialist team. We aim for all staff to feel valued and empowered to achieve a patient centred approach to stroke care. The Acute Stroke Unit is a 25 bedded ward which specialises in caring for patients in the acute phase of a stroke. We have created a supportive environment in which to work and the organisation provides a wealth of support and training opportunities for staff., 1) Assist with the admission and discharge of patients - appropriate duties may include listing of clothing and assistance with dressing and undressing. 2) Weigh patients and chart weight. 3) Assist with making occupied and unoccupied beds. 4) Help patients to prepare for meals and assist in the service of meals. 5) Help with the feeding of patients 6) Assist with bathing in bed and in the bathroom, with the moving and handling of patients, including the use of mechanical aids and bed appliances. 7) Help patients with personal hygiene, oral hygiene, including care of hair, teeth and nails as required. 8) Assist in the care of pressure areas and the care of the incontinent patient. 9) Participate in helping patients with continence needs 10) Care of sanitary utensils including disinfection of baths, bins and buckets after use, and the disinfection of beds and lockers according to hospital policy. 11) Prepare, clean and tidy clinical rooms, clean nursing equipment and cupboards, excluding cupboards for storing controlled drugs and medicines. 12) Answer the telephone, taking, recording and transmitting messages confidentially 13) Assist with keeping of routine records, eg weight charts and fluid balance charts. 14) Assist with movement of patients to other wards, clinics, departments or hospitals, and undertake chaperon and escort duties. 15) Help patients with the care of their personal belongings. 16) Providing personalised end of life care and assist in dealing with the deceased patient, The successful applicant will be expected to work within the team, guided by Trust policies and procedures to ensure safe, personal and effective care for our patients. They will be flexible and will work their contracted hours dependent on service need and the rota needs covering a 24 hour, 7 day per week period. This will include some Bank Holiday working and rotation onto night duty.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for Health Care Assistants to join the established multi-disciplinary team on the Acute Stroke Unit. Are you passionate about Stroke and helping patients to achieve their potential and improve their quality of life? If so, we are looking to appoint a motivated, compassionate and caring person to join our established unit., The candidate will be caring and compassionate and demonstrate commitment to the organisation and work within the Trust Values.,

• Demonstrate ability to absorb training and carry out duties in accordance with procedures
• Proven ability to take on board new ideas, skills and knowledge
Desirable criteria
• Previous caring experience
• , NVQ 2 in care, Clear and accurate written/verbal communication and effective listening skills
• Friendly and caring manner - demonstrate ability in dealing sympathetically and sensitively with people
• Proven ability to work in a team, be supportive of team members
• Willing to adapt to the changing needs of the service
• Able to work extra hours on occasions and provide reasonable flexibility in terms of hours worked
• Proven ability to keep information confidential
  
  At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work., At East Lancashire Hospital we pride ourselves on delivering safe personal and effective care.
The Acute stroke unit is based at Royal Blackburn hospital and the Stroke rehabilitation unit is located at Pendle Community hospital. Stroke is the leading disability in the UK and early recognition, treatment and care improves patient outcomes. Patients are generally admitted directly to the stroke unit from ED and cared for in our higher observation bay. These beds have access to cardiac monitors and has 2 consultant ward rounds per day. we have access to stroke specific training from our dedicated stroke specialist nurses and new staff members will be given the opportunity to shadow our stroke nurses in their role in the emergency department., The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to improving the working lives of our staff and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. In addition, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service to the recruitment of people into positions of trust. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background. We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that ELHT has an under-representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.

It is important you are made aware of the following as regards your application to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Please note that the salary advertised is for full time hours. If this post is less than 37.5 hours per week, the salary will be pro-rata. For posts on Agenda for Change pay-scales, new entrants to the NHS will normally commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
• This vacancy may close before the closing date if the recruiting manager deems sufficient applications have been received. Therefore it is advised to complete your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
• Please note that shortlisting is completed anonymously with candidates being assessed against the essential criteria for the post. Therefore only applicants, who can clearly demonstrate how they meet our person specification criteria in their application, will be short-listed.
Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS) If the role you are applying for is identified as either controlled or regulated activity as defined in in the Safeguarding vulnerable Groups Act (2006) any offer of employment is provisional upon a satisfactory DBS check being obtained. The healthcare sector is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. In line with other NHS organisations in the North West Region, the Trust is now passing the charge for undertaking a DBS check on to candidates in the event they are successfully appointed into the post for which they have applied. Candidates can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months as a deduction from the monthly salary. However, if you are applying for a post as a BANK worker, the payment must be made in full at the time of employment checks. By applying for this vacancy you are agreeing to this undertaking in the event you are successfully appointed. The cost of an Enhanced Disclosure will be £55.38 and for a Standard Disclosure will be £27.38.