Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Function as a team member of the Multidisciplinary Team by assisting the Registered Nurse in the delivery of effective high quality patient care. All work undertaken by the post holder will be under direct supervision of the Registered Nurse.

Key results from the job holder

Cleaning task/duties

·       Assists in monitoring and maintaining cleaning standards on the ward ensuring general and specialist equipment are cleaned as policy.

·       Ensure the ward is always safe and tidy by dealing swiftly with spillages and removing clutter. Checking that notices/boards are tidy, and that signage meets the required standard.

·       Maintain the upkeep of patients’ bed areas ensuring specialist cleaning of surfaces, furnishings and isolation nursing areas are cleaned appropriately.

·       Ensure the areas where food and beverages are served are clean and pleasant.

·       Respect the privacy and dignity of patients whilst carrying out household duties and also maintaining the safety of patients property and belongings.

Patient Assisting Task/Duties

·       Assist the patients to order food ensuring special requirements are taken into account so that dietary needs are met.

·       Ensure that patients are given hand-washing facilities before serving food and beverages to them.

·       Prepare and serve hot and cold drinks and food as requested co-ordinating extra requirements that may arise to offer a 24-hour snack service.

·       Serve meals in conjunction with the Nursing Team ensuring patients intake is known and checking all food and beverages are served at the correct temperature according to food hygiene regulations.

·       Ensure patients have any assistance they require to eat and drink monitoring intake and reporting to the Ward Nurse.

·       Ensure patients whose fluid intake is not medically restricted have access to fresh water.

·       Ensure the ward kitchen is clean at all times, checking refrigerated food is labelled and shelved as policy.

·       Wash equipment/utensils used in preparation and serving of food and beverages.

Planning and Organisational Duties

·       Evaluate the monitoring of the service delivery especially related to cleaning, food, linen and the environment at the agreed frequency informing the Ward Manager of outcomes so that action plans can be taken if needed.

·       Liaise with Estates and Works Departments in respect of all maintenance issues.

·       Plan the transport and disposal of clinical, domestic and confidential waste as per policy.

·       Check the ward has sufficient stock to meet the patients and staff requirements.

·       Order ward supplies on a weekly basis to replenish ward stocks.

·       Complete daily checking of equipment and returning of equipment no longer in use for reprocessing or storing safely in the correct place following decontamination, logging any defects.

·       Maintain a cleaning and checking programme of all beds and mattresses in line with the policy.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

·       To communicate effectively with all members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure safe and high-quality care is provided to all patients

·       Maintain effective working relationships with ward colleagues particularly those highlighted within the organisational chart above.

Responsibility for Finance

·       NA

Responsibility for Human Resources

·       Adhere to Trust Policies, Procedures and Guidelines

·       Ensure compliance with Mandatory training requirements in accordance with Trust Policy

Responsibility for Health & Safety

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. 

Responsibility for Teaching

·       Attend mandatory training as directed by Trust

Work Circumstances & on-call

·       7.5 hour shifts 07:00- 15:00, Saturday and Sunday but flexible to cover shifts Monday to Friday. Rosters are planned and released six weeks in advance.

Standard Duties & Responsibilities

The Trust operates a No Smoking Policy.

All Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust staff employed within Clinical Environments and have contact with children, vulnerable adults; service users and their families must familiarise themselves, be aware of their responsibilities and adhere to Local Safeguarding Children’s Board, Local Safeguarding Adult Board and WWL Procedures for Safeguarding and Protecting Children which are available on the Trust Policy Library.

In accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, employees who are required to interact regularly with the public, both face to face, and by telephone, are required to be able to speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.

Compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Information Governance – the postholder is not entitled to use for their own benefit or gain, or to divulge to any persons, firm or other organisation whatsoever, any confidential information belonging to the Trust or relating to the Trust’s affairs or dealings which may come to their knowledge during employment.

Compliance with the Health & Social Care Act 2008 – Code of Practice on the Prevention and Control of Infections and related guidance – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the reduction and management of healthcare related infection in all of their actions. This entails compliance with Trust Infection Prevention and Control policy and related Standard Operating Procedure (SOP’s); along with risk assessment of all situations; as staff have a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. Staff must be fully compliant with Trust Infection prevention and Control eLearning policy.

All applicants to any post within the Trust are required to declare any involvement either directly or indirectly with any firm, company, relevant person or organisation which has any interest with the Trust, the services provided by the Trust or any element of patient care. Failure to do so may result in an employment application being rejected, or if it is discovered after appointment the omission of such information could lead to dismissal. This includes any form of private practice relating to medical care.

Compliance with Trust Policies and Procedures including the Code of Conduct.

Compliance with Standing Financial Instructions (SFIs) – The SFI’s identify the financial responsibilities which apply to everyone working for the Foundation Trust and its constituent organisations including trading units.  Failure to comply with Standing Financial Instructions can in certain circumstances be regarded as a disciplinary matter that could result in dismissal. Compliance with the SFIs is monitored by the Finance Department and post holders are therefore required to understand their responsibilities outlined within this document and ensure compliance with its instructions.

Responsibility for all records (including patient health, financial, personal and administrative) that they gather or use as part of their work within the trust. The records may be paper, electronic, microfiche, audio or videotapes, x-ray images.

Any other duties appropriate to the grade. The range of duties and responsibilities outlined above are indicative only and are intended to give a broad flavour of the range and type of duties that will be allocated. They are subject to modification in the light of changing service demands and the development requirements of the postholder.