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Job summary

Main area
Independant living officer
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 4
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (up to 37.5 hours per week)
Job ref
372-COM2286-B
Employer
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Westgate House
Town
Halifax
Salary
£25,147 - £27,596 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
08/07/2024 23:59
Interview date
18/07/2024

Employer heading

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust logo

Independent Living Officer

NHS AfC: Band 4

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. 

We are committed to recruiting to our values.  Leading One Culture of Care underpins our values by creating an environment, tone and behaviours across all parts of the Trust that are fundamentally rooted in compassionate care.  

We are open to considering a wide range of flexible working arrangements. There are opportunities to flex the days of the week, hours and times of work and place of work including: part-time, job-share, flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home when appropriate. Please talk to us during the interview process to discuss any flexibility that you may require.

We received our Silver Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we provided its statement of intent to support all Defence personnel and we welcome application to work for us.  Find out more - Why Choose CHFT?

Our Future Plans

The Department of Health and Social Care has awarded capital funding to invest in local health services at both Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. This is a significant investment and an opportunity to enhance services for our populations in Calderdale and Huddersfield and West Yorkshire for generations to come. To find out more, please visit https://future.cht.nhs.uk/


 

Job overview

Be a key member of a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency team providing support to adults of all ages who do not require specialist acute hospital admission but require support to maintain their independence within their home setting. Placing emphasis on promoting and maintaining individuals' independence, dignity, and choice, undertaking medical, nursing or therapy related treatment programs or social care intervention to support and enable people.

Main duties of the job

Working across the whole of Calderdale, this role involves assessing a wide variety of situations, providing solutions (equipment, adaptations, and assistive technology), alongside caring and supporting individuals. Participate in new initiatives and future changes in care delivery including the Rapid Reablement Service as part of the Urgent Community Response Team. Support hospital discharges and prevent unnecessary admissions to hospitals.

Working for our organisation

The UCR team delivers a seven-day service with staff working on a rota basis for different shift patterns covering the whole of Calderdale. The service focuses on the delivery of rapid assessment and intervention for adults of all ages who do not require specialist acute hospital admission but who require crisis intervention within a community setting. This may be due to an alteration in their physical or psychological well-being, or a temporary change in their social circumstances which makes it difficult for them to be maintained in their own home without a short period of rehabilitation or intervention from UCR.

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  1. Establish positive relationships with the people we provide care for within professional boundaries, promoting dignity, choice, and respect
  2. Working with people to encourage them to be able and independent by providing support and personal care to a range of service users in vastly different circumstances.

 

 

  1. Providing personal care, including washing, dressing, toileting, shaving, mouth care, catheter care, feeding, and meal preparation, with the objective of encouraging people to do these tasks independently. Support and enable service users to improve or maintain their mobility through exercise and the use of mobility appliances or fitting equipment ifappropriate.

 

  1. Recording/Documentation – accurately. Read, respond, and act upon support plans, risk assessments, manual handling assessments, medication profiles, and other written information within the person's home. IT skills by completing mileage, booking A/L, toil, and applying for internal training on the system.

 

 

  1. Assist people, where appropriate, manage and take their prescribed medication according to their individualised medication profile and medication policy, be competent in dispensing medication from boxes and bottles, applying pain patches, contact chemist re medication, collection, and delivery prescriptions. Be competent in assisting a service user with stoma care and catheter care to recognise risks and report concerns to the appropriate person.

 

  1. Assess for equipment, assistive technology, and minor / major adaptations. To consider any preventative measures necessary to maintain independence, provide equipment, demonstrate, and instruct individuals, carers, and other professionals in the safe use of and provide ongoing training when required. Work will be carried out in patients own homes and the activities will include: a) Implementing treatment to protocols and based on competencies. b) Monitoring progress and feeding back to the registered practitioner or assistant practitioner c) Making minor adjustments to treatment programmes within predetermined limits d) Assisting registered practitioners with complex treatment. e) Community participation: support the individual and their families to identify community activities that will support the individual to maintain their connections with themselves, the people, and the environment surrounding them. f) Ability to use technology and interpret data to inform Reablement plans

 

 

  1. Attend training as identified through appraisal, in line with national minimum care standards, Skills Training and Council policy, and be proactive in any development opportunities as they arise. To assist in the induction of new colleagues and to maintain positive relationships within the team and beyond.

 

  1. Support and participate in treatment/exercise regimes and rehabilitation plans identified by other team members undertaking basic nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy roles following appropriate training, i.e., putting a splint on foot and following the exercise regime laid out, use of walking aids, deliver, and fit equipment.

 

 

  1. The initiative, to have a responsible attitude and a creative approach, to be open, you try new ways of working with service users and their carers. The ability to work alone and use your own initiative, however, also raise any issues that you feel need supervisory support and may have to deal with any emergency.
  2. Will be required to work in the homes of our service users. The types homes include houses, flats, sheltered housing, caravans, etc. some of which may be unpleasant or disagreeable, referring the difficult situations to the Locality Manager or Community Service Manager. This is not a complete statement of all duties and responsibilities of this post. The post holder may be required to carry out any other duties as directed; the responsibility level of any other duties should not exceed those outlined above.

 

 

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING

Essential criteria
  • GCSE in Maths and English or equivalent
  • NVQ level 3 or equivalent I Adult care or equivalent
  • Willing towards Trusted assessor Accreditation

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Essential criteria
  • Working with a range of people delivering care or support in the community
  • Skilled understanding of the needs of people with Dementia including an understanding of promoting independence and choice to the individual
  • Practical experience of using equipment relating to care or willing to learn
Desirable criteria
  • Provide high quality support to people in their own home
  • Flexible working responding to the ever changing demands/needs of a community based service
  • Work with people in goal setting, devise support plan to enable the person to maximize their independence and rehabilitation through reablement process and emotional support. Work with people to assess for equipment, assistive technology, and minor/major adaptations where appropriate including carers. To provide and / or install aids/ equipment and Assistive Technology

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

Essential criteria
  • Excellent communication skills verbal, non-verbal and written
  • Able to plan and prioritise workload
  • Ability to demonstrate flexibility and initiative
  • Ability to work effectively as a member of a team
  • Ability to undertake training and apply new understanding

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Trust IDApprenticeships logoAge positiveArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Care quality commission - GoodMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthAccredited Menopause Friendly Employer

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Susan Johnson
Job title
UCR team Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07810637170
Additional information

Julie Kavanagh ( Team Leader) Tel 07759363162

Or 

Susan Johnson ( Manager) Tel 07385225021

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