Community Care and Support Worker - Respiratory Health

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Management and Leadership

Contribute to creating improvement, transformation and innovation within the service in order to promote best practice.

Demonstrate effective time management skills.

To commit to continuous personal development/lifelong learning by attending mandatory training, use of eLearning and adhere to all trust policies and procedures.

To understand owns role within the wider multi-disciplinary team and articulate own developmental needs through attending clinical supervision, 1:1 sessions, undertaking appraisal preparation and contributing to objective setting and personal development planning.

Participate in clinical supervision.

Promote service development, improvements and quality expansion and efficiencies.

Support provision for a high quality, value for money and effective service.

Support effective use of IT systems to ensure accurate data recording.

Actively lead on maintenance of medical devices, risk assessment and team health and safety as per Trust policy.

To identify equipment provision and carry out administrative and housekeeping tasks to support the service and patient care.

Clinical Responsibilities

To co-support a case load of respiratory patients, under direction of the community respiratory specialist nursing team, following assessment, across the community respiratory specialist service, within clinic and home environments

Perform diagnostic spirometry.

Support respiratory patients and family/carer involvement and participation.

Accurately record clinical data and understand its significance including heart rate and rhythm, respiratory rate, pulse oximetry, peak flow rate, and, blood pressure.

To complete effective record keeping which demonstrates the care given, as well as patient outcomes in accordance with Trust policy and legal requirements.

Understand the benefits of non-pharmacological interventions for respiratory illness/conditions including smoking cessation, weight management and nutrition, and physical activity.

Understand motivational skills and empathetic communication.

Promote health and healthy informed choices.

Able to review smoking status, and provide very brief advice and refer to appropriate smoking service.

Have knowledge of the benefits of exercise and pulmonary rehabilitation and refer to appropriate local rehabilitation programs.

Able to review and train inhaler technique to patients, carers and other health care professionals.

Have awareness, knowledge and implementation of safeguarding processes in relation to children, vulnerable patients and carers.

Support education of patients and carers and students, and, other staff as appropriate.

Have awareness of the importance of research, audit and quality improvement.

To participate in and contribute to all activities associated with the teams response to current trends and changes within the NHS.

Promote and support effective implementation of all Organisational Policies and Procedures, and, practice in accordance with.

Liase with multi-disciplinary teams, referring as appropriate.

Support and promote a team culture which actively encourages empowerment, thereby supporting and facilitating change.

Support the provision of a high quality, value for money and effective service within available resources.

Possess good IT skills and use of systems.

Educational Responsibilities

Support training for the multidisciplinary team in the management of respiratory disease.

To regularly attend and participate in training, peer support and clinical supervision.

Support others to develop knowledge and skills.

Service user/carer teaching and information giving.

Support local patient groups, including hospice, providing appropriate education.

Acts as a resource for improving health.

Research

Support any research and service development.

Support audit and service evaluation.

Support proposed changes to working practices or procedures in own work area.

Person Specification

Special Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good organisational and problem solving skills.
• Competent in performing and recording clinical observations and understand their significance: BP, heart rate and rhythm, pulse, oximetry, and, respiratory rate.
• Ability to observe and record physical and social changes of a patient and report immediately.
• Phlebotomy or willing to work towards.
• Ability to work independently and act accordingly in an emergency situation.
• Able to prioritise work on a daily basis to meet service demands.
• Confident in the use of email and basic IT skills.

Desirable

• Basic understanding of respiratory anatomy, function and conditions.
• Service standard diagnostic spirometry performance.
• Brief smoking cessation intervention.
• Assess and train inhaler technique.
• Knowledge of benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation.
• Knowledge of self-management.
• Phlebotomy.

Special Requirements

Essential

• Able to travel independently around County Durham & Darlington.
• Flexible attitude to work.
• Able to safely move and handle loads.

Qualifications

Essential

• Health care certificate or willingness to complete in the first six months of employment.
• NVQ3 or relevant equivalent experience.

Desirable

• Short courses relevant to care.

Experience

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