Health Care Assistant

Due to the expansion of the in-hospice services we have an opportunity for a caring and compassionate Health Care Assistant to join our experienced team. This is a rare opportunity to support children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families. As a Healthcare Assistant you will take a role in creating a welcoming, safe and caring environment in which families can be relieved of all or some of the care needs of their child, working alongside them and supporting them. You will provide care within Christopher's Hospice near to Guildford, working alongside the wider multi-disciplinary team., You will be expected to participate in a rota to cover 24 / 7, working a reasonable share of weekends and public holidays.,

• Tosupport and assist in providing nursing / palliative care for the children,ensuring that the needs of the children and their families are at the centre ofall decisions.
• To participate in the appropriate clinical care of the children.
• Assist with nutrition where applicable ( assisting with menu completion,feeding assistance), working closely with the Nurses.
• Participate equally with all Care Team members in general household duties.
• To behave at all times in a manner that is sensitive to the differing culturaland religious needs of the children / families.
• To ensure that the provision of care is consistent with the policies andphilosophy of Shooting Star Childrens Hospices.
• To be aware of child protection issues and be able to take the required action.To identify personal training and development needs with the Care Team Leader / Head of Care.
• To attend appropriate in-house training as identified in the personaldevelopment plan and to take proactive advantage of the professional supportoffered by Shooting Star Childrens Hospices to meet the demands of workingwithin this challenging field.
• To work with the Lead Nurses and the Head of Hospice Services to promote anddevelop the work of Shooting Star Childrens Hospices.
• To ensure the maintenance of effective communication skills with the childrenand families, within the care team, and with the Shooting Star ChildrensHospices Management team., Part 1 : Job Profile
Main purpose of job To take a role in creating a welcoming, safe and caringenvironment in which families can be relieved of all or some of the care needsof their child, working alongside them and supporting them. Duties and key responsibilities Tosupport and assist in providing nursing / palliative care for the children,ensuring that the needs of the children and their families are at the centre ofall decisions. Toparticipate in the appropriate clinical care of the children. Assistwith nutrition where applicable ( assisting with menu completion, feedingassistance), working closely with the Nurses. Participateequally with all Care Team members in general household duties. Tobehave at all times in a manner that is sensitive to the differing cultural andreligious needs of the children / families. Toensure that the provision of care is consistent with the policies andphilosophy of Shooting Star Childrens Hospices. Tobe aware of child protection issues and be able to take the required action. Toidentify personal training and development needs with the Care Team Leader / Head of Care. Toattend appropriate in-house training as identified in the personal developmentplan and to take proactive advantage of the professional support offered byShooting Star Childrens Hospices to meet the demands of working within thischallenging field. Toprovide in-house training where appropriate with colleagues. Towork with the Lead Nurses and the Head of Hospice Services to promote anddevelop the work of Shooting Star Childrens Hospices. Toensure the maintenance of effective communication skills with the children andfamilies, within the care team, and with the Shooting Star Childrens HospicesManagement team. To report complaintsrelating to patient care and inform the Lead Nurses or Head of Hospice Servicesas soon as possible, to ensure that the complaint is recorded and a reportprepared in accordance with the complaints procedure. Toact in accordance with, and adhere to, all Shooting Star Childrens Hospicespolicies, guidelines, procedures and standards. Totake reasonable care not to endanger yourself or anyone else by act oromission. Totake reasonable care or your health and safety and that of other people who maybe affected by your acts or omissions at work, and to ensure that statutoryregulations, organisational policies, codes of practice and safety rules areadhered to. Part 2 : Main duties and key responsibilities Professional fessional Totake responsibility for your personal development in liaison with your linemanager. Totake responsibility for undertaking the four elements of annual mandatorytraining, Fire Safety, Safeguarding Children, and Infection Control.Moving and Handling. Mandatory Criteria 1. Otherduties The post holder will be working in a developingenvironment, and they will therefore be expected to undertake other appropriateduties as required for the effective operation of Shooting Star ChildrensHospices. 2. Professional Codes of Conduct The post holder will be required to respect professionalcodes of conduct and practice relevant to their role, as appropriate 3. Health and Safety Be responsible for health and safety in the area undertheir control and ensure that they are familiar with Shooting Star ChildrensHospices policy on health and safety at work. 4.Mandatory Training The post holder will attend all mandatorytraining relevant to their role 5. Our values and behaviours Shooting Star Childrens Hospices is a leading childrenshospice charity for babies, children, and young people with lifelimitingconditions, and their families. We require that all our staff share our commonvalues and display behaviours that will enable us to achieve our goals. Professionalism we will safeguard our families, eachother and our organisation by working to ethical and professional standards atall times. Respect We will treat each other with theutmost respect. Integrity We will be open, honest and transparentin all that we do. Diversity We will respect individuality andensure inclusion and fairness to all. Excellence We will strive for excellence in allthat we do. Shooting Star Childrens Hospicesis committed to ensuring the welfare and safety of children and young people. Allstaff members are expected to adhere to our safeguarding policies andprocedures. This includes undergoing appropriate training, following reportingprotocols for any concerns related to child welfare, and promoting a safe andsupportive environment for children and young people.

The post requires a person with relevant experience of working with children and families in a health or social care setting.

Shooting Star Childrens Hospicesprovides specialist care and support to families who have a baby, child oryoung person with a life-limiting condition, or who have been bereaved. RatedOutstanding by the Care Quality Commission, we support families acrossSurrey, north-west London and south-west London from diagnosis to end of lifeand throughout bereavement with a range of nursing, practical, emotional andmedical care. Our specialist care and support isfree of charge to families and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Itincludes specialist nursing in the community, symptom management and painrelief, overnight respite stays, end-of-life care, specialist bereavement careand a comprehensive range of therapies, groups and clinics for the wholefamily. At the heart of what we do are ourdedicated staff; their exceptional commitment and professionalism means everyfamily has the opportunity to make every moment count . It costs £10 million a year to run Shooting StarChildrens Hospices. Just 30% of our funding comes from the government, so werely on our supporters generosity to keep the service running. We employ 175 membersof staff, including 98 nursing and medical staff, and support around 700families.