Healthcare Assistant

Oaklodge Nursing Home

Cork

Philosophy Statement. Our aim is to provide care and services of the highest standard in a homely environment, with a deep understanding and respect for the dignity of the person being cared for, recognising their individuality at all times.  In this regard we also endeavour to extend our support and care to their families and friends and to equally welcome them to our home.   Health Care Assistant. Reports To:   The Health Care Assistant will report to and work under supervision and direction of the Staff Nurse in Charge. Working With: All team members of nursing and ancillary staff of the home. Home’ Code of Conduct: Each Health Care Assistant employed by the Nursing Home is expected to act at all times in such a manner as to justify Residents and families trust and confidence in the service provided by the home. Job Summary To provide a quality service for elderly residents in our home, as outlined by Management and Registered Staff Nurse in-charge. Work unsupervised under the direction of the Lead staff member in the provision of Personal Care, Personal hygiene, Safety measures and Nutritional requirements  to residents ensuring a high standard of service provision. Duties and Responsibilities. Under the supervision and guidance of the nominated section Supervisor, undertake: A. Maintaining a safe environment: The Health Care Assistant will participate in maintaining a safe environment for residents.  The Health Care Assistant will be aware of the Homes Health and Safety Statements. These steps will include: Be aware of procedure in the event of fire. Assist in keeping all rooms clean and tidy (bedrooms, sluices, storerooms, craft/therapy)  Move, or assist in moving equipment and or furniture as necessary. Washing and making up occupied and unoccupied beds. Returning trays and equipment to proper storage areas. Attending to the hygiene of equipment such as hoists, bed cages, patient chairs, commodes and other nursing home equipment. Attend to spillage, when necessary as quickly as possible to prevent accidents. Assist in the disposal of clinical waste according to the Nursing Home policy. Assist mobile, but disoriented Residents navigate safely around the Nursing Home. Assist feeble visitors to the Nursing Home to prevent them falling or injuring themselves. Assist with safekeeping of resident’s personal property. Report broken or unsafe items that need repair. Sort soiled Laundry and prepare for collection. Sort and store clean laundry. B. Communication: Effective communication is a valuable social attribute and a core skill is required by the Health Care Assistant. The Health Care Assistant will: Treat everyone in a way they themselves would like to be treated. Treat each resident with respect and Dignity and refer to them using their preferred name & title  Assist in maintaining a physical environment that communicates peace, safety, and comfort for residents and their families. Communicate openly with the Nursing staff regarding residents and relative’s needs. This includes both telephone and verbal enquiries. Direct all inquiries about the resident’s condition to a member of the Nursing staff. A Health Care Assistant is obliged to maintain confidentiality. This applies to information accessed through interactions with their relatives or through interactions with other staff. However, there is also an obligation to report to the Staff Nurse, or other relevant authority, any information that may include the potential risk to any person. C. Eating and Drinking. The Health Care Assistant has a significant contribution to make in helping Residents meet their needs for food and drink. Under the direction of the Nursing staff they will: Prepare Residents to enjoy their meals as much as possible (e.g. offering mouthwashes or an opportunity to clean teeth or dentures, to use toilet facilities and to wash their hands as appropriate. Prepare the eating environment by making it as aesthetically pleasant as possible by removing unnecessary items from t immediate bedside (commodes, urinals and sputum cartons. Feed or help feed Residents  Being aware of the Nutritional requirements of each resident in relation to Texture Diet, Fluid consistency and likes and dislikes and any Special Dietary need – Diabetic or Gluten free.  Assist Residents with cutting or arranging their food so it can be easily eaten. Observe the amounts of food and liquids consumed by patients. Making Residents comfortable after their meals (e.g. offering opportunity to clean their teeth or dentures. Encouraging Residents to drink plenty of fluid and making this possible by offering refreshing drinks frequently. D. Eliminating. Eliminating waste from the body is an essential process for all living beings. It is a function of Nursing to assist people in this area of living when they need such assistance. The Health Care Assistant. Supervise Residents in toilets and bathrooms when it is necessary. Place Residents on bed pans and commodes. Attend to Residents post elimination needs. Assist with care of incontinent patients. Measure and record volume of urine eliminated by residents and inform staff nurse  Empty urinals recording volumes when directed. Emptying urine drainage bags and recording volumes. Emptying colostomy bags as directed by the Nursing staff. Disposing of used sputum containers. Taking care of Residents clothing which may become soiled. The Health Care Assistant will strictly adhere to the universal precautions in the infection control policy so as to prevent the spread of infection when dealing with human waste products. E. Personal Cleansing and Dressing: The Health Care Assistant contributes to the Residents comfort and maintenance of personal dignity by assisting them when necessary with personal cleansing and dressing activities. These may include: Washing residents in bed, shower or bath. Helping with or performing mouth care. Shaving Residents when necessary. Caring for Residents when necessary. Caring for patients’ hair and nails as needed. Helping patient to dress and groom. Checking the resident’s laundry and sorting and putting away of laundry. F. Mobilizing: The Health Care Assistant will: Assist residents with walking. Position Residents comfortably either in bed or chair. Assist with turning and positioning Residents in bed. Provide Residents with aids that enhance opportunities for mobility. Participate in moving or lifting Residents as directed and according to correct procedures which aim to prevent injury to all parties involved. Report all falls or other untoward events experienced by Residents to Nursing staff. G. Death and Dying: The Health Care Assistant will. Establish a quiet and comfortable and dignified environment for the dying person and family members to share. Listen with respect and with empathy to relatives who may wish to chat. Providing drinks or snacks for relatives who may be spending long periods with their dying family member. Provide comfort measures for the dying person as directed by the Nursing staff (e.g. mouth care, gentle sponging, adjusting pillows and bed clothes. Assist with the preparation of body removal to the funeral home/church. Organise the belongings of the dead person to be returned to the family. H. Collaborating in other activities: The efficiency and effectiveness with which the Nursing Home can meet the needs of its residents depends on how well all the staff work together as a team. The Health Care Assistant is a key member of the Nursing Home and may be requested to undertake some activities that are indirectly related to patient care. These may include: Checking supply of stocks and listing those that need recording. Maintain orderly storage of supplies. Report to the Nursing staff any requests from Residents or their relatives. Report to the Nursing staff any complaints of pain or distress expressed by residents. Be willing to undertake training schedules that will be organised at the Nursing Home. Actively involved in scheduled activities for residents. Checking fruits and discarding any bruised or bad fruits. Ensuring fresh supplies of drinking water and clean glasses. Checking flowers and plants and ensuring regular watering and discarding any dead flowers. Professionalism/Codes of Conduct. To behave always in a manner which promotes good working relationships between all members of the nursing home’s team. To show courtesy and respect in all communications between management, colleagues, residents and relatives. To behave in a manner so as to uphold and enforce the philosophy statement of the Nursing Home, i.e. Compassion, Respect, justice, honesty and equality. Staff Development. The Post Holder will be required to undertake mandatory training in moving and handling and fire safety training and Safeguarding of the older adult  on commencement in post and refresh as required. The Post Holder will be required to attend study days and in-service training as arranged to develop personal skills in caring for patients. HACCP level one training is mandatory and con be completed on line and should be completed prior to commencement of employment   Safeguarding and Infection control Courses can be done online on HSEland and should be completed priory to commencement of employment.   General Responsibilities: The Post Holder must be conversant with, and implement, all policies / procedures / guidelines / standards as laid down by the Nursing Home.  The Post Holder must have an awareness of Philosophy of the Nursing Home. The Post Holder will be expected to comply with the Nursing Homes Dress Code, which may be amended from time to time. Gifts or money must not be accepted from Residents or family members at any time. The Post Holder must always practise economy in the use of supplies, equipment, materials, heating and lighting. The Post Holder must respect confidential information obtained in the course of Care duties and refrain from disclosing such information without the consent of the patient or person entitled to act on their behalf, except where disclosure is required by law or is necessary in the public interest. You will be required to sign a Confidentiality Statement prior to commencement. Health and Safety at Work. Attention is drawn to the responsibility of all employees to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and other people who may be affected by their actions at work. Verbally reporting any accident or untoward incident within twenty-four hours of the event and following this up with written details. This job description could be subject to alteration according to changes in legislation and B&D Healthcare Group operational procedures.   The duties and responsibilities outlined above are not exhaustive and you will be required to carry out additional duties as may be reasonably required from time to time. The job description is not definitive and may be subject to review and change.  .

1009 days ago