Relief Personal Assistant

Job title: Relief Personal Assistant (Holiday and Sickness Cover)

Job purpose:

To provide holiday and sickness cover for a main carer (his wife), ensuring John continues to receive safe, skilled, and compassionate care at home during periods when she is unavailable due to illness, rest days, or planned leave.

John has a 24-hour live-in carer, alternating on a two-week rotation. The Relief Personal Assistant (PA) will work alongside and in coordination with the live-in carers, following John's detailed care plan and medical management protocol to maintain his safety, comfort, and dignity always.

This is a relief position — you will be contacted as needed to provide temporary cover during these specific times, not on a regular fixed schedule.

About the employer:Main Responsibilities

1. Personal Care and Daily Living

· Provide hands-on support with all aspects of daily living (washing, dressing, toileting, and hygiene) as described in John's care plan.

· Assist safely with transfers between bed, chair, commode, or wheelchair using tilt equipment, ensuring leg elevation after meals.

· Apply prescribed creams and monitor skin condition for changes.

2. Health Monitoring and Management

· Recognise and respond immediately to signs of hypotensive episodes (loss of colour, confusion, or sudden non-responsiveness).

· Follow the emergency protocol — reposition, elevate legs, and report incidents immediately to his wife or Care Coordinator.

· Administer medication as directed, recording all doses and observations accurately.

· Maintain clear daily notes and fluid/medication logs.

3. Mobility and Safety

· Support John's movements following the Autonomic Care Protocol, allowing sufficient time between meals, medications, and activity.

· Ensure John is never left unattended and that all safety equipment (sensor mats, pressure mattress, recliner) is correctly in place.

4. Nutrition and Hydration

· Supervise meals to prevent rushing or large portions.

· Encourage and record hydration (aim: 2.5 litres daily).

· Support meal preparation and encourage seated leg elevation post-meals.

5. Emotional and Cognitive Support

· Offer reassurance and calm communication during anxious or confused moments.

· Support positive engagement through light conversation and simple enjoyable activities.

· Always promote John's dignity and independence.

6. Teamwork and Communication

· Work collaboratively with wife and the one live-in carer, maintaining consistency in care routines.

· Attend handovers with wife or the live-in carer to ensure continuity.

· Communicate clearly and respectfully with the care team, family, and professionals.

7. Record Keeping and Reporting

· Complete accurate daily notes on care activities, observations, and incidents.

· Keep all documentation in line with PHB requirements and Data Protection standards.

These duties may vary from day-to-day.

What you can expect to receive:Additional Information:

· Employer's and Public Liability Insurance are covered under the PHB policy.

· Full induction and shadowing with wife and the live-in carer will be provided before independent work.

· A full copy of care plan and emergency protocol will be available in the home.

· This post forms part of a small, consistent care team ensuring continuity and familiarity for John.

Hours of work:

Relief Holiday and sickness cover.

Rate of pay:

10-hour days £13.57 an hour

Skills, qualifications and experience

Essential: list the essential skills, qualifications and experience that personal assistants need to have, for example:

· Experience providing personal care and support for people with complex medical conditions, ideally neurological or cardiovascular (e.g. Autonomic Failure, dementia, Parkinson's, or similar).

· Calm and confident in emergency situations, able to respond quickly if John becomes unresponsive or collapses.

· Understanding of postural hypotension and the importance of following medical protocols to prevent episodes.

· Trained (or willing to undertake training) in Moving and Handling, Basic Life Support/First Aid, Medication Administration, Safeguarding Adults, and Infection Control.

· Physically fit and able to support safe transfers between bed, chair, commode, and wheelchair using tilt and mobility equipment.

· Excellent communication skills and ability to observe and report any changes in condition.

· Kind, patient, and reassuring — able to build trust and provide emotional support to both John and his wife.

· Reliable and respectful of confidentiality when working in a private home environment.

· Enhanced DBS check and Right to Work in the UK required.

· Experience of working within a small team or family home is an advantage.

Job Type: Freelance

Pay: £13.56-£13.57 per hour

Work Location: In person