Assistant Practitioner

Main Purpose of Job To work flexibly within the Hospice, Community, Practice Education and Physiotherapy teams to deliver a high level of specialist palliative care, encompassing a supportive and holistic approach to the health and wellbeing of the child/young person and their families with a life-limiting condition both in the hospice and in their home environment. The post holder will work as an autonomous practitioner, working in partnership with the registered practitioners from Claire House and external community teams to provide direct clinical care for children and young people which will encompass; extended clinical competencies; delivery of physiotherapy programmes and complex care. As a qualified assistant practitioner, the post holder will assist in ensuring a high quality service by participating in areas of audit & evaluation, in the induction & training of the non-registered staff including volunteers and lead in areas of service development such as in house day care. Position of the role in Claire House The post holder reports operationally to the relevant registered practitioner for the service area (e.g., physio, team leader, practice education, community teams) The post holder is directly line managed by a Registered Practitioner who is a member of the clinical team and is ultimately accountable to the Director of Clinical Services Scope of Job To work as an autonomous practitioner working collaboratively with other members of the hospice, physio, community teams, practice education teams and external professionals from health, social care and education to provide holistic support for children and families both in the hospice and in their home environment To be responsible (where appropriate) for a case load of children demonstrating good intermediate communication skills, individually responding to each child and family based on needs To provide individualised holistic care to children and young people with complex health, respiratory, palliative, end of life care needs To respond to referrals identifying and prioritising needs in partnership with shift/ team leader coordinator for that service area To plan and organise their own work/ case load as appropriate within the allocated service area To assist in the induction, training & support of non-registered staff with regards to areas of mandatory & essential training and clinical competence To be competent in identifying own scope of practice and referring onto a registered practitioner appropriately, to maintain safety and well-being of the children/young people To adhere to the code of conduct for healthcare support workers and adult social care workers in England Dimensions and Limits of Authority To work autonomously within the field of practice ensuring personal accountability in accordance with the Code of conduct for healthcare support workers and adult social care workers in England (Skills for Health) Able to induct and teach new & rotational HCSWs and volunteers To refer to the registered practitioner for advice/ guidance should they be concerned about a child in their care.
To comply with moving and handling policies and procedures To participate in hospice special interest groups To be responsible (where applicable) for a case load of children, responding to their individual needs To be able to undertake the mental, physical and emotional demands of the role, whilst at the same time taking care to safeguard their own health and safety as well as fellow care team members, children, young people and their family To coordinate and lead on areas of service delivery such as day care, hydro sessions and training Responsibility for Clinical Governance and Quality To work alongside the different teams in conducting clinical audit and evaluation to ensure a safe high quality service To actively complete clinical incident documentation in accordance to no blame and whistle-blowing policy To adhere and comply with all Hospice policies and procedures To undertake risk assessment training and carry out and update risk assessments pertinent to specialist area of work Personal Professional Development & Responsibilities To take responsibility for maintaining his/her own professional development, meeting with an assigned registered practitioner for regular appraisals, identifying and agreeing personal targets To be proactive in identifying ways of improving practice, contributing positively to the development and audit of standards and, when appropriate, taking responsibility for identified project work To participate in hospice special interest groups and assists in the organisation of relevant activities To ensure the economical and appropriate use of all resources within the Hospice To maintain appropriate client records, ensuring they are stored securely and confidentially To attend and participate in Hospice meetings To be fully involved in the process of preventing and controlling infections General Claire House Requirements Adhere to