Support Worker

**Job Title: Support Worker**

**Job Location: Poole Hospital,**Longfleet Rd, Poole BH15 2JB**

**Salary: £12.00 per hour**

**Contract Type: Casual, as and when required**

**Driving Requirement: Full UK Manual Driving Licence**

What would you do if you had no family to support you when you were in need and in hospital? Or if you were in hospital and could go home but there was no one to take you? Some people are lucky to have family and/or friends to help, or good neighbours who will pop in to see them. These are the people who we support, the ones who just want to go home. This is where we can help. We take people home from hospital, we assess their needs and offer support and guidance for between 48 & 72 hrs.

**_ Are you interested? Keep reading_**

The hospital wards will refer a patient to us, they may ask for us to take the patient home, or ensure the heating is on and that there is food in the fridge prior to patient being discharged.

You might be asked to collect prescriptions, making sure they have food in the house, light household tasks and making sure they know who to contact should they need more help - The general support you would want your own friends and family to experience.

That’s what this job is all about - helping patients being discharged from hospital have a safe journey home, ensuring their abode is liveable, that they have everything they may need as well as manage and reduce the risk of needing another hospital visit.

Your days will be spent speaking to and supporting patients and medical staff so that the hospital can run smoothly and assess patients as quickly as possible.

Your experience will allow people who have been in hospital to have their independence. The people you support will come from all kinds of backgrounds. This role will have a huge impact on our service users’ day.

It’s important to know - This role does not involve personal care. You will not be responsible for bathing, cleaning or administering medications of our service users.

**A day in the life of a Support Worker will involve**:

- Speaking with healthcare professionals about the support patients require
- Driving to different locations including hospital, doctor surgeries, pharmacies, shops and patient’s homes using BRC vehicles.
- Offering both emotional and practical support to people using our service.
- Helping to assess our Service Users future needs and helping develop create support planning and signpost to relevant agencies and community groups for support/engagement.
- Ensuring our systems are updated so that we can track what support has been offered to patients.

**To be a successful Support Worker, you’ll need**:

- A manual driving licence.
- A caring, empathetic nature to be able to offer the best support be it on phone or face to face.
- Basic IT knowledge, training will be provided on BRC systems
- An understanding of the services the NHS provide, to be able to offer the best advice and guidance to our service users.

**A full Job description and Person Specification which includes a list of the essential criteria for the role are available for download.**

**In return for your dedication and expertise, you’ll get**:

- **Holidays**:36 days annual leave (including bank holidays) + option to buy 5 extra days.
- **Pension scheme**:Up to 6% contributory pension.
- **Flexible working**:We do our best to accommodate your preferred work style.
- **Learning & Development**:Wide range of career opportunities + comprehensive learning.
- **Discounts**:Access to Blue Light Discount Card and employee benefits platform.
- **Wellbeing Assistance**:Access to mental health and wellbeing assistance.
- **Team Working**:Champion our mission in a collaborative team.
- **Cycle2Work**:Lease a bicycle through the scheme**.**:

- **Season ticket loan**:Interest-free loan for commuting expenses.
- At The British Red Cross, we pride ourselves on our diverse workforce, and ensuring we have an inclusive environment for all our staff and volunteers. We remain dedicated to ensuring our teams can bring their true selves to work without risk or fear of discrimination. We do this through regular data reporting, and the assistance of our internal Race and Equality Network (REEN), LGBT+ Network, our Disability and Wellness Network (DAWN), Gender Network, Carers Network and Youth Network._