Community Healthcare Assistant - Virtual Ward

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust hold a Sponsor Licence. This means that we MAY be able to sponsor you IF the UK Government requirements for sponsorship are met. Not all NHS roles are eligible for sponsorship. To be eligible for sponsorship, the role must be in an eligible occupation code and must meet the minimum salary and skill level.

Minimum salary rates are usually £38,700 per year (for Skilled Worker) or £23,200 for Health Care Worker Visa. You can find more information on the Government website.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the entry point (bottom) of the pay band.

Job overview

• Do you have an NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care or have equivalent / relevant experience?
• Are you passionate about providing high quality, patient focused care alongside primary care colleagues?
• Do you have good communication skills, are you reliable, are you flexible, are you a team player?

1. 75 hours

Shift pattern - Week 1 x2 7.5hrs days

Week 2 x3 7.5hrs days

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a caring and motivated health care assistant who feels passionate about working in the community supporting our patients as part of the Virtual Ward Team.

As a Community Health Care Assistant you will be responsible for the delivery of high standard, cost effective nursing care, as directed by the Virtual Ward team. You will ensure that patients receive safe, individualised and effective standards of care by following care plans and treatment interventions.

Although you will act at all times as directed by the nurse in charge of the caseload, you will be competent to work without direct supervision.

You need to demonstrate an enthusiasm for community nursing, and will be offered bespoke training as well as NHS mandatory training relevant to your role.

The Virtual Ward service allows patients to get hospital level care at home. It is a consultant led service, with access to rapid assessments, treatment and remote monitoring.

Remote monitoring allows patients to use a range of devises to submit clinical observation throughout the day. Part of the role will involve teaching patients and/or their relatives to use this equipment.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Working for our organisation

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT) provides good quality, safe and effective healthcare to the people of Cheshire and beyond.

The Trust, which manages Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Victoria Infirmary in Northwich, and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre in Winsford, was established as an NHS Trust in April 1991 and became a Foundation Trust in April 2008.

We employ almost 5,000 members of staff, provide around 540 hospital beds, with a range of services including accident and emergency, maternity, outpatients, therapies, and children's health.

The Trust is also part of Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership (CCICP), a unique local health partnership that provides a range of community services for people across South Cheshire and Vale Royal.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Trust was recognised nationally for its ‘Be Safe Be EquiPPEd’ campaign, which aimed to make the Trust as safe as possible for staff and patients, through supporting the correct use of PPE.

The results in the 2020 national NHS Staff Survey showed improvements in all elements of the safety culture theme, with 92% of respondents feeling their role made a difference to our patients. We were also recognised nationally for our workforce health and wellbeing initiatives.

At Mid Cheshire, we value our staff and appreciate that in order to give our patients the best quality, compassionate care, we also need to look after our colleagues.

1. Function as an effective member of the multi-disciplinary team.
2. Maintain clear concise and legible documentation adhering to prescribed standards and protocols.
3. Use a wide range of IT systems for relevant tasks e.g. accessing patient records & results, data collections and inputting data.
4. Obtain consent in accordance with Trust Consent Policy.
5. To report accidents/incidents on clinical incident reporting system of patients or self which occur whilst on duty.
6. To maintain a patient orientated approach towards care delivery, promoting a rehabilitative and self-care approach.
7. Undertake phlebotomy duties as delegated and overseen by the registered nurse, working within the policies and procedures of the Trust.
8. Undertake clinical tasks as delegated by the Virtual Ward team and within sphere of competency.
9. Assist Virtual Ward Team in teaching patients to use the remote monitoring equipment.
10. Recognise the need for referral and liaise with other health care and multi-agency workers as necessary.
11. Participate in the induction and orientation programmes for all grades of staff who require community experience as arranged by the Team Leader.
12. To learn and maintain an up to date knowledge of the blood tests performed and select the appropriate sample tubes for the analysis requested and ensure that they are correctly labelled at the time of sampling.
13. Maintain the phlebotomy stocks, keeping them clean and in good order.
14. Follow Trust policy for any needle stick incidents and ensure reported accurately on Ulysses system.

To dispose of all syringes, needles, etc. in accordance with health and safety procedures.

Person specification

Experience

• Previous NHS experience or nursing/care environment

• Experience of working in Primary Care setting

Qualifications

• NVQ 3 in Care or Equivalent

Skills

• Communication skills
• IT skills

• Venepuncture

Trust Values

• Demonstrates Trust Values & Behaviours

• Please let us know if you require an adjustment to our recruitment process.
• We are a flexible working employer, so please talk to us about any flexible working requirements.
• All correspondence will be sent to the email address you have registered as your TRAC account.
• Selection is based on the Trust's values, and the criteria outlined in the Job Description for the role.
• Secondments will be considered for fixed term positions when both parties agree. Candidates should seek approval from their current line manager before application.
• Appointments are subject to a 6-month probationary period. LED Doctors are subject to a 3-month probationary period.
• Please provide a contact email address for referees. We will not request references until after you have been made a formal job offer.
• You will be required to pay for your DBS disclosure (where the post requires one). This will be done via 3 monthly instalments from your pay. We encourage applicants to join and remain registered with the DBS update service.
• We do not reimburse travel to interview expenses.
• Some posts may have implications on existing NHS Pension Scheme arrangements. For further information please visit the NHS Pensions Agency website: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-pensions
• Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that their employees have a “right to work” in the UK. If you intend to seek permission to work in the UK via a Skilled Worker visa, please be aware that the UK Government set eligibility requirements e.g. minimum salary requirement and skill levels. Not all NHS roles are eligible for sponsorship. We recommend that you use the information on the Home Office website to check if this role will be eligible.