Dementia Support Worker

Job summary

**Fixed term contract/ secondment opportunity for 10 months**

We are seeking a person who enjoys working with people living with dementia and who values the importance of person-centered care, for a fixed term contract for 10 months. Secondments may be available for internal candidates on agreement with your manager.

The Dementia Support Service is a well-respected, supportive and hardworking team of support workers, nurses and occupational therapists who are dedicated to optimising the care of in-patients with dementia and enabling best outcomes for them at the point of discharge.

As a dementia support worker your focus will be on engaging patients in meaningful activities and reasonable adjustments to reduce the likelihood of distress and decompensation, whilst also helping to maintain cognition and abilities. You will work alongside families and carers to gather information, offer support and ensure that they are connected to community support services.

This is an exciting and rewarding post which rarely becomes available. Regular supervision is provided to enable skill development.

Interviews are planned for 16 July

If you are considering applying for this post on a secondment basis, please discuss with your Line Manager prior to applying to ascertain whether this could be supported.

Main duties of the job

On a daily basis you will see patients across different wards of the hospital, contacting families and carers for information to complete personal profiles and engage patients in activities which are meaningful to them. You will be working independently with supervision, as well as working alongside many teams.

You will need to be flexible and have good organisational skills to manage your time and prioritise your workload, which will change frequently. A creative approach to finding ways to engage patients in activities which have meaning to them is essential.

We look forward to applications from people who take pride in their work and are passionate about putting the needs of people living with Dementia at the centre of their care.

This is a fixed term role for 10 months at 17 hours per week.

About us

Join us at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and be part of a workforce of over 10,000 staff!

The NNUH is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, providing first-class acute care for around one million people, living in Norfolk and surrounding areas. We are a teaching and research hospital, at the forefront of innovation, home to state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Quadram Institute. We are pleased to work closely with the University of East Anglia, providing teaching opportunities for our staff and placement opportunities for their students. We attract some of the best and leading professionals from across the country and are proud that our workforce represents 94 countries from across the world.

We are a friendly, collaborative hospital, working with local services and home to N&N Hospitals Charity

We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:

• Flexible working hours
• Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service
• Multi Faith prayer room
• Discounted gym memberships
• Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
• Wagestream - access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it
• Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH site
• Free 24-hours confidential counselling support
• On-site Nursery
• On-site cafes offering staff discounts
• Support in career development
• Flexible staff bank
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics

Job responsibilities

• Support patients, carers and families in situations of emotional distress relating to dementia care
• Participate in an active in-reach information and support service across adult areas for patients with dementia, their families and carers
• Provide current and timely information and signposting for patients, families, carers and staff
• Develop and support activity programs under supervision of trained staff
• Carry out non clinical activities and therapies as part of individual patient care
• Assist in the development of the dementia champion link service across the Trust
• Monitor the delivery of the support worker program and work under direction of the trained staff to develop the service
• Assist in delivering and designing training and educational programs for patients with dementia, staff, volunteers, families and carers

Please see the attached job description for full details.

Please note that this advertised position, which is part of occupation code 6131 does not meet the UKVI eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa. The Trust would not be able to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role

Please note due to high volume of applications for some posts, this post may close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role asap.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised educational qualifications in health care/voluntary sector equivalent to an NVQ3 level or equivalent experience.

Experience

Essential

• Working knowledge or experience of dementia care or older people's services

Skills

Essential

• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Ability to organise and prioritise work load in a timely manner
• Ability to maintain records and produce reports
• An ability to deal with stressful situations

Attitude, aptitude

Essential

• Effective role model, demonstrating NNUH's PRIDE values of People focussed, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence
• Demonstrates understanding and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion