Health Care Assistant Special Schools

Job summary

Health Care Assistant - BAND 3

Contract - 12 months Fixed Term - 5 days per week/ Term time ONLY

Islington Additional Needs and Disability Team (IANDS) is a multidisciplinary service for children and young people 0-19.

We are seeking Band 3 Health Care Assistant to join our supportive team. The successful applicant will work across special schools in Islington: Richard Cloudesley school, Samuel Rhodes school and Bridge Academy. All three schools have been rated outstanding, and support children and young people with a variety of needs, including physical disabilities, learning difficulties and autistic spectrum conditions. This is an excellent opportunity for those wishing to gain experience in the healthcare field.

Your primary role will be assisting the school nursing team in the effective delivery of individualised support and care for children attending schools. Clinical responsibilities may include daily feeds via special feeding tubes (Nasogastric and Gastrostomy), giving medication and supporting with health care plans, including epilepsy plans. You may assist with suctioning, tracheostomy care, and other relevant health care activities. You will support children with their health care plans under supervision from a school nurse.

You will work alongside a team of experienced health care assistants, and full training and support will be provided by a School Nurse.

Main duties of the job

The Health Care Assistant/ Administrator will work as a member of the Special Needs School Nursing Team and will be responsible for assisting in the effective delivery of individualised support and care to children attending Special Schools in Islington. She/ he will undertake clerical and clinical duties as directed to provide a health service to children and young people.

The post holder will be based between Samuel Rhodes Primary and Secondary school, Richard Cloudesley Primary and Secondary schools. and Bridge Academy Primary and Secondary schools. A key part of the role is providing direct clinical support to children with their daily health care needs including administering gastrostomy feeds and medications. They will also be responsible for assisting the school Nurse with co-ordination of clinics, whole school input and training, liaison with other agencies and supporting children with their health care plans. They may assist other teams or departments within the service with their administrative tasks. They will receive regular supervision from the school nurse and participate in in-service training and team meetings.

The primary focus of the role will be supporting the health needs of the children.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Job responsibilities

Role Responsibility:

To be a member of the Special School multi-agency team and share information with team members as directed and appropriate, keeping confidentiality at all times.

To maintain accurate school records through accessing the electronic notes system (currently Rio), filing and organisation in accordance with Whittington Health guidelines.

Ensure that up-to-date written and electronic records are maintained in accordance with Trust standards with guidance from supervisor.

Respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of children and their families, and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.

Assist team members with liaising with other agencies involved in the childs care including: education, Social Services, Voluntary Services

Form professional relationships with children, families and children centre staff and communicate with them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.

To use a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication skills and tools to communicate with children who are non verbal, of a non English speaking background, requiring an interpreter, with a hearing impairment, with altered emotional states, with a cognitive/learning/behavioural disability.

Liaise with other agencies involved in the childs care, including relatives and carers, as appropriate to the childs needs, as directed by team members

Report effectively any issues or concerns to supervisor/line manager

Demonstrate effective communication over the telephone to parents/carers and external agencies (especially teachers and teaching assistants).

To support the School Nurse/ Senior Practitioner in planning programmes of care for identified children.

To provide and assist the care of children with special needs such as administration of medication, feeding, and health promotion across all school sites.

Clinical Responsibility:

To arrange appointments with parents/carer (school medicals, Dietician/ Professionals meetings).

Administer nursing care and undertake health care activity when trained and assessed as competent by the school nurse. This may include feeding children via gastrostomy, following epilepsy care plan procedures, administering medications, suctioning, and other relevant health care activities.

To provide cover, once trained, to other HCAs supporting individual students at the school with health care tasks including suctioning, tracheostomy care, medication management or other health care plans.

To undertake screening procedures such as vision, hearing, growth, to include percentile calculations. To identify and refer any concerns arising from the screening or highlighted by the parent/ child/ school staff, to the school nurse.

To assist in the planning and implementation of immunisation sessions within the school setting.

To assist in completing risk assessment of environment and safety under the guidance of senior team members following local and Trust policies

Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility

Review and reflect own practice, workload, and performance through effective use of regular professional and operational supervision and appraisal

To meet regularly with the school nurse to plan work to be undertaken and to receive feedback. The school nurse will delegate specific roles and responsibilities to this staff member when trained and assessed as competent by the school nurse.

Adhere to the Trusts Policies and Procedures including having basic understanding of Moving and Handling Legislation, Infection Control, Clinical Supervision and Child Protection, referring any concerns to the school nurse or Team Leader.

Administrative Duties

• To keep up to date records on clients following Service Policy.
• To attend relevant staff and service meetings.
• To provide cover for administrative duties such as answering the telephone, photocopying and filing when requested.

Financial Responsibility

Highlight stock issues to team members

Service Development and Improvement

• Implements the Policies and Procedures that have been determined by Islington Additional Needs & Disability Service
• To highlight service provision problems to line manager in order to identify unmet needs and gaps in service provision
• To undertake surveys or audits as directed by supervisor/line manager
• Ensure that work areas are well maintained are comply with Health and Safety Guidelines, ensuring the safe use of equipment, cleaning and storage of materials

Communication

• To support children and families to promote achievement of goals with close guidance and support
• To regularly work with children and adolescents with complex emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.
• To identify and report concerns regarding Safeguarding
• To be able to complete required work load within time frames and deadlines set by line manager/supervisor, which may be stressful at times
• To deal sensitively with clients and their carers who may be distressed.

Physical Working Conditions and Environment

• Assists with transfers of children occasionally using equipment such as hoists and wheelchairs
• Light to moderate effort for several short periods during the day requiring use of lifting equipment e.g. hoists and transfer manoeuvres
• Knowledge, Training and Education
• To take part in a structured induction programme, aimed at identifying learning needs
• Demonstrate a basic level of understanding of the effects of medical conditions on functioning
• Have a basic understanding of the Moving and Handling Legislation and apply manual handling principles in best practice
• To participate in a designated aspect of induction training and education of students, work experience and other relevant staff.
• Attend all mandatory training set by the trust and the department
• To demonstrate ongoing personal development through participation in internal and available development opportunities, recording learning outcomes in a portfolio (CPD)
• To ensure that mandatory training is kept current and up-to-date
• Undertake relevant activities to meet training objectives identified with supervisor

Person specification

Qualifications

Desirable

• Relevant short courses (e.g. Moving and Handling Training/ child development/ health care related)
• NVQ Health Care Assistant/ Childcare or Equivalent

skills and abilities

Essential

• Positive interest in working with children with disabilities and their families
• Good organisational and prioritisation skills
• Flexible enough to cope with varied demands of the job
• Shows initiative
• Good communication skills (written and verbal) and negotiation skill

Desirable

• Experience working with children with physical or learning difficulties

knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Awareness of role of school nurse

Desirable

• Experience working in a school setting