Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Respite Carers are actively encouraged to complete Patients Individualised Plan of Care Documentation following each visit in the Nursing notes. This will be using an electronic tablet and will be in electronic medical record.
• It is important to telephone Palliative Care Coordinator and District nurses following visits to identify level of care given, change in patient condition and any identified care needs. 
• Respite Carers need to demonstrate excellent communication skills with patients, relatives, carers and team members. This is also important when liaising with health or social care professionals.
• They are encouraged to actively communicate with other members of the Palliative Care Respite Team to share individual preferences of patients and carers. This provides a valuable form of informal learning for each individual team member as different team members have different strengths and weaknesses.
• Respite Carers are encouraged to communicate with family carers following the death of a patient when relationships are forged. This provides a great deal of sensitivity and discretion at difficult and emotional times.
• To provide prescribed care to patients and family members as requested in the nursing care plan. This will be in the form of personal care i.e. oral hygiene, pressure relief and continence care.
• To offer social and psychological support to patients and their family carers by being good listeners, being supportive of their individual concerns and worries and by empathising with their personal need.
• Awareness of spiritual need is important in the form of recognising patient’s different cultures and beliefs and preferences that individuals hold close to their hearts to be able to be at peace with oneself.
• To assist patients taking their medications as prescribed and authorised by General Practitioner.
• To maintain confidentiality of patient information.
• To be prepared for duty as arranged on off-duty.
• Are responsible for arriving on time to a patients’ home.
• To make themselves aware of the environment e.g. location of patient, access to bathroom and who to contact if patients condition changes.
• To maintain professionalism at all times, they are representatives of the Palliative Care Respite at Home Service.
• Responsible to report sickness appropriately and to fill in return to work forms. 
• Responsible for completing EASY, mileage claims on line at appropriate times to ensure finance has the means of handling payment of these.
• Responsible for the use and security of own and Stockport Foundation Trust property including an electronic tablet ensuring they do not put themselves or others at unnecessary risk.  
• All staff to adhere to the policies and procedures of Stockport Foundation Trust including values based behaviours.
• To contribute actively to the improvement of quality service for patients and their families requiring palliative or terminal care.
• Respite Staff are responsible to provide details to Human Resources regarding vehicle insurance and driving endorsements and marriage certificates etc.
• Ensure all documentation is completed and maintained as requested by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
• Adhere to Stockport Foundation Trust complaints procedure.
• To be aware of all the Trusts policies and procedures to enable you to carry out your duties efficiently and effectively.
• Support new or less experienced work colleagues to adapt to the workplace.
• Participate in an annual appraisal that leads to the production of a Personal Development Review (PDR), to identify personal training needs.
• Participate in training and development activities that are relevant to the job role.
• Participate in induction of new staff including bank staff.
• Attend Mandatory training as required of the post in line with the training schedule.
• Attend all necessary training and updates for safe use of equipment.
• To participate in data collection and participate in audits as requested by the Integrated Care Business Group, colleagues involved in research and data collection.
• Use of physical effort to carry out the demands of the job role (e.g. support to manoeuvre patients)
• Emotional effort. The post holder may be exposed to distressing and occasionally highly distressing and emotional circumstances.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and promote safeguarding by implementing the Trust’s policies and procedures, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively and sharing information appropriately.

If successful this vacancy will require an enhanced DBS check at a cost of £54.90. This cost will be deducted from your first Trust salary

In addition to this it will be a condition of your employment that you will join the DBS update service and pay the annual subscription fee of £16.