Katharine House Hospice s1

Katharine House Hospice

Healthcare Assistant Competencies

These competencies are cumulative i.e. each level builds on the previous one(s)

1 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 Healthcare Assistant Competencies

Qualifications and Experience

Level 1 2 3 4

Qualifications NVQ 2 in Care ( or CFQ) NVQ 3 in Care (or CFQ) Completed Katharine House Hospice simple Certificate in Counselling hand and foot massage (Day Care) courses

Completed Emergency First Aid training

Experience Worked in a healthcare One year in a relevant One year in specialist setting care setting palliative care setting

Personal attributes Demonstrates the ability to Flexible Supportive Work as part of a team or be: Self starter Forward thinking individually Compassionate Approachable Trustworthy Motivated Team Player Reliable

2 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 Personnel

Level 1 2 3 4 Staff support Attend clinical supervision Ability to use reflection to Demonstrates a range of Regular use of reflective sessions (minimum of four identify stress in self and effective methods to cope cycles. times a year) others and to develop own with own stress. practice. Provides appropriate Beginning to develop support to colleagues. methods of coping with own stress. Demonstrates awareness of own limitations.

Health and Safety at Work Adheres to Katharine Can identify unsafe Completes risk Reports any Health and House Hospice Health and practice and report assessments with support. Safety issues related to Safety policies and appropriately Respite for Carers Service procedures. to the Day Care Sister, or Completes accident and relating to the At Home Has knowledge of own incident forms Team to the Team Co- responsibilities relating to independently and in a ordinator. Health & Safety at Work in timely fashion. relation to self and others. Completes risk Demonstrates adherence assessments Awareness of own to the Katharine House independently. responsibilities in relation Hospice Lone Worker to the security of the policy and procedures. building and the individual

3 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 within it.

Completes accident and incident forms with supervision.

Personal and Professional Engages in personal and Engages in personal and Actively engages in Development professional development professional development personal and professional with support development Participates in appraisal Participates in appraisal Actively participates in with support appraisal

Maintains a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate achievement of competencies.

Mandatory Updates Attend all mandatory Participates in the delivery Participates in the updates as required and of mandatory training. preparation of mandatory within the specified time training. frames

Clinical Governance Aware of the quality of care delivery expected Collects information for Participates in audit Identifies areas for audit. and the policies and audit purposes projects procedures which underpin these. Acts at all times to uphold high quality care.

4 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 Education and Research

Level 1 2 3 4

Research Works with registered nurse in research projects

Takes an active role in Teaching Teaches patients and Supports Health Care the preparation and carers under supervision Assistants in their delivery of educational of a registered nurse education needs sessions. Mentors new Health Care Assistants

5 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 Clinical

Level 1 2 3 4 Listens to individuals Communication Demonstrates knowledge of Assists registered nurses in Demonstrates the ability concerns and provides basic communication skills the maintenance of accurate to manage difficult appropriate support and utilises aids to support records and forms. communication situations and information. this. e.g. angry patient, Demonstrates an distressed relative. Welcomes patients, carers understanding that an and visitors to the unit individual’s emotional state Participates in shift may impact on the way they handovers with support. Answers the telephone communicate. clearly identifying the unit and giving their name

Takes, writes and passes on messages accurately

Communicates with other team members to ensure the safe and effective delivery of care.

Demonstrates empathy, understanding, respect and honesty.

Is aware of own limitations in

6 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 communicating with others.

Provision of Caring Ensure environment is Demonstrates respect for Promotes infection Identify ways to adapt Environment clean, tidy and odour free the patient’s home prevention and control the environment to environment practices. meet patients’ needs. Stores equipment etc. safely Promotes a supportive Bed cleaning and making environment through the use Is able to develop a of music, sensory equipment suitable programme of Preparing bed/room for etc. diversional therapies admissions. (In Patient Unit and Day Care)

Is aware of the importance of infection prevention and control and their practice demonstrates this.

Demonstrates correct hand hygiene practice.

Maintains the privacy and dignity of patients, visitors and colleagues at all times.

Ensures Relatives’ Accommodation is clean, tidy and well-stocked. (In Patient Unit)

7 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 Equality and diversity will be promoted at all times.

Provision of Recognise when patients or Provides support to patients Supports bereaved Provides information psychological support family members are and family members when relatives with support and support to patients anxious/confused/distressed they are from Registered Nurse. and their family and seek appropriate anxious/distressed/confused. members support Demonstrates an awareness of their own limitations

Provision of spiritual Refer to Spiritual care Competencies support

Approach to Care Understands Katharine Demonstrates awareness of Demonstrates an Acts as a role model to House Hospice’s philosophy the palliative care approach awareness of the needs junior staff in of care. of patients within the promoting Katharine Support patients and their palliative care speciality.. House Hospice’s At all times works in a carers in their spiritual and philosophy of care. manner to maintain patients religious beliefs Delivers holistic care. and others confidentiality.

Conducts themselves in a professional manner at all times

Demonstrates compassion and sensitivity to patients, visitors and colleagues.

Carries out duties in a timely and efficient manner.

8 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 Demonstrates respect for patients’ individual needs.

Personal hygiene Delivers personal hygiene Carries out last offices safely Discusses necessary needs care to meet the patient’s and with respect. changes in care plan to individual needs under the meet the patient’s needs direct supervision of a senior Able to deliver care as with Registered Nurse. member of staff (healthcare identified by care plan and assistant or registered directed by registered nurse. nurse). Accurately reports to Carries out last offices with registered nurse on care support from a senior delivered and any physical member of staff. changes to patient.

Manages simple wound dressings following the patient’s plan of care.

Elimination Provides urine Demonstrates an Where appropriate Works with other bottle/bedpan/commode and understanding of the normal assists the patient in professionals in the assists patient to use and processes of elimination. the promotion of management of carries out safe disposal of continence and elimination, offering waste. Recording volumes Recognises and reports elimination. advice and support. as required. abnormal patterns of elimination to a Registered Emptying Nurse. catheter/urostomy/colostomy

9 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 bags and carries out safe Effectively carries out disposal of waste. Recording catheter/colostomy and volumes as required. urostomy care.

Specimens Demonstrates the correct Carries out ward urine Measurement, recording Tests procedure for collecting, testing and records and and reporting of blood Recordings storing and forwarding to reports results to a pressure, pulse and microbiology of registered nurse (In Patient blood glucose levels (In sputum/faeces/MSU/CSU Unit and Day Care only). Patient Unit and Day specimens under Care only). supervision (In Patient Unit Demonstrates the correct and Day Care only). procedure for collecting, storing and forwarding to Maintains the patient’s microbiology of dignity whilst carrying out sputum/faeces/MSU/CSU these procedures. specimens (In Patient Unit and Day Care only)

Carries out the measurement, recording and reporting of a patient’s temperature and respiration.

10 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 Nutrition Demonstrates the ability to: Demonstrates an awareness Demonstrates an ability Where appropriate of a patient’s specific dietary to manage PEG feeds seeks additional  Assist patients in requirements. effectively and safely. support for nutritional choosing meals needs. Reports any variance on  Serve aperitifs and dietary and fluid intake. drinks

 Prepare and serve simple meals and drinks safely and hygienically

 Position a patient to enable them to feed themselves

 Use of appropriate feeding aids

 Feed a dependant patient

Breathing Awareness of the safety Demonstrates the ability to Demonstrates the ability issues relating to oxygen use/clean nebulisers safely. to actively support therapy. patients experiencing an Demonstrates the ability to episode of Demonstrates the ability to apply oxygen therapy safely breathlessness. apply oxygen therapy safely

11 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 under supervision. Medicines Management Demonstrates the ability to Acts as a second administer eye and ear checker for medicines drops. with a registered nurse following the Second Demonstrates the ability to Checker Competencies carry out basic syringe driver (In Patient Unit and Day checks. Care only)

Supports patients to take medication as directed by a registered nurse.

Respite for Carers Part of the Respite for Service Carers Service.

12 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011 Management

Level 1 2 3 4

Leadership Deals effectively with Takes on area of demonstrates the ability funeral directors following responsibility e.g ordering to act as Health Care hospice policy and stores, infection control. Assistant co-ordinator procedures. (At Home Team only)

Resources Demonstrates appropriate Re-stock stationery as use, storage and necessary. maintenance of all equipment.

Re-stock clinical areas as necessary.

13 CH/Care/Management/HCACompetencies/January 2011