JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Independence Assistant,

BAND: 3

BASE: Integrated Independence Team

MANAGED BY: Independence Assistant Co-ordinators

INTEGRATED INDEPENDENCE TEAM (IIT)

The Integrated Independence Team (IIT) is jointly local authority and CCG funded integrated
health and social care service provided by Homerton University Hospital Foundation Trust. The
service places the user at the heart of the care planning process, and aims to promote
independence, deliver outcome focused care, and provide a seamless journey between hospital
and the usual place of residence. The service has a single point of access and uses a multi-
disciplinary assessment and care planning framework. The service responds swiftly to service
user need and aims to treat people in their normal place of residence.

JOB SUMMARY:
 An integral part of the IIT, providing short term, planned programmes of support to
enable daily living within a person’s own home, focussing on the aim of improving a
person’s function through enablement and rehabilitation

 To provide regular feedback and escalate any concerns to co-ordinators and trigger
intervention from wider multi-disciplinary team as required

 Work alone in the community under the joint supervision of the Independence Co-
ordinating Officers and Therapy staff, working closely with nursing and therapy staff
following the assessment of adults who have experienced a decline in independence.

 Promote independence for service users, enabling them to live in the least restrictive
environment whilst ensuring they receive the necessary care and treatment and
ensuring their safety and wellbeing.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical and Professional

1. Visit service users in their own home as directed and in accordance with the agreed
Intervention Plan dual role assisting patients/service users to remain at home either
through enablement to independence or by supporting the delivery of tasks that the
person is unable to perform. The post holder will respect the service users dignity at all
times and adopt a service user centred approach.
2. Provide support and assist the patient/service user to maintain maximum independence
in the areas of personal and domestic activities of daily living. E.g. dressing/undressing,
washing, meal preparation, laundry, shopping or escorting to shops etc.
3. Assist patients/service users to take medication, administer eye and ear drops in
accordance with the medication policy and the intervention plan/enablement plan. To
promote continence and maintain the care of catheters and colostomy bags.
4. Follow guidelines and instructions and implement exercise / enablement / rehabilitation
programmes as directed by qualified staff to promote service user confidence and
independence in their daily living skills and to assist with agreed individual development
activities for service users.
5. Recognise the needs of relatives/carers. Report concerns regarding relatives/carers
involvement in the patients’/service users’ journey to the registered professionals in the
team
6. Report any suspicion of physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse of service users to
the Manager immediately and treat any complaint from a service user or carer seriously
and report it to the Manager, and if required, to assist with the initial investigation into the
complaint at the informal stage.
7. Assess any risk or potential hazards to the user or yourself before undertaking any tasks.
Complete an environmental Risk Assessment Checklist including the initial Manual
Handling risk assessment and report any concerns to a qualified staff member.
8. Take the appropriate action in case of an emergency situation, e.g. by summoning
appropriate assistance (GP / Paradoc /District Nurse/ Ambulance)
9. Report to the manager, any significant changes in health and social circumstances of the
patients/service users, any deterioration in the condition of the service users living
accommodation that could affect their safety, or the safety of member of staff, and to
write reports accordingly and complete accident forms where necessary
10. To undertake and gain the care certificate

Communication and Relationships

11. Communicate appropriately with service users and carers, taking account of beliefs and
values. Ensure that service users are involved in the planning of their care through
effective communication. Enable service users to find out about, and use, services and
facilities to assist in maximising their independence.
12. The post holder will respect the service users’ dignity at all times and adopt a service
user centred approach.
13. Use skills of tact, diplomacy and gentle persuasion to enhance patient’s compliance to
enable an active part in their own enablement / rehabilitation programme. This may
involve treating patients with communication impairment, deafness or other sensory
impairment, or where English is not the first language.
 14. Take part in team reflection and investigation of complaints as directed by the team
leader to ensure that lessons are learned from mistakes and that team working is
enhanced.
15. Assist in the promotion of an open, welcoming, person-centred culture for patients,
relatives/carers and colleagues, to ensure that feedback on services is encouraged and
responded to in a positive manner
16. Work in collaboration with and maintain good working relationships with Therapists,
Nurses, Social Workers, Carers and other agencies/professionals involved in the care of
the service user to assist service users to regain skills for independent living.
17. Regularly feedback to team and co-ordinators any areas of concern and progress
18. Act as a “Champion” for the Integrated Independence Team, by actively promoting best
practise and appropriately handover to Care Assistants / Carers in areas relating to
personal experience and expertise.

Educational
19. Undertake reflective practice and personal development
20. To participate in regular supervision and annual appraisal with the Integrated
Independent Coordinators and Team Therapists as required
21. To attend in-service training and external courses as required for carrying out of the
duties of the post.
22. Participate in competency framework and regular clinical training programme to support
effective skills & practice
23. Maintain and update research knowledge and skills.
24. Implement service related and/or academic research projects, clinical audit and survey
projects under supervision.

Information Management
25. Maintain written accurate, legible, and concise records in accordance with policy and
procedures. To record brief appropriate details of care provided in the Service users
Folder at the end of each visit. To accurately record, monitor and report patients progress
to the team and record any information relevant to the patient’s care in the patient’s multi-
disciplinary records, including details of medication, treatment and nutrition, notifying
appropriate professional of any matters of concern, and to store such records
appropriately for easy retrieval.
26. To have an understanding of the team’s performance measures
27. Record and report on personally-generated clinical information.
28. Enter clinical information as required into local electronic information systems.
29. Maintain databases for the service and advise on and implement developments to those
databases
30. Use relevant statistical packages to analyse recorded data.
31. Expected to maintain the complete confidentiality of all material and information to which
they have access and process.
32. Process records or information in a fair and lawful way. Hold and use data only for the
specified, registered purposes for which it was obtained and disclose data only to
authorised persons or organisations.

General
33. Attend and contribute to team and multidisciplinary meetings, to provide feedback,
discuss service users’ progress, and agree future goals as previously discussed with the
 service user. Attend case conferences as appropriate to discuss the future care of
service users.
34. Assist the team in administrative tasks such as answering the telephone, delivering
messages accurately, recording equipment on loan, photocopying of necessary
documents, ordering and stock taking.
35. Comment on development proposals or policies upon request
36. Plan and prioritise own workload, under the management of the Integrated Independence
Coordinating Officers & Lead Therapist
37. Maintain strong working relationships with all members of the team and individuals that
contribute to patient care, in order that the best quality of care can be delivered.
38. Participate in proposals for policy or operational changes, which may benefit care and/or
improve service delivery
39. Adhere to Homerton Code of Behaviour and adopt a professional approach to customer
care
40. Comply with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy and Single Equality Scheme and treat
staff, patients and colleagues with dignity and respect at all times
41. To ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained
during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity
42. Work in accordance within Trust policies and guidelines at all times to ensure promotion
of a safe environment and the delivery of safe patient care
43. Support the qualified team members with the allocation and maintenance of equipment,
keeping accurate records of what has been used. After appropriate training, to comply
with the manual handling legislation to undertake the transfer of patients/service users
with the correct use of adaptations and equipment. Report any obvious defects or
handling concerns to a Manager.
44. The post-holder will be required to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service,
including weekend and evening working.

Further information

Other Job Duties

This job description outlines the current main responsibilities of the post. However the duties of the post
may change and develop over time and this job description may, therefore, be amended in consultation
with the postholder.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality and inclusion for all our people at Homerton University Hospital
NHS Foundation Trust. We are proud to be in one of the most diverse locations in the country, with
nearly 90 different languages spoken as a main language, and we champion equality, diversity and
inclusion in all aspects of our employment practices and service delivery. Every member of our staff is
expected to understand, commit to, and champion equality, diversity and inclusion throughout their work.

Standards of English

All employees are required to have the appropriate level of English competence to enable them to
effectively carry out their role, deliver safe care and enhance the patient experience. This is a
requirement of the Immigration Act 2016 (Part 7), and the Person Specification will clearly define the
required level of competence for the role.

Health and Safety

Employees, in line with the Trust’s commitment to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Previously
known as the ‘Hygiene Code’), improving infection control and health and safety are individually required
to ensure that they make every effort to contribute to making the Trust a clean and safe environment
within which to work and receive care.

All staff have a responsibility to prevent and control infection within Homerton Hospital. This includes
ensuring personal and team compliance with the Hygiene Code (Health and Social Care Act 2008) and
all relevant policies including Hand Hygiene, Homerton Dress Code, MRSA screening and Infection
Control.

Trust Policies

All employees of the Trust are required to observe legislation, Trust policies, standards and guidelines
relating to risk management, equal opportunities, data protection and standards of business conduct.

Safeguarding

It is the responsibility of each member of staff to be aware of, and work in in accordance with, the Trust’s
safeguarding children and adults policies and procedures. This includes ensuring that they undertake
statutory and mandatory safeguarding children and adult training appropriate for their role. In addition to
acquiring safeguarding knowledge and skills, each member of staff must be competent and maintain
their knowledge and skills in clinical practice to safeguard the health and wellbeing of children and
adults.

Sustainability

It is the responsibility of leaders of the Trust to demonstrate and foster the Trust’s commitment to
environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility by acting as a role model and enabling
others. It is the responsibility of all staff to minimise the Trust’s environmental impact by recycling
wherever possible, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use, minimising
water wastage and reporting faults promptly.

Smoke-Free

Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is smoke free. Smoking by staff is not permitted on
Homerton premises.

Living Our Values – How We at the Homerton Work

Safe – We will do everything we can to make our services as safe as possible and create a
positive learning environment. We will do this by:

 being open and honest when we get things wrong, and doing all we can to correct and learn
from our mistakes
 listening to our staff, patients, service users and their carers and using their feedback to
improve services
 ensuring that we have the right staff, with the right skills, caring for each patient
 constantly monitoring standards of care and responding quickly if there are concerns

Responsibility – We will take responsibility for our actions and any problems that we come
across – we lead by example. We will do this by:

 being open and transparent about our performance and setting challenging improvement
 targets
 thinking differently and looking for new and innovative ways of working
 ensuring our care is evidence based and follows best practice
 doing the right thing, even when it is difficult

Personal – We will provide care which addresses individual needs and focuses on our patients,
service users, their families and carers, and our staff. We will do this by:

 ensuring that relationships with patients and service users are founded on compassion,
empathy and kindness
 appreciating each person as an individual and addressing their specific needs
 actively listening to and involving patients and service users in decisions about their care
 providing continuity of care through good communication and teamwork

Respectful – We will treat others as we would expect ourselves or our families to be treated
and cared for. We will do this by:

 treating everyone with dignity and respect

 listening to others and valuing their contribution
 providing services that meet the diverse needs of our communities
 valuing and supporting the health and wellbeing of all our staff
 PERSON SPECIFICATION

POST Independence Assistant BAND 3

DEPT/UNIT Integrated Independence Team DATE November 2017

ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE MEANS OF

ASSESSMENT
Education / NVQ level 3 in Healthcare or Care Certificate AF, I
Qualifications equivalent experience

Skills/ Demonstrate an Developed rehabilitation AF, I

Abilities understanding of why Health care skills
& Safety should be
incorporated into Provide rehabilitative care
service delivery for individuals in a range of
settings
Communicate effectively
both verbally and in writing

Work on own initiative and

work unsupervised

Deliver high standards of

personal care and
assistance

Follow written and verbal

instructions as according to
Care / Reablement Plan

Maintain accurate records

Observe and report the

condition of the service user

Converse with and listen to

the views of service users
and their families

Work as part of a team

Problem solving skills

 Assess risks and potential
hazards before undertaking
tasks

Observe Health & Safety

regulations

Work alone under pressure

in stressful and difficult
situations

Respect the cultural, racial

and religious diversity of
service users

Recognise the needs of

service user/relatives carers

Travel across the Hackney

Borough to undertake role

Experience Experience of work in the Experience of working with AF, I

NHS or Local Authority or people with physical
experience in an equivalent challenges
health care provider
Experience of working with
Experience of working in a people with rehabilitation
service user centred, goal
needs
orientated way

Experience of working in a
multi disciplinary
environment

Knowledge An understanding of the AF, I

NHS and Social Care,
especially community based
services

Knowledge/understanding of
confidentiality issues

Knowledge of and
understanding of promoting
independence

Understanding and AF, I

demonstration of the Trust
Values
Commitment and adherence
to equality, diversity and
inclusion
 Self motivated and
enthusiastic

Able to remain calm under

pressure

Excellent interpersonal skills

Able to deal with exposure to

distressing/emotional
circumstances

Able to manage effectively

verbal aggression from
service users, families and
the risk of physical
aggression

Respectful approach to
service users, families,
carers, colleagues and other
professionals. Will to
negotiate and can handle
confrontation effectively.

Sufficiently physically fit to

assist, move and handle
service users, push
wheelchairs, carry small
items of equipment and
climb stairs etc

Commitment to delivering a
person centred service

Signed: .................................................... Position: .................................................

Mandatory components in all job descriptions are shown in italics

Means of Assessment include application form (AF), Interview (I), Test (T), Presentation (P)