Live In Support Worker

Reporting to: Home Care Manager

Purpose of role:

To support clients with all aspects of their day to day living, so they can enjoy the best possible quality of life. Providing live in care and support is both a challenging and rewarding experience. You will stay in the client’s home, usually working alone. There will be pre-arranged breaks during periods when the client does not need your services. This is often during the afternoons. Compassion, good communication skills and a calm and caring manner are essential for this important role in our company.

Key responsibilities:

To provide safe, reliable, compassionate care and support that is centred on the individual needs and wishes of each client. This involves respecting each client’s choices and promoting their dignity at all times. You will build positive relationships with the client, their family and other health and social care professionals. As you will be staying in the client’s home, you will follow their house rules and be mindful of their need for privacy.
You may be the only person the client sees over a period of time, it is therefore essential to report any changes or causes for concern to your Manager and/or On Call promptly. You need to be clear about when to seek help and advice in order to keep clients safe and promote their well-being.

Duties
Care and support:
Give non-discriminatory care and support that values the diverse and unique qualities of each client. See the whole person and not merely a list of care needs. Carefully listen and observe how clients prefer their care and support to be delivered on a day to day basis. Help them make their own decisions and to be as independent as possible. You must be prepared to undertake the All Wales Induction Framework to ensure you adhere to regulations.

Follow instructions in the care and support plan which has been agreed with each client. This may include:

All aspects of personal care within the morning & night routine:

  • Showering and bathing
  • Dressing and grooming
  • Toileting and continence care
  • Teeth and dentures
    Taking medicines:
  • Encouraging, reminding; assisting and giving medicines
  • Ordering and collecting prescriptions
  • Returning unwanted medicines to the pharmacy for safe disposal

Eating and drinking:

  • Helping the client to plan what to eat and drink
  • Gentle encouragement and help to eat and drink well
  • Shopping, preparing and serving food and drinks
  • Clearing the table, washing up and keeping the kitchen area clean and tidy
  • Agreeing with the client how to store food safely and dispose of out of date produce

Safely using aids and personal equipment in a manner that respects the dignity of clients:

  • Standing and walking frames
  • Wheelchairs, manual and electric hoists
  • Sliding sheets and moving boards
  • Hearing aids and other physical aids
  • Nebulizer

Housework:

  • Washing floors, vacuuming and sweeping
  • Laundry and ironing, making beds and changing the linen
  • Dusting and general tidying

Social and physical activities or mental stimulation:

  • Answering the door and greeting visitors
  • Answering emergency bells and the telephone
  • Writing cards and letters or emails
  • Taking a client out shopping, to see their friends or to other activities
  • Hobbies and recreations such as reading, photo albums, games etc

Supporting a client through temporary and terminal illness, including:

  • End of life care
  • Hospital appointments/discharge
  • Liaising with community health support and families

Recording and reporting:

  • Record and report all relevant client information including
  • The care and support that you provide and assistance with medicines
  • Changes to a client’s condition or other concerns
  • Faulty equipment or hazards in the home
  • Response to emergencies, accidents and incidents
  • Safeguarding matters
  • Contact with families or care workers and other professionals
  • Keep all information about clients and their families secure and confidential

This list is not exhaustive and you may be asked to carry out additional duties. We will provide full training in line with regulatory requirements.