Social Work Assistant

Contract: Permanent contract 22.5 hours per week

Salary: £15,600 (FTE £26,000) pa

Location: HA3 0YG

Closing Date: 11th September 2023, 09.00hrs

St Luke’s Hospice – Caring for Harrow and Brent St Luke’s Hospice cares for people approaching the end of their life in Harrow and Brent. We aim to give the people we care for the best possible quality of life, each and every day. Supporting local people and their families is at the heart of what we do – focusing on what matters the most to them is at the centre of our care.

The care we give is free of charge, available to all, and respects the cultures, religions, and beliefs in our richly diverse community. Our care is given with compassion and dignity and involves not just looking after the patient, but also includes supporting the people closest to them. 

Funding is raised from the amazing generosity of the organisations and people who make our care possible. Our local community is a vital partner in our care, kindly supporting us through their donations and fundraising alongside the dedication of over 800 incredible volunteers who freely give us their time to support the best possible end-of-life care for local people.

Job Purpose and scope

To work closely with the social work team and other multidisciplinary colleagues, to assist and support them in their work and provide timely, creative, person-centered support to patients and those significant to them.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical duties (including but not limited to);

• Supporting qualified Social Workers and other appropriate colleagues.
• Assisting in undertaking psychosocial assessments.
• Assisting in the development of patient plans.
• Working to promote individual independence, well-being, choice, and control.
• Supporting a variety of models of service delivery and personalised interventions.
• Contributing to the timely transfer of care across the health and social care systems.
• Participating in handover and referral to the bereavement service.
• Enabling and supporting service users to maximise DWP income e.g. welfare benefits, grants, and other relevant funding.
• Assisting in applications for community assistance.
• Supporting people to discuss and record Advance Care Planning resources.

Risk assessment and safeguarding (including but not limited to);

• Escalating any safeguarding concerns to senior staff.
• Intervening appropriately to ensure people are protected from harm while protecting their human rights.
• Supporting practice that identifies when an adult is at risk of social exclusion.
• Helping people to deal with adverse circumstances.

Service development (including but not limited to);

• Helping turn strategy into action through awareness of the service Strategic Plan.
• Contribute to the audit of services and research projects as required.
• Supporting the development of service to carers.
• Showing an interest and understanding of relevant palliative care literature policy and procedure.
• Collecting and sharing data as required,
• Delivering internal and external training when required.

Personal/Professional Development (including but not limited to);

• Participating in multidisciplinary teaching programmes.
• Actively participating in team meetings.
• Attending NLH events and functions when required.
• Contribute to the development of curiosity and inquiry which seeks to maximise the opportunity for continuous learning in the team.

Decision-making responsibility is at task level –

• Making decisions that impact the order in which tasks are completed and how they are done
• Consulting with the manager on any decisions that impact the wider team and/or organisation

General Duties & Responsibilities

Administrative

• To maintain accurate, concise, and up-to-date records and statistics, ensuring confidentiality of service user interest.
• To provide statistical and other information as appropriate to assist with service development.
• To be competent in the use of basic IT programmes, including patient information systems and word processing packages.

Note:

Shortlisting Date – Monday 11th September 2023

Set Interview Date – Friday 15th September 2023

Applicants are encouraged to inform us if any reasonable adjustments are needed to be made during any part of the recruitment process.

St Luke’s Hospice is an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from groups who are currently under-represented in our staff.

Please note: We will not be able to employ you if you are not eligible to work in the UK. We will not be able to obtain a work permit on your behalf.