Reports to: Registered Care Manager or Operations Manager

Purpose of role

To ensure that customers receive excellent quality care and support to keep them safe and comfortable in their own homes.

Key responsibilities

Support the registered manager and/or lead supervisor with:

• the efficient running of a designated area and the supervision of care assistants;

• ensuring that Bluebird Care provides safe, effective, high quality care that is responds to each customer’s needs and preferences; and

• ensuring that our services respect customers’ choices and promote their dignity and privacy at all times.

Duties

Work well with customers

Prior to each service commencing, carry out with customers (and/or their chosen representatives) an assessment of what the customer needs and what they would like to achieve from their care and support, together with a risk assessment.

• Create and agree a written individually tailored plan of care and support that respects the customer’s wishes and promotes their dignity and privacy. Agree appropriate risk control measures to reduce identified risks. Keep care and support plans up to date.

Provide the customer and, where appropriate their representatives, with information about the service so they are clear about what to expect and how they can raise any concerns.

Keep all information about customers and their families secure and confidential.

Provide on-call support during out of hours for one week per calendar month or as and when agreed with your line manager

Work well with staff

Give care assistants appropriate information and guidance to effectively and safely provide care and support as agreed in the care and support plan.

Work with the Bluebird Care coordinator to appropriately match care assistants to customers. Attend the customer's first call to introduce the care corker. Report changes to care schedules without delay to the coordinator, customer and care assistant.

Distribute, collect and monitor MAR charts.

Support, supervise and assist with training of care assistants.

Take part in the out of hours emergency on-call rota as and when required. Effectively deal with emergency on-call issues e.g. covering calls either directly or indirectly when care assistants are sick or absent. Record emergency calls and pass the information to appropriate parties.

Arrange and manage staff changeovers and briefings for live in care assignments in the absence of the lead supervisor and registered manager.

Quality improvement

Investigate matters relating to the quality of the service and implement improvements.

Monitor the performance of care assistants and carry out quality reviews at the customer’s home to make sure the service is being delivered in line with company procedures.

Apply Bluebird Care policies and procedures at all times and make sure that accidents and incidents are recorded, reported and acted upon.

Make sure care and support is provided in line with regulatory requirements and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in England and Wales or Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 in Scotland.

Work effectively with customers, their families and representatives, other social and health care professionals and managers and staff from Bluebird Care to deliver high quality homecare services.

Work well as part of the Bluebird Care team

Work flexibly to meet business needs

Lead staff and customer meetings

Lead and participate in training activities, appraisals and development meetings

This list is not exhaustive and additional duties may be required.

Role specification

We have provided a picture of skills, knowledge and experience required to carry out this role. We will use the essential criteria to select suitable applicants for this post. You should demonstrate, using examples where possible, how you meet the essential criteria.

Essential criteria

Personal attributes

Kind and Caring – compassionate towards others who need support.

Professional and Respected - excellent time keeper, reliable and understanding of professional boundaries. Dedicated to non-discriminatory care practice. This means respecting people suffering from a range of medical conditions with different backgrounds and beliefs to your own.

Innovative – strong problem-solver, who thinks outside of the box to identify solutions and opportunities.

Supportive – a team player and fantastic communicator, with good emotional intelligence.

Fun and Passionate – understand that homecare can bring joy and happiness to a customers’ day, and strive to achieve this.

Knowledge and understanding

Good understanding of the needs of people who require care and support at home and the principles of good care practice

Knowledge of effective care and support planning that is centred on the individual needs and wishes of each customer

Relevant social care qualification , or willing to work towards gaining this qualification

Knowledge of what confidentiality means in relation to home care services and why this is important

Good understanding of health and safety matters in relation to home care services and of safeguarding people at risk of harm

Experience and skills

Experience of communicating clearly and building positive working relationships with people who use social care services and social and health care professionals

Ability to support customers with all aspects of their daily living in a manner that respects their dignity, is non- judgmental and promotes their independence, choices and privacy

Experience of care services

Able to write clear risk assessments, care and support plans and other records

Ability to plan and organise workloads effectively so that customers receive the services that they expect

Ability to use own initiative and work alone or as part of a team especially in an emergency

Good administrative skills and computer literacy

Ability to lead and manage a team of care assistants and provide appropriate support, guidance and training

Ability and willingness to follow Bluebird Care’s policies, procedures and instructions

Additional requirements

Willingness to work flexibly and to keep knowledge and skills up to date.

This role will require you to obtain an Enhanced satisfactory clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service formally known as the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure

Full drivers licence with no more than 6 points and Class 1 business insurance (valid MOT)

Desirable criteria

Experience of supervising the delivery of social care services

Previous experience of risk assessment and person centred care and support planning