The overall purpose of Sheltered Housing is to provide accommodation and support when needed.

Sheltered Housing is purpose built accommodation offering support and security for older persons. In Sheltered Housing we promote and support independent living to enable residents to maintain their wellbeing and with the knowledge that someone is always on hand to give support where needed.

Sheltered housing staff are on site 24 hours a day to provide residents with housing related support and to liaise with other services and providers on their behalf where needed. There are shared areas of the scheme in which residents can enjoy a daily meal and social activities.

You will work as part of the sheltered housing team to deliver effective personal care to a number of residents living in their own homes within Cat 2.5 sheltered housing scheme Ian Gibson Court.

What is the role?

As a Care Assistant you will: 

• Work to provide person centred care and support for older people living independently in their own home as per their individual care plan and in a way that meets the Adult Social Care purpose 'help me when I need it to live the life I want to'
• Assist clients in a range of daily living tasks, for example with transfers, toileting (including dealing with bodily fluids), mobility, washing and dressing. Along with some household tasks, meal preparation, social activities and support to access to the community. 
• Work in a way that encourages independence and motivates the client as well as observing and promoting the clients choices, privacy, dignity and other rights
• Maintain confidential, legible and accurate records in relation to care and medical support given 
• Work jointly and effectively with the sheltered housing service and others including internal and external staff and agencies, providing input into the care and support plans of clients 
• Attend regular supervision sessions and undertake the required training as appropriate to the role.
• Work in a way that promotes the safety of clients, yourself, your team and others
• Be part of a team under the direction of the Care Supervisor & Sheltered Scheme Manager 
• Be expected to work flexibly to meet the demands of the service and to cover leave and other staff absence to ensure that care provision is consistently met. 
• Work 21 hours per week as part of a rota, Monday to Sunday, with the earliest shift commencing at 7am and the latest ending at 21:30/22:00pm.

Who is the person?

You need to:

1. Have knowledge of the differing care and support needs of older people and the life issues they face
2. Have a patient & caring nature that works to enable people to maintain their independence in their own home for as long as possible.
3. Have the physical ability to undertake moving & handling of people tasks, including the use of equipment (training provided)
4. Be flexible and reliable to ensure that service delivery is met
5. Have the ability to understand and adhere to professional boundaries at all times
6. Have good listening, verbal, written and reading skills to enable you to effectively maintain records & understand, document and communicate information with clients, your team and others. 
7. Have excellent people skills in order to gain the trust of clients and their families/advocates
8. Have the motivation & ability to work alongside other agencies to get the best outcomes for clients
9. Be able to work as part of a team, but also able to work alone with confidence
10. Have the confidence and ability to raise concerns/issues, solve problems and respond to emergencies as they arise 
11. Be self-motivated and able to use your own initiative whilst recognising and working within the boundaries of PCC / CQC policies and procedures in place.
12. Be willing to attend and participate in all training required as appropriate to the role and as identified by your line manager
13. Have basic IT skills, including use of Microsoft Outlook and experience of using Word/Excel and able to use in house databases as required.
14. The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post

Closing 17th October 2017

Salary: £10,959 - £11,630 Band 4 inc. 17% shift enhancement 

£10.04 - £10.65 per hour inc. 17% shift enhancement

Job Hours: 21 hours per week, Monday - Sunday - worked over a service led rota that includes both days & evenings.

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.