Healthcare Assistant - Southport Dialysis Unit

Position: Dialysis Unit Assistant
Location: Southport Hospital

This position is an opportunity to work in the dialysis unit based at Southport Hospital. You will be working under the supervision and direction of a registered nurse, assisting the Ward / Department team in providing the highest possible standard of care for patients and their families/carers during their dialysis treatment.

We are a small team working together to achieve the best dialysis outcomes for our patients. Our unit has 12 stations and we dialyse our patients over six days. The unit is closed on Sundays, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. We operate on:

• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 07.00 to 12 MN
• Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: 07.00 to 19.00

Key Responsibilities:

• Promote effective communication within the multi-disciplinary team and take measures to overcome communication difficulties.
• Contribute to the management of aggressive and abusive behaviour.
• General bed making/making up of clean beds in readiness for new admissions and operation beds (refer to policy for the care of mattresses and beds).
• Clear and clean vacated bed spaces and prepare them for use according to ward/unit protocol.
• Prepare used linen bags for collection by Porters and ensure an adequate supply of linen bags/skips ready for use.
• Assist in maintaining a clean and safe environment in all areas.
• Safe disposal of clinical waste and sharps as per Trust policy.
• Be familiar with Trust policy and procedures for reporting clinical incidents and report incidents if they occur.
• Attend to the needs of visitors and patients, particularly those who may be distressed or bereaved.
• Care for patients' property, including valuables, in accordance with Trust policy.
• Obtain demographic details and social history from patients/visitors to assist in the admission process.

About Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital, and Royal Liverpool University Hospital. We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. Our group aims to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond. We serve 630,000 people across Merseyside, providing general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for over two million people in the North West.

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Participate in all aspects of patient care with particular attention to personal hygiene and grooming.
• Provide for patients' toileting needs, ensuring privacy and dignity is maintained.
• Support patients in managing incontinence and promote continence.
• Record a patient’s fluid intake and output using fluid balance charts.
• Prepare and serve patient meals, drinks, and snacks; assist/ feed patients as necessary.
• Record patient dietary intake when indicated in the patient’s plan of care.
• Enable patients to maintain/improve their mobility by use of exercise and mobility appliances.
• Assist in the prevention of pressure sore development as directed by the Registered Nurse in conjunction with the patient’s plan of care.
• Carry out any movement and handling within the safe practice guidelines from your mandatory training and in relation to the patient’s manual handling plan.
• Obtain specimens from patients for ward or laboratory testing.
• Remove cannulae, catheters, and nasogastric tubes.
• Undertake the dressing of non-complex wounds (in accordance with identified competencies and in conjunction with the plan of care).
• Perform naso-gastric/PEG feeding once the tube has been passed and checked by a registered professional.
• Prepare and maintain environments for clinical treatments and investigations.
• Prepare patients for treatments, investigations, or procedures including offering support, answering questions appropriate to own knowledge/experience, and assisting in recovery.
• Collect blood products from the laboratory as requested.
• Chaperone and escort patients to clinical departments within the hospital and to other hospitals for investigations.
• Assist Registered Nurse in performing last offices.
• Conduct general and clinical observations of patients, reporting anything untoward to Registered Nursing Staff, including:
  • Recording of blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and respiration rate.
  • Oxygen saturation monitoring.
  • Recording of peak flow.
  • Undertaking blood glucose monitoring and venepuncture upon the direction of the registered nurse.
• Document in patient nursing records any care given, ensuring the entry is countersigned by the Registered Nurse responsible for the patient at the time.
• Initiate Basic Life Support techniques as appropriate and provide assistance to the registered nurse as required in prolonged resuscitation situations.
• Contribute to the development of Essence of Care and benchmarking.
• Provide a verbal handover of the patient's care under the direct supervision of the registered nurse.
• Ensure due regard is given to the customs, values, and spiritual beliefs of patients and carers.