Care Assistant

Key Responsibilities

The role of care worker has many aspects and this document sets out the principal functions of the job. It is not an exhaustive list of the tasks involved, they will vary from one customer to another, but instead it is intended to be a guide to the type of work involved.

Essential Requirements

It is sometimes difficult to generalise about what the role of a care worker is. The best way of summing it up is that we might perform the tasks carried out by a close friend or relative but in a trained, professional and knowledgeable way. Providing and promoting Dignity in Care is an essential role of all home carers. To do this a home carer must follow the ten-point Dignity Challenge. Home carers must treat all clients as an individual by offering them choice about their care, by honouring their Human Rights, by empowering the client to promote their independence, by respecting their privacy, giving them space where and when they need it and maintaining confidentiality, by respecting the clients beliefs and culture and finally by working in partnership with the family and other professionals. It is a home carers responsibility to provide an environment and the necessary actions to assist people to maintain autonomy, quality of life, confidence and a positive self-esteem. In order to promote dignity successfully the home carer must be aware of the needs and requirements of the client and must communicate successfully not only with the client but also with other stakeholders such as family, friends and other healthcare professionals and advocates. The home carer also has a responsibility to alert the Senior carer (or their representative) of any changes or causes for concern in the client's condition. There will be specific tasks identified for a client. These may include cooking and/or preparing meals and possibly supporting with feeding. Delivery of housekeeping and laundry as well as personal care will also be part of the role. The home carer will be briefed before undertaking any visit with the specific tasks involved but, in every case, it is incumbent upon the home carer to carry out the work in a safe and professional way and to adhere to the specific instructions as well as the policies and procedures of the company. Home carers are frequently the only people that a client may see daily and clearly there is a responsibility to report any relevant information back to the office staff. It is not the role of the home carer to become involved in notifying family, friends or relatives of changes. This will be carried out by the Ashwood Care admin team, based on the advice received from the home carer. The home carer does not have responsibility for staff. It should be clearly understood that the role requires a great deal, sometimes both in physical and emotional ways, and carries a weight of responsibility. Anyone who does not genuinely care about the welfare of other people will not be suitable for this job. The permanent equipment provided by Ashwood Care, such as uniform, identity badge and any other equipment required to carry out the role, are the responsibility of the home carer as is making sure that consumables such as disposable gloves and aprons are available and not in short supply. Whilst the supply and upkeep of any equipment such as wheelchairs and hoists are not the responsibility of Ashwood Care or its employees, it is expected that causes for concern with any of such items would be passed by the home carer to a senior member of staff. By its nature domiciliary care requires home carers to travel from place to place. Home carers must therefore have the ability to do this, either by public transport or by their own means. A thorough training programme is applicable to every member of the Ashwood Care team. This constitutes both initial and ongoing training and is a requirement of all staff. Every member of staff will be required to apply for, and achieve, a satisfactory Criminal Record check from the Disclosing and Barring Service