Job Brief:

We are currently looking for experienced and confident Senior Healthcare Assistants Plus to join our residential care homes across the Thanet District area, working either day or night shifts.

The Senior Healthcare Assistant Plus role is a progression from our Senior Healthcare Assistant position and is designed for experienced senior carers who are ready to take on additional responsibility for the organisation, quality and oversight of care delivered during their shift.

You will continue to provide hands-on, person-centred care to residents while also providing additional leadership and support to the wider care team.

As a Senior Healthcare Assistant Plus, you will be expected to confidently lead shifts, allocate responsibilities fairly and appropriately, support less experienced members of the team and help ensure that the standards expected within the home are consistently maintained.

Responsibilities:

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading day or night shifts and providing clear direction and support to the care team.

• Ensuring staff are appropriately allocated across the home and that residents' needs are prioritised throughout the shift.

• Supporting Senior Healthcare Assistants and Healthcare Assistants with more complex situations and providing guidance where required.

• Ensuring that care is recorded on a "record as you do" basis and that documentation completed during the shift is accurate, meaningful and person-centred.

• Carrying out additional checks of care records and documentation during the shift and addressing omissions or poor-quality recording promptly.

• Ensuring that scheduled care tasks, observations, repositioning, nutrition and hydration monitoring and other required interventions are completed and appropriately documented.

• Supporting the safe administration and management of medication where you have received the required training, competency assessment and authorisation.

• Providing an effective and detailed handover between shifts and ensuring that significant changes, incidents, concerns and outstanding actions are clearly communicated.

• Identifying and escalating changes in residents' health, wellbeing, behaviour or presentation to the appropriate senior person or healthcare professional.

• Supporting the management of incidents, accidents, falls and safeguarding concerns in accordance with the home's procedures, including ensuring appropriate documentation and escalation is completed.

• Supporting the implementation of care plans and risk assessments and highlighting where these may require review following changes in a resident's needs.

• Acting as a positive role model and providing practical coaching, guidance and support to Healthcare Assistants and newer members of the team.

• Supporting new employees during their induction and helping them understand the home's expected standards of care, documentation and professional conduct.

• Carrying out reasonable quality and compliance checks delegated by the Home Manager or Deputy Manager.

• Helping to identify issues during the shift and taking appropriate action within your level of responsibility rather than allowing concerns to remain unresolved.

• Communicating professionally with residents, relatives, colleagues and visiting healthcare professionals.

• Promoting dignity, privacy, independence, choice and person-centred care at all times.

• Supporting the management team in maintaining a safe, organised and well-led care environment.

Skills Required:

The successful candidate will be someone who is confident taking responsibility, has excellent attention to detail and is able to recognise when something is not meeting the expected standard and take appropriate action.

This role would particularly suit an experienced Senior Healthcare Assistant who is looking to progress further within health and social care and demonstrate their ability to take on greater leadership and quality-assurance responsibilities.

Every day within a care home is different. You may be supporting residents with personal care, nutrition and hydration, mobility or meaningful activities while, at the same time, overseeing the shift and ensuring your team is delivering and documenting care to the expected standard.

Above all, you will be expected to lead by example and ensure residents receive safe, compassionate and person-centred care.

Requirements

• Minimum 2 years' experience within health and social care, preferably within a residential or nursing care home.

• Previous experience as a Senior Healthcare Assistant/Senior Carer or in a similar role is strongly preferred.

• NVQ/QCF Level 3 in Health and Social Care preferred, or willingness to work towards an appropriate qualification.

• Experience of leading or coordinating shifts.

• Good understanding of person-centred care and care documentation.

• Good computer literacy and confidence using electronic care-recording systems.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

• Good numeracy skills.

• Ability to organise and prioritise workloads effectively.

• Confidence in supporting and guiding other members of staff.

• Ability to recognise concerns and escalate them appropriately.

• A professional, compassionate and caring attitude.

• Ability to remain calm and make appropriate decisions during challenging situations.

Benefits:

• Pay from £13.50 per hour

• Enhanced level of responsibility and opportunity to develop leadership experience

• Training, supervision and ongoing support

• Career progression opportunities

• Refer-a-friend bonus

• Availability of overtime

• Free uniform

• Day and night opportunities

• Full-time and part-time shift patterns available

Your working pattern will depend on your availability and the needs of the home. Whether you are looking for three shifts per week or additional hours, we will do our best to accommodate suitable availability.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Senior Healthcare Assistant who is ready for the next level of responsibility while remaining actively involved in delivering care to residents.

If you are confident leading others, have high standards and take pride in delivering excellent care, we would like to hear from you.