Social Work Assistant

Job summary

St Margaret's Hospice Care has a fantastic opportunity for a Social Work Assistant to join our Supportive Care team. You will join us on a permanent basis and in return, you will receive a salary starting from £26,530 (pro rata for part time hours).

As our Social Work Assistant, you will hold an autonomous caseload of patients with a palliative, life limiting diagnosis. You will also support patients family and carers.

You will be joining an established and super supportive team with a collaborative working culture.

This role is based in Taunton and Yeovil and involves travel throughout Somerset to undertake community work, home visits, and meetings.

This role has a working pattern of 30 - 37.5 hours per week. The post is hospice based (Taunton and Yeovil) with the possibility of working at home one or two days a week.

Main duties of the job

Under the guidance of the supportive care lead and social worker, your day-to-day work will include:

Working with the clinical teams to ensure the social and supportive care needs of patients and families are assessed and where possible met.
Providing safeguarding advice and guidance to clinical staff, patients, families, and carers, ensuring the welfare of vulnerable adults and children.
Supporting with safeguarding concerns and promoting best practices.
Making appropriate referrals to the multi-disciplinary team and a wide range of community-based services.
Supporting with benefit checks.
Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver compassionate, patient-centred care.
About us
Be part of a welcoming, community minded charity. Our mission is to provide excellent specialist palliative care for patients and support to their families. Everyone here contributes and has a part to play towards our goal. If you speak to any of our staff or volunteers, they will tell you how the patient is at the heart of everything they do. So, if you're looking for a role where you can really make a difference, we could be a perfect match.

Holiday entitlement

33 days holiday including bank holidays rising to 35 days after 1 year, and increasing with length of service (pro-rata if part-time)
Recognise continuous service for clinical staff paid at band 5+ who join directly from the NHS or another hospice
Ability to buy and sell annual leave
Pension scheme

NHS employees eligible to continue with their NHS pension scheme*
Non-NHS employees will receive 5% employer and 5% employee contribution.
Award-winning Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family offering:

Vitality & wellbeing health portal for non-emergency care
Unlimited access to 24/7 online as well as Expert Case Management
Confidential and free 24-hour Employee Assistance
Counselling and support
Legal, financial, and medical information and advice
And more

Life assurance cover
Health Cash Plans
Blue Light Discount Card
Enhanced maternity/paternity leave*
Excellent learning and development opportunities
Free on-site parking in Yeovil and Taunton
Volunteering and fundraising opportunities
*Eligibility criteria applies

Job description

Job responsibilities
Clinical:

Responsible for a caseload of varying complexity, commensurate with ability and qualifications, receiving and responding to referrals from various sources.
To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients and carers including those with diverse or complex presentations/multi-pathologies using clinical reasoning skills and assessment techniques.
Follow the integrated care programme approach and risk assessment to protect the safety of individuals.
Assess patient/carer needs with them and with other professionals and agree levels of support.
Engage with people refusing a service who are at risk to self or others.
Provide information, written assessments, reports and statements to support other service professionals, managers and agencies in making decisions related to care.
Maintain client records to a high standard.
Plan and agree service responses, resources, needs and support and develop realistic care plans to meet identified individual needs/circumstances.
Recognise the importance of Preferred Priorities of Care at end of life for patient and their families and aim to facilitate patient choice.
Develop, facilitate and maintain effective joint working relationships, with Somerset Council neighbourhood teams, primary care, housing, continuing health care and any other agencies as appropriate.
Promote people's equality, diversity and rights and develop, maintain and evaluate systems and structures in an anti-discriminatory way.
Enable individuals families and carers to address issues which affect their health and social wellbeing.
Maintain IT systems relating to client information and input.
Provide advice and act as a resource for the multi-disciplinary team.
Develop projects and new services to meet assessed needs of service users.
To identify health and social care problems requiring assessment/intervention from other agencies and with the consent of the patient action those referrals.
To formulate accurate prognosis of need, developing comprehensive care plans in conjunction with the patient, carer/family and the multi-professional team.
To assess patients capacity and ability to consent to options and understanding of associated risks, working within the relevant legislations and policy/procedures.
To make appropriate referrals to the multi-disciplinary team and work collaboratively with a wide range of community-based services.
Safeguarding and Risk Management:
Identify and respond to safeguarding concerns involving adults or children under the care of the hospice with support from the social worker
Make timely referrals to local authority safeguarding teams or other agencies when required.
Safeguarding Case Management:
Provide support to patients and families where safeguarding concerns are present, ensuring confidentiality and sensitivity.
Work alongside hospice staff, including nurses, doctors, and therapists, to develop care plans that address safeguarding risks.
Maintain accurate, detailed records of safeguarding concerns and monitor interventions, and outcomes in line with hospice policies.

Person Specification
Education and Qualifications

Essential

NVQ 3 or equivalent in related care work
Full driving licence and access to a car in order to undertake community work.
Self Awareness

Essential

Compassion and understanding of the needs of patients at the end of life.
Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable individuals.
Resilience in handling emotionally challenging cases.
Ability to adapt to changing or conflicting priorities.
Working with others

Essential

Strong interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively with patients, families, and professionals.
Ability to manage complex and sensitive situations with professionalism and empathy.
Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.

Outcome and Results

Essential

Excellent risk assessment, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
Ability to demonstrate sound clinical decision making in the assessment of patients/families/carers and the implementation and evaluation of care plans.
To be computer literate.
Ability to demonstrate effective caseload and workload management.

Leading in your area

Essential

Experience in safeguarding vulnerable adults and/or children within a health, hospice, or social care setting.
Strong understanding of safeguarding legislation and guidance, including the Care Act 2014, Children Act 1989/2004, and Working Together to Safeguard Children.

Desirable

Knowledge of palliative care, end-of-life care, or related health and social care fields

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.