Independent Living Service Support Worker - Belfast

About the role
Make a positive difference to people in your area. The Independent Living Service Support Worker post will provide reactive, focused and flexible support to adults either following a hospital stay to enable early discharge when clinical needs have been met, or to those living in the community to prevent hospital admission.

The post holder will be required to:

• Assist the Independent Living Service Coordinator by undertaking duties required to meet the service users' needs in order to re-enable service users to remain in their own home and prevent hospital re-admission.  Referrals may require the support worker to take the patient home from hospital to enable their discharge.
• Respond to referrals from Clinicians and Community Health Professionals and will be required to have the ability to assess service users' needs, complete and follow a support plan for the individual. 
• Provide practical and emotional support in the service user's own home and 'signposting' to other services where appropriate to enable the individual to live independently in their own home.  T
• Take/ accompany service user to attend hospital appointments or other activities as required in the care/support plan using own or British Red Cross vehicle.
• To have the ability to provide on-going assessment of service users' needs, to develop a support plan to meet these needs and provide appropriate support to achieve positive outcomes.
• Record and report activities undertaken and highlighting any changes in a service user's condition and ensure that appropriate actions are taken if a service user's health deteriorates.
• Liaise with health, housing and other professionals to ensure that the needs of the individual are consistently met.
• Ensure as safe as possible a living environment for service users through carrying out risk assessments and providing information/advice whilst respecting their individual dignity, choice and rights.
• Link to other appropriate Red Cross services which help build resilience and independence such as volunteering, transport services, short-term wheelchair loans, first aid education, financial crisis and other national initiatives.

About the organisation
The British Red Cross helps millions of people in the UK and around the world to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies, disasters and conflicts.

Our volunteers and staff help people in crisis to live independently by providing support at home, mobility aids and transport. We also teach first aid skills.

We are part of the global Red Cross and Red Crescent humanitarian network. We refuse to ignore people in crisis.

About the team
The Independent Living (IL) & Crisis Response (CR) service (IL/CR) supports people in the space between hospital and home and responds to the needs of people in crisis following an emergency; maintaining an extensive network of external relationships across health, social care, and emergency services.

About the person
We keep the service user at the heart of what we do, working to understand their needs and the differences we can make. The successful applicant will be/have:

• Educated to GCSE level (or equivalent by experience)
• IT literate.
• Full driving licence holder and access to vehicle.
• Participation in a multi-disciplinary team environment.
• Ability to work as part of a team and on own initiative.
• Able to plan own workload.
• Willingness to work flexible hours.
• Knowledge of supporting service users who may be disabled and/or frail, cognitively impaired and who may have dementia and mental health issues.
• Working with individuals with a sensory or physical impairment or who may be frail due to old age.
• Ability to deal with queries in a diplomatic, professional and confidential manner.
• Good telephone manner.
• Ability to communicate with health and social care professionals.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience of delivering high quality services to the public.
• Able to travel around the area as required.

[Please click here to view the full job description and person specification for this position.]

Closing date for applications is (23:59), Wednesday 22nd March 2017.
Interviews will take place weeks commencing 3rd April 2017.

We offer a wide range of staff benefits, these include:

• 36 days holiday (including Bank Holidays)
• Up to 6% contributory pension
• Childcare vouchers

Should you have any questions on this role please contact Marina Kelly Independent Living Operations Manager on [email protected] or [email protected] quoting reference REQ0000012XD

The British Red Cross is committed to being an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences - including disabled and ethnic minority candidates. This is to contribute to the breadth of experience we need to respond to people in crisis.

As part of its recruitment and selection process the British Red Cross undertakes Access NI/ DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)/ PVG (Scotland) checking of all individuals who regularly work with or have access to children and vulnerable adults. The costs of this will be met by the Organisation.

The British Red Cross, incorporated by Royal Charter 1908, is a charity registered in England and Wales (220949) and Scotland (SC037738).

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Refusing to ignore people in crisis.