Housekeeping Assistant – 6 month fixed term contract

Full job description

Main responsibilities:

Clinical Practice

1. Assist the Housekeeping Supervisor in maintaining a high standard of cleanliness throughout the Hospice ensuring work schedules are followed to the standards required – this will involve moving and handling tasks, as directed by the line manager, to be carried out in adherence with Hospice moving and handling policy.
2. Carry out daily cleaning of patients’ rooms and ensuites, demonstrating sensitivity to the privacy and individual needs of patients, families/carers and colleagues.
3. Ensure infection control policies and procedures are adhered to when carrying out duties.
4. Vacuum all floor surfaces to the required standards and carry out periodic shampooing of carpets and spot shampooing as appropriate.
5. Damp dusting and cleaning of furniture, fittings, telephones, ledges, skirting boards, banisters, windowsills, internal partitions, pipes and radiators.
6. Clean toilet pans, sluices, basins, toilet raisers and all associated fittings.
7. Clean inside glass partitions and windows as required.
8. High dusting in all designated areas.
9. Handle and store cleaning materials safely and in accordance with Hospice policy and COSHH regulations.
10. Ensure that all cleaning equipment is kept in good working order and cleaned and maintained after use. Advise the line manager of any necessary repairs.
11. Collect and safely dispose of rubbish in appropriate bins.
12. Replenish disposable items, e.g. paper towels, toilet rolls, and soap dispensers.

Person Specification

1. Possess a minimum of 2 years relevant housekeeping/cleaning experience educated as a minimum to GCSE level with excellent written and verbal English skills.
2. Demonstrate excellent customer service standards with a positive caring and sensitive approach.
3. Flexible team player able to interact with a wide variety of people.
4. Excellent communication and organisational skills being able to use own initiative.
5. Flexible approach to working hours able to cover sickness, absence, holidays and work weekends.
6. Working knowledge of health & safety requirements including COSHH and ideally possess the ability to assess risk within the workplace.

Education and Professional Development

1. To participate in the Hospice performance review and appraisal process, which is known as Your Snapshot. Attend all statutory and mandatory training and undertake training and development as identified through individual performance reviews.

Communication

1. To promote close working relationships and good communication links with colleagues at all levels throughout the Hospice.
2. To liaise with colleagues working in the Hospice, and the wider community as necessary.

Clinical Governance

1. To be aware of and comply with all Hospice and Statutory Policies and Procedures as appropriate and participate in their review and development.
2. To support the Hospice’s governance programme.
3. To take personal responsibility for risk management in his/her work and undertake to review practices and learn from experience.
4. To participate in the development, review and audit of relevant standards and contribute to the process of continuous quality improvement throughout the Hospice.
5. To comply with the Hospice’s policy and procedure in handling complaints.
6. To maintain accurate up-to-date statistics in both computer and written form as required.

Health and Safety

1. To take reasonable care of the health and safety of yourself and others that may be affected by what you do while at work, and to co-operate in the implementation of the Hospice’s Health Safety and Environmental Policy.

General

1. To work as a member of the Hospice team, to foster the team’s caring mission and to have commitment to the cause of helping terminally ill patients and their families/carers.
2. At all times to behave in a manner befitting the post and the professional dignity of the Hospice and ensure that the Hospice is positively represented to the public and other stakeholders.
3. To maintain an appropriate standard of confidentiality. Any disclosure of confidential information (including personal information kept on computer or other media) made unlawfully outside the proper course of duty will be treated as a serious disciplinary offence.
4. To commit to our culture framework which outlines how we expect everyone at Heart of Kent Hospice individually and as a team to ensure the best possible experience for our patients, their families, our supporters and our local community.
5. Champion best practice in equality diversity and inclusion in everything we do.
6. Have fun and challenge yourself at work, championing our values and behaviours and abiding by our policies and procedures.
7. To participate in the production of promotional material and support fundraising/volunteer events as appropriate.
8. To carry out such other duties which may reasonably be requested.

About the role

We are looking to appoint an experienced person to join the hospice Housekeeping Team on a fixed term basis for 1 year. We would also welcome applications from anyone wishing to join our bank staff.

As a member of the Housekeeping team, you will deliver a high standard of cleanliness throughout the Hospice ensuring that an efficient, effective and comprehensive palliative care service is provided maintaining a clean and comfortable environment for patients, visitors, families, carers, colleagues and volunteers.

About the Hospice

At Heart of Kent Hospice, we believe that everyone deserves compassionate, expert care when there is no cure for their illness and when they have a limited time left to live.

We are a charity and we don’t charge a penny for our care. We depend on the compassion and kindness of you, the people of this community, to power our services and ensure that everyone gets the help they need.

We provide specialist care and support to adults who have a terminal illness as well as their families, friends and carers. We help people to live as fully and as well as possible for the rest of their lives and ensure that their final days are comfortable and peaceful,

wherever they choose to be. We treat every individual as the unique and special person that they are. Everything we do is tailored and personalised.

Our vision is that everyone living with a terminal illness in our community will have the best quality of life. Our purpose is to enable people with a terminal illness in our community to live with comfort, independence and dignity to the end of their lives, and to support those closest to them. All our care is underpinned by our core values of compassion, integrity, respect and teamwork. These values guide our decision-making and how we conduct ourselves in our work and every one of our colleagues plays an important part in enabling us to give our patients and their families the best possible care.

If you’re passionate about our cause consider joining our team.

Colleague benefits

Our way of working

Heart of Kent Hospice supports hybrid working wherever practical and appropriate for a role and service.  The Hospice works with colleagues to accommodate, wherever possible, requests for flexible working e.g. different start/finish times / part time hours. The Hospice also allows bank holidays to be taken at different times of the year, wherever possible, to enable colleagues to book time off at a time more important to the individual e.g. to celebrate within their own religion, personal beliefs or lifestyle.

Annual leave

Heart of Kent Hospice offers a generous holiday entitlement which increases with service.  On appointment each colleague receives 27 days annual leave per annum plus bank holidays and after 5 years this rises to 29 days.  After 10 years this increases to 33 day.  Part time colleagues accrued annual leave on a pro-rata basis.

Life assurance

Cover for an amount equal to 2 times salary is provided for all employees subject to scheme rules.

Sickness absence pay

Company sickness pay supplements statutory sick pay and is paid probation.  Company sick pay increases in accordance with length of service rising to 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay.

Pensions

The Heart of Kent Hospice provides access and contributions towards the nestpensions.org.uk and where colleagues are eligible to contribute to an NHS pension, payments can continue to be made via this scheme, subject to conditions.

Maternity and paternity leave

Maternity leave pay is enhanced in line with policy details and conditions. Paternity leave pay is enhance and paid at full for 2 weeks.

Employee assistance scheme

All colleagues are provided with free scheme memberships which provides 24 access to a GP, 24 helpline, 6 counselling sessions and a discount purchase scheme.

Occupational health

The Hospice refers to Occupational Health where appropriate including referral to specialists counsellors.

Access to Hospice facilities

When based at the Hospice or visiting the Hospice, colleagues can access our subsidised café, on-site rest rooms which provide a space to relax, access to a multi faith room and free parking.

Career and personal development

In addition to statutory & mandatory training the Hospice provides development including skills such as excel, role specific training and developmental programmes such as leadership development, coaching and attendance at conferences and events in support of Continuous Professional Development.  Our In-house Hospice Education and Training team provide clinical CPD and support to those within our Patient Services team.

Health & Wellbeing

The Hospice provides many opportunities for colleagues to get involved in focus / action groups including wellbeing initiatives through each year.

Belonging

The Hospice Belonging Group work with the Executive team to continually improve equity, equality, inclusion and diversity and the Hospice leadership looks for feedback on Inclusion and Wellbeing via happiness at work check-ins, colleague surveys, colleague representation groups and through our 2 way feedback sessions referred to as “snapshops”.

Other leave and support

In line with legislation and our personal values and commitment to demonstrate care to our colleagues as well as caring for our patients we provide a colleague care programme of leave and support.  Further details are provided on appointment.

Cultural Framework

Our purpose

To enable people with a terminal illness in our community to live in the comfort, with independence and dignity to the end of their lives, and to support rise closest to them.

Mindset

We are curious about improving care.

I care

We understand that caring each other, those we support and our purpose is essential to our success. We foster strong, trusting relationships in all our interactions.

We care about how we communicate and prioritise our work, and we treat everyone with respect.

• I seek to understand the needs of others
• I communicate clearly and openly
• I share my team and resources
• I listen to others’ ideas

I learn

So that we can continuously improve our care, we actively look for opportunities to develop, our skills and knowledge. We take time to learn from others and understand different ways of thinking. We recognise that learning will shape the long-term delivery of our care.

• I create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills
• I find ways to learn from others
• I seek out positive and developmental feedback from others
• I champion evidence-based learning

I own

We deliver on our promises at an individual, team and organisational level. We take pride in what we achieve and we lead by example, empowering one another to take ownerships. We proactively share knowledge and embrace self-reflection.

• I confirm my commitments
• I deliver on my commitments, on time, to the quality promised
• I help the team to deliver
• I identify learnings from successes and failures

I improve

We believe that we can continuously improve the contribution we make. We welcome new ideas and approaches and recognise that change is not always easy or comfortable. We encourage feedback so that we can improve. We actively look for solutions to problems.

• I embrace changes
• I analyse information to identify and solve problems
• I give positive and developmental feedback to others
• I share learning sand ideas with others