PICU Ward Environment Support Staff

at  University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.
Please see below for detailed job description of the role.
The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at UHS is delighted to be able to offer this fantastic opportunity for highly motivated and friendly individuals to join our support worker team. We are a friendly, welcoming, and supportive team seeking enthusiastic and energetic individuals with a can-do attitude and a strong sense of team spirit. We are looking for candidates who will share in our passion for providing high quality compassionate care in a clean, efficient and well-maintained ward environment. You will need to be able to work flexibly across a range of day and night shifts over 7 days a week showing commitment to the effective running of this busy unit.
The PICU ward is a busy and challenging environment so an ability to respond quickly to demanding situations and work under pressure is essential. You will also need to be able to communicate in a sensitive and compassionate manner with children and their relatives and to uphold a good working relationship with members of the multidisciplinary team. You will need to take responsibility for stock management, quality assurance of supplies and equipment and to help maintain the tidiness and cleanliness of this busy ward environment. You will occasionally need to assist with direct patient care with supervision and guidance from the registered nursing team.
As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to.
Specific to this role is the suitability for agile working which is a mixture of on-site and remote working. In addition, we are open to discussing flexibility in the hours that you work. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need, and we will explore what’s possible for the role and service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.
Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 20% lower than London and 14 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.
PICU at UHS is a 14 bedded tertiary centre caring for critically ill children aged 0-18 years from across the Wessex region as well as running the Southampton division of the SORT retrieval service and a nurse-led ECMO service a. We are part of Southampton’s Children’s Hospital which is a 115 bedded hospital catering for all children from local and regional children across the Wessex Region including the Channel Islands. Clinical specialities include Cardiac, Renal, Neuro and Trauma patients. A significant part of our work is cardiac surgery as we are the cardiac surgical centre for Thames Valley and the Wessex region.
As a support worker on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) you will play a vital role in maintaining a safe, clean, organised, and efficient environment that supports the delivery of high-quality care to critically-ill paediatric patients and their families.

Although there is some occasional need to assist with direct patient care, the role predominantly involves:

• Tidiness and Cleanliness – working with the nursing team to ensure the ward environment is clean, tidy and organised always to maintain a safe and hygienic environment and prevent the spread of infections. This involves regularly re-stocking, cleaning and sanitising bed spaces, storage areas, patient trollies, common areas and equipment.
• Stock Management – ensuring all necessary stock is obtained and stored appropriately throughout the ward environment, including in storage areas and stocked trollies.
• Quality Assurance – ensuring all supplies and equipment are within expiry dates and that equipment is in good working order and any issues reported appropriately.
• Waste Management – collecting and disposing of waste bags, sharps containers and soiled linen in accordance with hospital policies.
• Collaboration and Communication – working closely with the multidisciplinary team to understand their needs and provide support accordingly. This occasionally includes hands-on patient care alongside the trained nursing team, comforting babies/children or family members and helping transferring patients to other wards.
• Customer Service – interacting professionally and courteously with patients and families on PICU, and responding to enquiries and addressing concerns to uphold a positive and welcoming atmosphere on the unit.

• Tidiness and Cleanliness – working with the nursing team to ensure the ward environment is clean, tidy and organised always to maintain a safe and hygienic environment and prevent the spread of infections. This involves regularly re-stocking, cleaning and sanitising bed spaces, storage areas, patient trollies, common areas and equipment.
• Stock Management – ensuring all necessary stock is obtained and stored appropriately throughout the ward environment, including in storage areas and stocked trollies.
• Quality Assurance – ensuring all supplies and equipment are within expiry dates and that equipment is in good working order and any issues reported appropriately.
• Waste Management – collecting and disposing of waste bags, sharps containers and soiled linen in accordance with hospital policies.
• Collaboration and Communication – working closely with the multidisciplinary team to understand their needs and provide support accordingly. This occasionally includes hands-on patient care alongside the trained nursing team, comforting babies/children or family members and helping transferring patients to other wards.
• Customer Service – interacting professionally and courteously with patients and families on PICU, and responding to enquiries and addressing concerns to uphold a positive and welcoming atmosphere on the unit