Ward Housekeeper

at  Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

The London Spinal Cord Injury Centre is a busy 30 bedded rehabilitation centre. We are looking for a enthusiastic housekeeper to assist the clinical staff to maintain a safe working environment for both patients and staff. This is a newly developed role and we are initially trialling it for a 12 month period. If you are keen to make this trial a success please consider applying for the role.
The post holder will work as an integral part of the ward team. They will support the ward staff to ensure a safe and comfortable environment is maintained for our patients. The role of a Housekeeper will ensure that clinical staff time is freed up to carry out clinical duties.
The main elements of this role are conducting daily checks of the ward environment to monitor quality standards, to report deficiencies and take appropriate action.
RNOH Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (RNOH) is the largest orthopaedic hospital in the UK and a global leader in our field. We provide a dynamic working environment where we support frontline staff to implement improvements so that we can realise our vision of being a world leading neuro-musculoskeletal hospital providing the best patient care and staff experience in the NHS, delivering world leading research, and offering a strong foundation of education, training and career progression. Our dedicated staff come from diverse backgrounds, and our patients benefit from the wide range of experience they bring to the trust. RNOH brings unrivalled expertise together in one place allowing us to deliver some of the world’s most complex and innovative care to our patients. RNOH is rated good by the CQC and covers two sites, one in central London and one in Stanmore - which has recently opened The Stanmore Building, a new, state-of-the-art inpatient facility. For more information, please access the following link: https://www.rnoh.nhs.uk/

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Equipment

To support the Ward Manager by conducting regular checks to ensure that all equipment is in good working order and to report any faults. Order specialist equipment as requested by the Ward Manager and support the completion and review of the non-medical equipment inventory.

• Linen

To ensure there is sufficient clean linen to meet patients’ needs, and to report any deficiencies to the facilities manager. Support the team in identifying and reporting issues with linen. To ensure adequate and appropriate supplies of disposal bags are available. To ensure soiled linen is removed from the ward following agreed ward procedures.

• Communication

To maintain effective communication to ensure the continuity of patient wellbeing. Maintain patient confidentiality, give out basic non clinical information to relatives; when required answer ward telephone in, participate in team discussions and feedback issues as they arise to the nurse in charge.

• Health and Safety

To ensure that the environment complies with current Health and Safety regulations. To undertake weekly Health and Safety checks and report and follow up issues appropriately, ensure staff are aware of situations which may compromise safe working.

• Maintaining the environment

To check that the environment is well maintained, safe, welcoming, comfortable, reassuring and to report any deficiencies to the nurse in charge. Check general tidiness in all areas of the ward, report and follow up environmental maintenance issues.

• Supplies

To ensure that all necessary supplies are available at all times. E.g. monitor, order, check and put away ward supplies/stocks, ensure that supplies are stored appropriately in correctly labelled rooms/cupboards and that supplies are to hand for staff/patient use. Ensure that supplies orders are only undertaken from the approved products/standardisation list, provided through the facilities management department.

• Privacy and Dignity

To support the ward team by ensuring that patient’s privacy and dignity is respected at all times. E.g. conduct daily checks of the ward and take action to ensure the physical environment does not compromise privacy and dignity e.g. curtains and doors close properly, undertake periodic environmental audits and agree action plans.

• To ensure own actions contribute to the maintenance of a quality service provision.
• To be responsible for the self-development of skills and competencies through participation in training and development activities and to maintain up to date technical and professional knowledge relevant to the post.
• To participate in the Performance and Development Review and to undertake any identified training and development related to the post.
• To undertake statutory and mandatory training as deemed appropriate by the Trust.
• To develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues.
• To adhere to all Trust policies and procedures.

• Equipmen