• Working at all times under the supervision and formal delegation of the Band 6 Senior Nurse on shift, never acting independently outside their individually verified competency portfolio.
• Working to the standards set out in the Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England (Skills for Health 2013) and in accordance with CNWL SCARF values.
• Safeguarding frail older adults and others at risk by recognising and responding when a patient or carer may be at risk of abuse, neglect, or harm during home visits; recognising the limits of the HCSW role and escalating all safeguarding concerns immediately to the supervising Band 6 without delay.
• Escalating safety concerns — including deteriorating observations, abnormal NEWS2 scores, changes in patient presentation, home environment hazards, and patient or carer distress — promptly and without hesitation, acting as an effective advocate for patients in their own homes.
• Activating the CNWL lone worker device before every home visit, completing a basic home environment risk assessment for each new patient, and reporting any safety concerns to the Band 6 on shift.
• Being open and transparent about their own practice, including any procedural concerns, errors, or near-misses; reporting all incidents via Datix in line with CNWL PSIRF policy.
• Identifying areas where safety or quality improvements can be made and raising these with the Band 6 or Band 7.
• Maintaining accurate, legible, and contemporaneous care records on S1 / Docabode at the point of care during every home visit, in line with CNWL documentation policy.
• Maintaining full compliance with all mandatory and statutory training requirements, including annual reassessment of all four enhanced clinical skills: phlebotomy, female catheterisation, 12-lead ECG acquisition, and bladder scanning.

Clinical Outcomes

Band 3 HCSWs in the Hospital at Home team contribute to the effectiveness of the virtual ward service by:

• Providing skilled, evidence-based delegated care — including vital signs recording, personal care, wound care, medication administration, phlebotomy, ECG acquisition, bladder scanning, and catheter care — adhering to CNWL policies, the Hillingdon HaH SOP, and each patient's individual care plan.
• Working with patients, families, and the registered nursing team to support all stages of the care delivery process, including reporting observations that contribute to risk assessment, care plan review, and NEWS2-guided escalation decisions.
• Acting as a patient advocate within the Hospital at Home multidisciplinary team, ensuring the patient's voice, preferences, and concerns are communicated clearly to the supervising clinician.
• Working as an effective member of the virtual ward team, implementing care plans and clinical directives overseen by the Band 6, Band 7, and Senior Clinical Decision Maker (Consultant Geriatrician).
• Contributing to a high-performing virtual ward team by communicating clearly with all team members at handover and throughout the shift; understanding their specific role within the HaH staffing model and how it supports safe virtual bed management; reflecting regularly on their own clinical practice; and identifying how the quality of delegated care could be improved.

Patient Experience

Band 3 HCSWs contribute to patients feeling respected, safe, and empowered in their own homes by:

• Working in genuine partnership with patients and their families and carers during every home visit, treating each patient with dignity, compassion, and cultural sensitivity in line with CNWL values.
• Gaining consent before every clinical intervention and, as far as possible, involving patients in decisions about the care being delivered during that visit, supporting the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Signposting patients and carers to supportive services including GP practices, community nursing, social care, local authority support services, and voluntary sector organisations as directed by the supervising Band 6.
• Reassuring patients and carers by being professional, calm, responsive, and knowledgeable; providing clear explanations of the tasks.
• Escalating patient complaints or concerns effectively, promptly, and in line with CNWL complaints policy; never attempting to manage a formal complaint independently.

Person specification

Education And Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Numeracy and Literacy skills required to keep accurate records and administer medicines (if appropriate).
• Spoken and written English, to an appropriate standard to fulfil the job requirements.

Desirable criteria

• NVQ L3 or equivalent.
• Care Certificate (or commitment to complete within 3 months of commencement in post).

Previous Experience

Essential criteria

• Previous experience of working with a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of working with the general public communicating with a range of different people.
• Previous experience of working in a fast-paced environment.
• Previous experience of working within a customer-focused environment.

Desirable criteria

• Healthcare/NHS or similar experience in community or hospital settings.
• Experience in a caring role.
• Volunteer sector.
• Previous experience in mental health setting or working with adults suffering from mental health problems.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Able to communicate with the multi-disciplinary team, update others in the team and use handover effectively. Speaking face to face but also by telephone.
• Maintaining accurate, timely, concise, and legible clinical records both electronic and handwritten which adhere to the CNWL policies.
• Able to maintain electronic patient records. Use Microsoft Word to draft letters and reports.
• You are expected to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Health Care and Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England.
• Contribute to the implementation of care plans by helping to assess patients, develop, implement, and evaluate a care plan.
• Able to work under your own initiative but follow the directions of care plans and Band 4 staff or registered Nurses.
• Obtain consent and understand how the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards impacts on your work and the people you are working with.

Desirable criteria

• Basic knowledge and understanding of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics

Essential criteria

• Compassionate for the people who use our services, their families and carers, and other staff.
• Respectful of others and genuinely treating them how you would want to be treated.
• Able and willing to work with service users, family and carers, and other staff in a way which empowers and supports others and makes them feel better about themselves.
• Able and willing to work in partnership with service users, their friends and family as well as other health care professionals.