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Job description

Join us for your first step towards a career in the Ambulance Service!

We are looking for people to start their Emergency Care Assistant apprenticeship in Oxfordshire, Berk, and Bucks*. Driving is an essential skill for this role so you will need full, manual C1 entitlement with no more than 3 points on your licence. We can accept C1 provisional category on your licence at point of application.

We offer a basic salary of £21,318, plus for all hours worked between 8pm & 6am Monday – Friday plus any time Saturday, you’ll get a shift bonus taking you to at least £15.41 per hour. For Sundays & Public Holidays, you could be earning £20.01 per hour. Averaged over the year, your salary could be up to £23,450.

We’re also offering Golden Hello scheme to all new starters! We’ll pay a £500 joining incentive, split into 2 payments. During your first week of training you’ll receive £300. At the end of your second month at SCAS you’ll receive a final £200.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to an assessment which to assess your driving skills and your ability to lift and move patients, and to an online interview.

Training is provided for the role and includes full driver training and a clinical training course that leads to an accredited qualification. It’s fully paid with initial 3-week training in Newbury.

• Please note; you may then need to move station after 9 months when starting the second stage of your training, depending on available vacancies.

Patient Transport Services role:
Following initial training, the apprentice will be required to transport low dependency patients to and from treatment centres in a comfortable, caring, compassionate, empathic and reassuring, timely manner to defined standards.

The apprentice will be required to effectively communicate with patients, relatives and health service colleagues.

The apprentice will be required to provide a quality service to the patient, their relatives and carers ensuring their safety whilst in the care of South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Emergency Care Assistant role:
To support clinically qualified practitioners in the provision of high quality and effective pre-hospital clinical care to the community, responding, when appropriate using advanced emergency driving skills, to medical emergencies, inter-hospital transfers, urgent hospital admissions and other allocated operational duties commensurate with the role and responsibilities, supporting the provision of clinical, social and holistic care to patients in a pre-hospital environment, safely and within appropriate level of training and competency.

To act in accordance with Trust policies, procedures and protocols, ECA scope of practice, appropriate sections of the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee (JRCALC) guidelines and current legislation at all times.

Benefits we offer:

• Full training and support when you join and ongoing throughout your employment with us.
• Holiday entitlement is 27 days rising to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years, plus 8 bank holidays (pro rata for part time).
• Enrolment into the NHS Pension Scheme.
• Access to continual professional development and opportunities within SCAS and the NHS.
• Occupational Health support along with an Employee Assistance Programme.
• NHS Discounts in over 200+ stores including Holidays, Days out, Car insurance, Restaurants and Clothing.

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of emergency, urgent care and non-emergency healthcare services, along with commercial logistics services.

The Trust delivers most of these services to the populations of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire as well as non-emergency patient transport services in Surrey and Sussex.

We serve a population of over 7 million and answer over 500,000 urgent calls a year. We employ 4,551 staff who, together with over 1,100 volunteers, enable us to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

1. MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - PTS:

• To undertake driving duties of relevant type of Ambulance Vehicle to the required standard subject to appropriate training, driving vehicles carefully with every consideration being given to the passenger, any equipment, the vehicle itself, other road users and to comply with Road Traffic Legislation.
• The apprentice will be expected to plan their journeys, taking into account patient appointment timings along with the routes they should take, to ensure an efficient and effective service.
• The apprentice is required to undertake daily vehicle checks to ensure that the ambulance vehicle is roadworthy; these checks shall include for example, Oil, Water, Fuel, Tyre Pressure and tread condition, Lights, Warning Devices etc.
• To enter any vehicle defects into the vehicle defect book and record on any computerised system as required in accordance with Policies and Procedures.
• To administer ‘ambulance nursing’ to an appropriate skill level in accordance with training received. This willnotinclude the administration of Oxygen or related therapies outside of the skill set for this role.
• To manoeuvre patients into ambulance vehicles using either the patients wheelchair or the vehicle equipment such as stretcher, wheelchair, carry chairs and secure both patient and equipment within the vehicle using the appropriate equipment as per training received.
• To use the Moving Patient equipment provided; this will include the use of all types of carrying equipment such as chairs, stretchers lifting aids etc. This will require apprentices to risk assess the best way to undertake moving of patients taking into consideration their needs, both medical and cultural.
• To transport low dependency patients with the minimum of assistance to treatment centres as required / specified according to pre-determined schedules.
• To operate any communication system supplied / fitted/ operated by the Trust in accordance with its Policies and Procedures.
• To participate in the PTS rota relating to the covering of shifts and duties as required / directed

2. MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - ECA:

• To respond immediately to emergency calls, hospital admissions, hospital transfers and other operational transport duties, as indicated by the Clinical Contact Centre, in accordance with operational requirements, clinical guidelines, local competencies, policies, protocols, scope of practice, and procedures commensurate with this role (as part of a clinical crew or to deliver a resource able to convey a patient to a clinician on scene).
• To ensure compliance with the appropriate sections of the JRCALC guidelines, policies, procedures, protocols and scope pf practice at all times, being personally accountable and responsible for clinical decisions made during the course of duty, ensuring patients receive the highest quality and standard of holistic care and attention.
• To support the work of qualified practitioners by using appropriate knowledge and skills in order to assist them make professional judgements, conducting diagnostic procedures and treatments, as requested by the qualified practitioners, safely and to the appropriate level of training and competency for the role, in accordance with procedures, guidelines, scope of practice and protocols.
• To ensure informed consent is obtained before treatment or intervention is undertaken, and to ensure that the communication of information between self, the patient and colleagues is handled sensitively, clearly, pro-actively and in a manner mindful of patient confidentiality.
• To ensure a continuous duty of care to patients, within the level of training and competency of this role, ensuring an appropriate level of monitoring and treatment is maintained and continued until the patient is either discharged or transferred to the care of another healthcare professional.
• To be involved in ‘see and treat’ scenarios and often communicating with patients’ GPs/ OOH services and other referral pathways which include falls, safeguarding, Mental Health, to manage patients appropriately.
• To ensure that a clear handover report is provided when the patient is handed into the care of another health professional. This should record all pertinent patient information, in accordance with Trust procedure and that the transfer of patients into the care of others is conducted according to procedure.
• To ensure the safe transfer of patients, to and from vehicles, following health and safety and other appropriate protocols and procedures, being mindful of the safety of patients, self, colleagues and others, using appropriate equipment and manual handling techniques.
• To respond to and communicate with patients, relatives, colleagues, other health professionals, other emergency responders and members of the public in a calm, caring and professional manner, treating them with dignity and respect at all times, regardless of the circumstance.
• To ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times and that personal / clinical information is only disclosed in accordance with Trust policy, procedure and protocol and in accordance with Caldicott regulations, whilst ensuring that all appropriate information is recorded in a timely and efficient manner.
• To undertake a dynamic risk assessment on arrival at the scene of an incident in accordance with Trust policy and professional guidelines, having due regard for the health and safety of self and others, and to request additional support appropriate to the circumstances through the Emergency Control Centre.
• To practice in accordance with protocol and current legislation governing the use of medicines and prescription only medicines, in relation to the storage and security of such items both while operational and in station. To administer drugs when working with clinician (currently, aspirin, oxygen, Entonox, Hypostop).
• To maintain timely communications with the Clinical Contact Centre, using any means available and appropriate.
• To communicate and work with other emergency services, relevant authorities, healthcare professionals and the general public in an appropriate and professional manner.
• To use all Trust equipment, facilities and premises in a careful, proper and mindful manner, paying due regard to safety and security at all times.
• To carry out vehicle equipment checks and restock as required at the start of duty in accordance with Trust policy and procedures, ensuring that the vehicle is roadworthy, properly kitted, cleaned (paying particular attention to infection control) and stocked, faults or omissions reported and all appropriate recording procedures completed.
• To drive Trust vehicles in accordance with the Road Traffic Law, the Highway Code and Trust policy guidelines and current legislation.
• To maintain competency to operate all equipment – clinical, non – clinical, and information systems - used during the course of duties, ensuring the efficient and effective operation of equipment, and the safe use of equipment at all times, reporting faults in the appropriate manner.
• To ensure that the Clinical Contact Centre is made aware of operational availability and respond as instructed at all times.
• To be responsible for the security of patients property and patients valuables during the transportation and hand-over at their destination.
• To ensure that all clinical waste is disposed of according to Trust policy and current legislation.
• To provide initial scene management and support to qualified practitioners, in the case of multiple casualties and major incidents, in accordance with Trust policy and procedure until relieved by an appropriate officer.
• To assist in HALO (Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer) duties at receiving hospitals when required, having responsibility for the care of patients in the department with other SCAS colleagues and working closely with hospital staff in the management of patients.

Personal specifications:
Qualifications and Training

Essential

• Full UK driving licence with no more than 3 points for speeding (any offence relating to drink/drugs on the licence will be rejected)[1].
• Provisional C1 driving licence held at point of application.
• Level 1 Functional Skills in Maths and English (or equivalent)
• Level 2 Functional Skills in either Maths or English (or equivalent)

Desirable

• English and Maths GCSE’s at grade C (4) or above (or equivalent).

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Awareness of equality and diversity in the working environment and surrounding community.

Desirable

• Ability to use communication and computerised systems
• Geographical knowledge of operational areas Trust wide.
• Previous shift work experience.
• Previous customer service experience
• Understanding of NHS developments/challenges facing health and social care and their impact on the Trust