JOB DESCRIPTION & PERSON SPECIFICATION - Medical Social Worker 0.5WTE (18.5 hours) * Temporary Specified Purpose contract (approx. 12 months) ...
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JOB DESCRIPTION & PERSON SPECIFICATION Medical Social Worker • 0.5WTE (18.5 hours) * • Temporary Specified Purpose contract (approx. 12 months) • H.S.E. funded • Based in Blackrock Community Palliative Care team
JOB DESCRIPTION
TITLE: Medical Social Worker (Main Grade)
REPORTING TO: Principal Medical Social Worker
SALARY SCALE: Department of Health & Children Consolidated Pay Scales (01/10/2021) will
apply to this post: Medical Social Worker: €42,657 - €61,901 per annum
pro rata. This position is HSE funded.
The successful candidate’s salary will be calculated strictly on the
number of years of relevant/comparable experience, i.e. each year of
relevant/comparable experience will decide the point at which your
salary will be between the 1st and last point of the pay scale above.
HOLIDAYS: 27 days per annum pro rata
HEALTH: A candidate for and any person holding the office must be free from any
defect or disease which would render him/her unsuitable to hold the office
and be in a state of health as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to
attend regular and efficient service.
CHARACTER: A candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.
HOURS OF WORK: 18.5 hours per week. Details of starting and finishing times, which may vary
in accordance with Hospice needs, will be notified to you by your Head of
Department/Deputy. There will be times when you will be required to work
outside of the normal office hours. (* Hours of work for this post will be
subject to change with reference to Circular 14/2022 ‘Revision of
Working Hours in the Civil Service’ in relation to the Haddington Road
Agreement. Upon implementation of the restoration of hours, the hours
of work will be 17.5 hours per week for this post.)
WORKING WEEK: Will be determined by the needs of the department but usually Monday –
Friday, varying between 8am and 5pm.
LOCATION: This position is based in the Blackrock Community Palliative Care Team,
Merrion. However, Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services (OLH&CS)
operates across three sites; Harold’s Cross, Dublin 6W, Blackrock Hospice,
Sweetman’s Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin and Magheramore, Co.
Wicklow. The postholder may be required to rotate within the different
specialities of OLH&CS, Harold’s Cross, Blackrock and Wicklow.
ETHICAL CODE: The post holder is requested to respect the special charism, ethos and
tradition of OLH&CS and to observe and comply with its general policies,
procedures and regulations.
CONFIDENTIALITY: You will have access to various types of records/information in the course of
your work. Such records and information are strictly confidential and unless
acting on the instruction of an authorised person, on no account must
information concerning staff, patients or other Hospital business be divulged
Job Description & Person Specification –Medical Social Worker Locum – Blackrock – June 2022 2or discussed except in the performance of normal duty. In addition, records
may never be left in such a manner that unauthorised persons can obtain
access to them and must be kept in safe custody when no longer required.
JOB PURPOSE To provide a comprehensive social work service as part of a multi-
disciplinary team, where the focus is on the psychosocial aspects of patient
and family care, bereavement support and counselling.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Professional and Clinical
• Provide a social work service to the patients and families in the care of Our Lady’s Hospice & Care
Services
• Manage a caseload that is relevant to Main Grade Social Worker’s level of knowledge and experience
• Co-ordinate the psychosocial aspects of patient and family care
• Act as a resource person for all members of the multidisciplinary team in relation to the psychosocial
aspects of the patient and family care
• Manage risk to individuals, families, carers, self and colleagues
• Engage with relevant external agencies in order to facilitate care plans for the patients
• Provide bereavement risk assessment and counselling in individual or group setting, with referral on
to other agencies, where appropriate
• Maintain up to date patient files in accordance with national policy and departmental guidelines
• Ensure appropriate documentation and practices in all areas of work.
• Ensure that data on the electronic PAS (Patient Administration System) is correct and kept up to date
• Any other duties as may be assigned to the officer from time to time and shall include deputising for
other officers, when required, and such duties as may be assigned to him/her in relation to any other
area of the Hospice complex.
Administrative and Management
• Be responsible for the co-ordination and delivery of a quality service in line with best practice and in
co-operation with the multi-disciplinary team
• Develop and promote quality standards of work and co-operate with quality assurance programmes
• Provide cover for other members of the department as required
• Assist in disseminating departmental information
• Advise on resources required to meet objectives
• Contribute to developments at departmental and organisational levels in agreement with the Head of
Department
Education and Training
• Participate in mandatory training programmes
• Contribute to training by the department
• Represent the department at meetings, conferences, journal clubs and seminars as appropriate
• Contribute to the department’s research projects.
Job Description & Person Specification –Medical Social Worker Locum – Blackrock – June 2022 3Quality, Safety and Risk
• Have a working knowledge of and adhere to OLH&CS policies at all times
• Develop and monitor implementation of agreed policies, procedures and safe professional practice by
adhering to relevant legislation, regulations and standards
• Ensure the safety of self and others in accordance with legislation
• Assess and manage risk in their assigned area of responsibility
• Take the appropriate timely action to manage any incidents or near misses within their assigned
area(s)
• Perform such other duties appropriate to the post as may be assigned from time to time by the
management or a nominee and to contribute to the development of the post while in office
• Ensure confidentiality in all matters of information obtained during the course of employment
• Present and act in a professional manner at all times.
Personal and Professional Development
• Be aware of current developments and issues in health care by reading current literature and keeping
abreast of new developments, attending ‘in-house’ seminars, lectures and courses when possible and
as appropriate in consultation with the Head of Department.
• Engage in Performance Management
• Assume responsibility for his/her own professional development and safe work practice
• Attend relevant training programs to enhance skills and competencies
• Participate in supervision.
Garda Vetting
Legislation has been introduced for the provision of Garda Vetting in respect of candidates for employment in
areas of the Health Services, where it is envisaged that potential employees would have substantial access to
children or vulnerable individuals. The appointed candidate will be required to satisfactorily complete the
Garda Vetting process prior to a formal job offer being made.
The duties and responsibilities detailed above are a reflection of the present service requirements and
are not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may
be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from
time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office
This job description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances. The job
description is not intended to be exhaustive but should be regarded as providing guidelines within
which individuals work.
Job Description & Person Specification –Medical Social Worker Locum – Blackrock – June 2022 4Person Specification
Criteria Essential Desirable
Qualifications ▪ National Qualification in Social Work
(NQSW) or equivalent
▪ Registration as a Social Worker with
CORU
▪ Full drivers Licence
Experience ▪ Experience of work in Palliative Care ▪ Post qualifying experience
▪ Relevant experience in the area of ▪ Medical Social Work experience
bereavement and loss
▪ Experience in Counselling work
▪ Intermediate level IT skills
Core Competencies
Professional Knowledge and Skills
• Demonstrate that practice and skills are based on sound theoretical knowledge and reflective practice
• Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of palliative care to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the role
• Demonstrate an understanding of theories and research evidence relevant to loss and bereavement
including anticipatory grief and risk indicators for complicated grief
• Demonstrate an ability to integrate theory and practice
• Demonstrate an understanding of conflict and ability to mediate in conflictual situations
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional development
• Demonstrate IT skills relevant to the role
Quality Service
• Demonstrate a commitment to achieving a high standard of practice
• Provide a flexible service that is responsive to the need of the patient / client
• Understand and respect the rights of all patients, residents and families
• Utilise research and best practice in work
Continuous Learning and Development
• Engage in performance management and participate in training
• Take responsibility for maintaining continuous professional development
• Engage in knowledge and experience sharing for the purposes of learning and development
Organisational Knowledge
• Is well informed on Health Service trends both nationally and internationally
• Can identify the services that differentiate OLH&CS from other healthcare facilities
• Understands the function of the different departments and promotes a multidisciplinary approach
• Awareness of national health strategies relevant to one’s job and grade
• Proficient in the use of IT systems to access organisational systems
Job Description & Person Specification –Medical Social Worker Locum – Blackrock – June 2022 5• Ability to utilise developments in information technology for both patient care and administrative support
in line with the overall service
Planning and Organising
• Adopt a systematic approach to planning, organising and managing caseload effectively
• Manage competing and changing priorities effectively
• Demonstrate a flexible and adaptable approach in a changing environment
• Deal with issues in a prompt timely manner
• Demonstrates a high level of attention to detail to ensure accuracy and adherence to policies and
procedures
Professionalism
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries
• Demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment to work
• Demonstrate the ability to work under pressure
• Have awareness of one’s own strengths and weaknesses
Communication
• Demonstrate sufficient command of the English language to effectively carry out the duties and
responsibilities of the role
• Demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to collaborate with
colleagues, families, carers, etc. and work on a multidisciplinary team
• Demonstrate an ability to communicate the social worker’s role to team members and patients/families
• Demonstrate awareness and appreciation of the service users’ circumstances and the ability to empathise
with and treat others with dignity and respect
• Demonstrate an ability to communicate appropriately with distressed or anxious patients and relatives.
• Demonstrate an ability to support team members, patients and families in sharing difficult or bad news
relating to illness or death
• Demonstrate an ability to assist in the mediation of conflict in decision-making and work towards
consensus building in care planning and discharge
• Demonstrate facilitation skills particularly in situations where there are complex family dynamics
• Demonstrate ability to utilise supervision effectively and show an understanding of the value of reflective
practice
• Express ideas clearly and logically, supported by the appropriate evidence to persuade others
• Information sharing in an open and timely manner ensuring to keep relevant people informed
• Ability to facilitate communication between conflicting parties
Team Player
• Demonstrates the ability to work co-operatively as part of a team
• Fosters a collaborative team working environment
• Utilises teamwork to share best practice ideas and breakdown departmental barriers
• Establishes and maintains external networks for the purposes of increasing efficiency of service delivery
and improving quality
People Management
• Demonstrates patience and respect when imparting information to others
• Shows respect on a consistent basis to staff
• Acknowledges contributions of all
• Approachable and available for advice and support
Job Description & Person Specification –Medical Social Worker Locum – Blackrock – June 2022 6Leadership
• Leads by example
• Motivates and supports work colleagues
• Demonstrates an ability to be flexible and change position if required
• Embrace organisational change initiatives
Innovation
• Thinks creatively and implements solutions for everyday problems
• Identifies a variety of approaches to problem solving
• Embrace change by being flexible and enthusiastic to new ideas
• Strive to continually improve own processes and service area
Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Demonstrates the ability to effectively evaluate information and make appropriate decisions
• Demonstrate a reflective approach when dealing with problems
• Act quickly to address urgent matters
• Anticipate problems and issues and takes preventative action to address them
• Ability to make decisions in challenging situations
• Accurately anticipates likely consequences of actions and decisions
Values and Ethics
• Demonstrate an ability to work within the social work code of ethics and principles of practice and
engage ethically, knowledgeably and respectfully with other disciplines
• Demonstrate an ability to develop self-awareness and self-reflect.
Job Description & Person Specification –Medical Social Worker Locum – Blackrock – June 2022 7You can also read
