Personal Care Assistant DPSS526

Listed below are details of the purpose of the job and what tasks are involved. It is important and advisable to refer to this when submitting your application for the post.

Job Purpose: I’m a 30 year old woman with severe ME/CFS, meaning I have to limit my physical, mental and social activity to ensure I don’t worsen my condition, so I need to have uninterrupted periods of rest throughout the day. Your role will be helping me to meet my daily needs and complete tasks while conserving my energy, as I’m almost entirely bedbound and use a wheelchair to mobilise around my ground floor flat. I have a small garden full of plant pots where I like to spend time when I’m well enough.

·      Preparing planned meals.

·      All aspects of housework.

·      Grocery shopping, collecting prescriptions and running other errands.

·      Assistance with correspondence and phone calls.

·      Some personal care including emptying and cleaning urine bottles, and washing my hair at the sink.

·      Occasional transport to appointments.

·      I may require you to move small items of furniture around, load my foldable powered wheelchair into the car, help me to sort through boxes or cupboards, and if we are out I may need you to push my manual wheelchair.

Listed below are the skills, competencies and qualities that are essential and desirable for the post. My assessment of these, both on application and at interview, will be the main factor in determining if you are successful. Please refer to these when submitting your application.

·       Previous care/PA experience is not essential, but you must be confident cooking and preparing planned meals from scratch, and also be good at following written instructions.

·       The ideal candidate would have a quiet, considerate and patient manner, as my fatigue can make decision-making and communicating very tiring and difficult.

·       Prepared to take steps around Covid infection control, as I am clinically vulnerable.

·       Experience with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or with post-covid fatigue would be advantageous and you must be willing to learn about ME and to understand that it is a debilitating multi-system biological illness which cannot be cured by increasing activity, exercise or psychological therapies.

·       A car owner/driver with suitable business use insurance would be advantageous, but not essential; a private parking space is available.

·       Willing not to wear strong perfumes and to be considerate towards my sensitivity to noise.

The post is subject to the following:

·      A satisfactory enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check, the cost of which will be covered by the employer.

·      Satisfactory references from two referees, one of which must be your current or last employer.

·      Completion of a satisfactory probationary period of 3 months.

To apply please click ‘Apply Now’ or ‘Call Now’ selecting option 2.