Job Description

About the role

The Role is to work as a 'Care and Support Worker' for West Northamptonshire Council. The work will take place at Turn Furlong RIBU (Recovering Independence Bed Unit).


The 'Recovering Independence Bed' unit will be delivered by a range of staff, from both health and social care settings. Our team will deliver clinical care, rehabilitation support and care support, ensuring people experience the best quality of service they can, in a prompt and seamless way.


The services will provide a unique opportunity to work with a dedicated team, with experience from both elements of health and social care, to deliver vital intermediate care for people in Northamptonshire.


The team will provide quality care for our people, specialising in rehabilitation/reablement and sub-acute care for people discharged from acute hospitals.


As the focus of the centres is rehabilitation and reablement you will be working in an integrated multi-disciplinary team that includes senior nurses, staff nurses, unregistered staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, medical staff and social care colleagues.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate.

It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check.

West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

What will you be doing?

36 hours per week (12 hours day shifts). Operating on a 4 week rolling rota. The current rota for this position does not include any weekend working.

The team will provide quality care for our people, specialising in rehabilitation/reablement and sub-acute care for people discharged from acute hospitals.


As the focus of the centres is rehabilitation and reablement you will be working in an integrated multi-disciplinary team that includes senior nurses, staff nurses, unregistered staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, medical staff and social care colleagues.

Enrich our customers to feel safe, secure and noticed. Support them to be themselves and encourage their comfort whilst being respectful of their living space. Assist in activities, art & crafts, etc. Helping customers to get washed and dressed. Providing manual handling support and personal care. Providing medication support in a timely manner. Liaise with health professionals. Reporting any concerns or incidents to senior members of the team. Arranging and taking part in activities with members of the community.

Main Responsibilities:

1. To provide practical, personal and emotional care and support and to WNC customers who may have a range of different health and social care needs.


2. To support the customer to maintain or develop social networks and interests, where required organising and/or participating in activities of the customers choice.


3. To always be mindful of treating customers with kindness, respect and compassion, that helps foster a feeling of happiness and contentment for customers.


4. To ensure each customer experiences a service that meets their own personal needs and preferences, as set out in their care/support plan, and to refer any areas of concern to your line manager.


5. To work in such a way as that promotes the customers' health and wellbeing, ensures dignity is preserved, supports independence and choice, whilst maintaining safety making sure any areas of concern are reported to their line manager.


6. To work with the customer to understand and contribute to assess their needs of customers, e.g. risk, manual handling and use of low-level equipment.


7. To contribute to individual care plans, record all activities and refer any issues of concern to the duty manager to ensure that the customer receives support and care appropriate to their needs.


8. To safely operate a range of lifting and transporting equipment as necessary to help and support customers, reporting any faults with equipment to the duty manager in accordance with appropriate training, policies and procedures.


9. To ensure that reasonable care is taken at all times for the health, safety and welfare of yourself and other persons, e.g. infection control.


10. To comply with West Northamptonshire Councils Policies and Procedures, and any relevant legislative requirements.


11. Carry out any other duties which fall within the broad spirit, scope and purpose of this job description and which are commensurate with the grade of the post.


12. Ensure that mandatory training is completed to satisfaction and on time.


About you

You don't need previous experience in social care, or qualifications, we will provide all the training and support you need to give you the skills and confidence be able to care for our residents.


Basic literacy and numeracy skills will be required to maintain records and assist with associated administrative tasks.


This role will engage with others in assisting with physical tasks requiring some modest manual dexterity. This might include basic cooking, domestic or other vocational activities where physical skills are needed to carry out tasks.


You will be required to have a basic understanding and ability to use computers for standard software applications, and have physical dexterity needed for this

Communication with others is central to the roles.

Job holders will constantly interact with others for whom instructions and practical advice must be tailored in a manner appropriate to their needs.


Listening to others and working with them to achieve agreed outcomes is central to ensuring their wellbeing. Not all individuals will be able to express themselves eloquently, and others will need straightforward messages explained to them in clear, understandable and accessible terms.

Career development and training opportunities

Our team's learning and development is very important to us. It ensures we have the right people, with the right skills, doing the right job. We are committed to career development and have a variety of career pathways, for those who want to progress or specialise.


All new starters are required to complete the Care Certificate, if not already completed previously, alongside mandatory training within their induction period. Courses are updated throughout your employment.


We welcome applications from those with any level of experience.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate, at our cost.

About us

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.


Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.


Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about

what its like to work at West Northants Council.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner


The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain

what DEI means to us

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If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.