Experienced Paediatric Personal Assistant / Carer
Hackney Wick, London | Job Ref: AY0926
Hours30-40 hours per week; 10-hour waking night shifts and daytime/school shifts on a 4-week rota
Pay£18.50 – £20 per hour depending on prior experience and competencies
Shift PatternDays, waking nights, weekends and some public holidays
StartAs soon as suitable experienced candidate is appointed
About the role
We are recruiting an experienced Personal Assistant / Carer to join a small team supporting a 5-year-old child with complex health needs. This is not a general childcare role. The post includes delegated clinical care, close observation, accurate documentation and timely escalation when the child’s condition changes.
The child has a tracheostomy and receives care via a nasogastric (NG) tube. The successful candidate must already have relevant hands‑on experience with children or young people with complex health needs and must be confident working within care plans, emergency guidance and competency frameworks.
Essential experience and skills
- Recent practical experience supporting a child or young person with complex health needs in a home, community, school or clinical setting.
- Hands‑on experience of tracheostomy care, including suctioning and recognising signs of respiratory deterioration.
- Hands‑on experience of NG tube care and enteral feeding, including use of a feeding pump and safe medication administration via NG tube.
- Ability to remain fully awake, alert and vigilant throughout waking night shifts.
- Ability to follow an individual care plan, emergency airway plan, risk assessments and clinical instructions exactly.
- Confidence recognising deterioration, responding appropriately in an emergency and escalating concerns promptly.
- Good written and verbal communication, including accurate recording of care, observations, medication and incidents.
- Experience of safe moving and handling and supporting a child with mobility, positioning and pressure‑care needs.
- A calm, reliable and child‑centred approach, with the ability to work consistently as part of a small team.
Clinical and care responsibilities
- Tracheostomy care and management, including suctioning, stoma/tie care, checking emergency equipment, nebuliser use and oxygen saturation monitoring as directed.
- Emergency tracheostomy response and participation in tube‑change procedures once specifically assessed and signed off as competent.
- NG tube management, including position checks as directed, enteral feeds, feeding‑pump use, medication administration and recognition of feeding intolerance or aspiration risk.
- Monitoring breathing, secretions, skin integrity, comfort, behaviour and other signs that may indicate deterioration.
- Personal care, continence care, dressing and hygiene support.
- Moving and handling, positioning, use of specialist equipment and support with prescribed physiotherapy or mobility programmes.
- Accompanying the child to school, appointments, activities and community outings as required.
- Maintaining a safe care environment and checking/cleaning relevant equipment.
Training and competency
The employer will provide the child‑specific induction, training and competency assessment. However, because of the complexity of the role, applicants are expected to bring relevant prior experience and practical knowledge. Training is intended to adapt and verify existing skills for this child’s individual needs, not to provide basic complex‑care training from the beginning.
No delegated clinical task may be carried out independently until the worker has completed the required training and has been formally assessed and signed off as competent for that task.
Other requirements
- Enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
- Flexibility to work nights, days, weekends and a fair share of public holidays.
- Commitment to safeguarding, confidentiality, infection prevention and respectful family‑centred care.
- Willingness to maintain mandatory and specialist training and specific competencies throughout employment. Training and competencies are provided as part for this role.
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