Domestic Attendant

Purpose of the Post

To deliver a high standard of quality housekeeping and catering to patients/ residents through the provision of a clean environment and the prevention of cross infection. The post holder will ensure implementation of IPC and Hygiene standards as delineated in Safer, better hospital standards (HIQA 2012) and in keeping with National Infection Control Policies and HIQA Hygiene Standards.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• The post holder will support the principle that care of the patient comes first at all times and will approach their work with the flexibility and enthusiasm necessary to make this principle a reality for every patient to the greatest possible degree
• Maintain awareness of the primacy of the patient in relation to all hospital activities.
• Performance management systems are part of the role and you will be required to participate in the Group’s performance management programme

· To deliver a high standard of quality housekeeping and catering to patient/resident/HSE staff through implementation of IPC measures and Hygiene standards and frequencies as set out by HIQA.

· You will be responsible to ensure you work within your scope of practice.

· To attend for duty as assigned by the Domestic Supervisor and at such hours as candidate determines.

· To work as part of a team in providing high quality standards and efficient cleaning service to all departments.

· The post holder must maintain awareness of the privacy of patients/residents in relation to all activities.

· The post holder may be tasked with housekeeping and catering duties as part of their daily duties.

· Teamwork is a specific requirement of the post as you will be working with multidisciplinary teams.

· You will report to your Domestic Service Supervisors.

· The post holder will adhere to Health and Safety regulations and all policies and procedures as guidelines provided to you upon induction.

Your post will consist of:

· Collection of cleaning materials and trolley.

· Empty and clean bins inside and out.

· Check and clean toilets, sinks, baths, and showers.

· Legionella flush as per protocol.

· Dust control, vacuum, mop, buff all floors.

· Damp dust windows, doors, lockers, beds, tables, door frames, high dust bed rails, light fittings.

· Change bed screens and window curtains as required.

· Record keeping of all duties.

· Report broken equipment or equipment due for service.

· Maintain cleaning equipment and leave clean for next person to use.

· Checklist must be signed and dated as per protocol.

Cleaning

· Ensure a high standard of hygiene is maintained in the area he/she is assigned to in line with on-going Infection Control Guidelines and Hospital policies.

· In line with best practice clean uniforms must be worn at all times when on duty, personal protective equipment/clothing must be used when cleaning isolated/infected areas within the hospital.

· Staff must ensure that they comply with and use the hospital’s hygiene colour coding system in place.

· Using the appropriate cleaning systems in place (i.e. Flat Mopping System) staff must ensure that all designated wards/public areas are cleaned and maintained to a high standard (i.e. free from dirt and grime).

· All cleaning schedules/ward cleaning programmes must be followed and regular sign off must be adhered to in line with best practical guidelines (i.e. HIQA, BICSc, Clean Pass, National Hospitals Office – Cleaning Guidelines 2006 ).

· All cleaning equipment must be cleaned (i.e. free from dirt and grime) and stored appropriately at the end of each shift in the designated storing facility.

· Staff must adhere to all standard operating cleaning procedures. (SOP’s)

· Cleaning products to be kept in locked unit/press. Staff must be familiar with the relevant safety data sheets surrounding cleaning/chemical products.

· In line with best practice and under the Health and Safety Regulations all appropriate hazard alert signs to be used when washing, cleaning and buffing public/ward floors.

· In accordance with ward/department cleaning schedules all high/low and horizontal surfaces must be cleaned and free from dirt and grime.

· In accordance with ward/department cleaning schedules all chairs and tables, and patient surface areas must be clean and free from dirt and grime.

· In accordance with cleaning schedules all doors/window frames, radiators skirting boards and waste bins must be clean and free from dirt and grime.

· In accordance with ward/department cleaning schedules all bathrooms/shower areas must be free from dirt and grime. In line with best practice the protocol for sign off (paper or electronic) of all bathroom cleaning schedules must be adhered to.

· Regular schedules must be adhered to, to ensure all areas within the Ward/Department (i.e. clean/dirty utility rooms, store cupboards offices, visitors rooms must be clean and free from dirt and grime.

· All appropriate checklists and sign-off sheets (paper or electronic) i.e. Toilet Check Sheets, must be completed as required.

· Use of colour coding cleaning cloths and equipment in line with hospital guidelines.

Waste

· In line with best practice all guidelines including local policies around the bagging/tagging and storage of waste, must be strictly adhered to, all staff must familiarise themselves with local waste policies and colour codes.

· All waste bins must be clean and free from dirt and grime, cleaning schedules must be adhered to.

· All waste must be stored in a safe environment. Staff must ensure that waste is tagged and secured prior to collection.

· All staff must support re-cycling projects currently in operation within their working environment.

Education

· All Housekeeping staff must attend Mandatory Education within the organisation. (i.e. Hand Hygiene, Manual Handling, Fire Lectures, etc.) Along with other training as required, i.e. online training.

· Staff must familiarise themselves and adhere to Infection Control Guidelines when cleaning isolated/infected ward/patient areas.

· All support service staff must familiarise and observe safe methods of work and must comply with all Local /National Policies in relation to Health and Safety, Fire Regulations, Infection Control Guidelines, Hand Hygiene, and Waste Disposal.

· Staff may be asked to attend regular department team meetings to ensure that the service delivery to patients is of the highest standard.

· All defective equipment must be reported to the Domestic Supervisor or Ward Manager.

Operational

· To maintain a good standard of personal hygiene and ensure that uniform/personal protective clothing and ID card/ name badge is worn.

· To report on and off duty to the Domestic Supervisors and adhere to agreed schedule meal breaks

· Staff are expected to work as part of a team in delivering a first class service to the hospital. A “can do will do” attitude is expected of staff at all times.

· Rotation of duties may occur and staff will be expected to be flexible to support the continuous service delivery to patients.

· Staff must practice good hand hygiene as per the 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene.

· In line with the Public Health Act 2004 (Tobacco) smoking within the Hospital campus is not permitted, this includes e-cigarettes

KPI’s

• The identification and development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are congruent with the Hospital’s service plan targets.
• The development of Action Plans to address KPI targets.
• Driving and promoting a Performance Management culture.
• In conjunction with line manager assist in the development of a Performance Management system for your profession.
• The management and delivery of KPIs as a routine and core business objective.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING GENERAL CONDITIONS:

· Employees must attend fire lectures periodically and must observe fire orders.

· All accidents within the Department must be reported immediately.

· Infection Control Policies must be adhered to.

· In line with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Acts 2005 and 2010 all staff must comply with all safety regulations and audits.

· In line with the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Act 2004, smoking within the Hospital Buildings is not permitted.

· Hospital uniform code must be adhered to.

· Provide information that meets the need of Senior Management.

· To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

Risk Management, Infection Control, Hygiene Services and Health & Safety

· The management of Risk, Infection Control, Hygiene Services and Health & Safety is the responsibility of everyone and will be achieved within a progressive, honest and open environment.

· The post holder must be familiar with the necessary education, training and support to enable them to meet this responsibility.

· The post holder has a duty to familiarise themselves with the relevant Organisational Policies, Procedures & Standards and attend training as appropriate in the following areas:

o Continuous Quality Improvement Initiatives

o Document Control Information Management Systems

o Risk Management Strategy and Policies

o Hygiene Related Policies, Procedures and Standards

o Decontamination Code of Practice

o Infection Control Policies

o Safety Statement, Health & Safety Policies and Fire Procedure

o Data Protection and confidentiality Policies

· The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they become familiar with the requirements stated within the Risk Management Strategy and that they comply with the Group’s Risk Management Incident/Near miss reporting Policies and Procedures.

· The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they comply with hygiene services requirements in your area of responsibility. Hygiene Services incorporates environment and facilities, hand hygiene, catering, cleaning, the management of laundry, waste, sharps and equipment.

· The post holder must foster and support a quality improvement culture through-out your area of responsibility in relation to hygiene services.

· The post holders’ responsibility for Quality & Risk Management, Hygiene Services and Health & Safety will be clarified to you in the induction process and by your line manager.

· The post holder must take reasonable care for his or her own actions and the effect that these may have upon the safety of others.

· The post holder must cooperate with management, attend Health & Safety related training and not undertake any task for which they have not been authorised and adequately trained.

· The post holder is required to bring to the attention of a responsible person any perceived shortcoming in our safety arrangements or any defects in work equipment.

· It is the post holder’s responsibility to be aware of and comply with the HSE Health Care Records Management/Integrated Discharge Planning (HCRM / IDP) Code of Practice.

Risk Management, Quality, Health & Safety

· Adequately identifies, assesses, manages and monitors risk within their area of responsibility.

· Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc. and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.

· Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

Education & Training

· Engage in the HSE performance achievement process in conjunction with your Line Manager and staff as appropriate.

The above Job Description is 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.

Remuneration

The salary scale for the post at (01/06/2026) is:

€35,433 - €37,294 - €38,681 - €39,260 - €39,504 - €40,081 - €40,673 - €41,137 - €41,696

New appointees to any grade start at the minimum point of the scale. Incremental credit will be applied for recognised relevant service in Ireland and abroad (Department of Health Circular 2/2011). Incremental credit is normally granted on appointment, in respect of previous experience in the Civil Service, Local Authorities, Health Service and other Public Service Bodies and Statutory Agencies.

As per HR Circular 012/25 Please note that previous experience working in the public service counts only where the individual was employed directly by the relevant Civil Service/Public Body. It does not apply for temporary assignments with those bodies while engaged as an agency worker and employed by a private sector employment agency. Exemptions can be found at the following link.

HSE Guidelines on Terms and Conditions of Employment provides additional information. https://www2.healthservice.hse.ie/organisation/national-pppgs/guidelines-on-terms-and-conditions-of-employment/