Medical Social Worker

Role Purpose

This is post is within the specialist palliative care service at Marymount University Hospital & Hospice, working under the direction of the Principal Social Worker as an integrated member of the multidisciplinary team. The core clinical purpose is to assess the psychological, emotional, and social needs of patients and their families facing life-limiting illness, the dying phase, and bereavement, and to develop and implement care plans in collaboration with the wider MDT. Alongside direct clinical practice, the role carries a significant community liaison and coordination function. This includes facilitating access to community-based services for patients, families, and the bereaved, coordinating discharge planning to ensure appropriate supports are in place outside the hospice, and maintaining effective working relationships with primary healthcare teams, the hospital social work team, and voluntary organisations. In this respect, the postholder must be equally effective as a clinician and as an inter-agency collaborator

Eligibility Criteria

Qualifications and/ or experience

Professional Qualifications, Experience, etc.

(a) Eligible applicants will be those who on the closing date for the competition:

(i) Be registered in the Social Workers Register maintained by the Social Workers Registration Board at CORU.

AND

(ii) Maintain live annual registration on the Social Workers Register maintained by the Social Workers Registration Board at CORU. AND

(iii) Have the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and professional ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office

(b) Up to two years’ experience of working in a healthcare or community setting is desirable.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

Post Specific Requirements

• Demonstrate previous experience of working in a multi-disciplinary setting.
• Access to transport is required.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The Social Worker will

• Deliver a quality service to service users ensuring professional standards are maintained in accordance with the requirements as set out by CORU.
• Work within current legislation, relevant policies and procedures, guidelines and protocols.
• Incorporate Social Work values and ethical principles in planning, developing, implementing and reviewing interventions.
• Manage and prioritise a caseload as required.
• Implement models of best practice / evidence-based practice.
• Ensure the promotion of the social model of care and recognition of the social determinants of health and well-being.
• Provide a comprehensive medical social work service to patients and families, to include psycho-social assessment, intervention, discharge planning and follow up or referral on, as required, to statutory and / or voluntary services.
• Facilitate clients / service users to advocate for their own needs, or where appropriate advocate on behalf of service users.
• Collaborate and advise the multi-disciplinary team in the relevant areas on assessment outcomes.
• Develop effective working relationships with clients / service users, statutory and non-statutory agencies and professionals.
• Maintain accurate signed records of all medical social work interventions and ensure that statistical data on service provision.
• Attend multidisciplinary team meetings, case conferences and other relevant fora, as required.
• Attend court, tribunals etc. as required
• Actively participate as a member of the relevant team / service in team building and quality initiatives.
• As a mandated person under the Children First Act 2015 you will have a legal obligation to report child protection concerns at or above a defined threshold to TUSLA & to assist Tusla, if requested, in assessing a concern which has been the subject of a mandated report.
• Comply with professional obligations, under the HSE Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk of Abuse National Policy & Procedures (2014)
• Keep Line Manager fully informed and up to date on all significant matters.
• Deputise for the Senior Medical Social Worker as agreed / appropriate.

The above Job Specification 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 them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Please Note this is a part-time permanent position (30 hours per week) 0.80 WTE.