Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Mobile Carer (Various Locations)

🎯 Role Definition

A Mobile Carer provides high-quality, person-centred domiciliary care to clients across multiple locations. Responsibilities include delivering personal care (washing, dressing, toileting), assisting with medication administration following local protocols, supporting mobility and daily living tasks, monitoring health and wellbeing, documenting care and risk assessments, and building trusting relationships with clients and families. The Mobile Carer operates autonomously while liaising with care coordinators, multidisciplinary teams, and external health professionals to ensure continuity of care, promote independence, and safeguard vulnerable adults. Travel between client homes is a core part of the role and requires good time management, route planning, and record-keeping.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Care Assistant / Care Support Worker in a residential or domiciliary setting
Healthcare Assistant or Support Worker after completing basic care training
Voluntary or agency-based home carer experience

Advancement To:

Senior/Domestic Care Supervisor
Team Leader / Community Care Coordinator
Senior Support Worker — dementia, palliative or complex needs
Registered Manager or Care Services Manager (with further qualifications)

Lateral Moves:

Specialist Dementia Care Worker
Palliative Care Support Worker
Community Rehabilitation Assistant / Reablement Worker

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Deliver comprehensive personal care to clients in their homes, including bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming and continence support, always maintaining dignity, privacy and choice.
Administer and support medication in line with organisational policy and local legal requirements — this includes supervised self-administration, MAR chart updates, and escalation of missed/incorrect meds to clinical leads.
Implement individualised care plans and daily support plans; accurately record interventions, observations, outcomes and any changes in client condition in electronic or paper records.
Conduct and update risk assessments for each client environment and activity, identify hazards, put mitigating actions in place, and escalate where controls are insufficient.
Assist with safe moving and handling using approved techniques and equipment (hoists, slide sheets, walking aids), ensuring client safety and staff ergonomics on every visit.
Support clients with meal preparation, special dietary needs, hydration, and monitoring of weight and nutritional concerns, including liaising with dietitians when required.
Recognise, respond to and document changes in physical or mental health, reporting concerns promptly to the assigned care coordinator, family members and relevant healthcare professionals.
Provide person-centred support to clients with dementia, mental health conditions or learning disabilities, using evidence-based approaches to de-escalation and reminiscence as appropriate.
Promote independence by encouraging activities of daily living, setting achievable goals within reablement programmes, and supporting clients to regain or maintain skills.
Maintain high standards of infection prevention and control (IPC) including appropriate use of PPE, hand hygiene, cleaning of equipment, and safe disposal of clinical waste during all visits.
Escort and support clients to medical appointments, community activities and social engagements, ensuring safe travel and continuity of care when out in the community.
Communicate clearly and compassionately with clients, families and carers to co-produce care, explain interventions, gather consent and provide emotional reassurance.
Follow safeguarding policies and procedures to recognise, report and document any actual or suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of vulnerable adults in line with local protocols.
Monitor and record vital signs and basic observations when required (e.g., blood pressure, pulse, blood glucose) and escalate clinically significant findings to supervisory staff or NHS services.
Support end-of-life and palliative care needs by providing comfort, symptom monitoring, responsive hands-on care and sensitive family liaison under the direction of specialist clinicians.
Keep accurate, timely travel, mileage and timesheet records for payroll and audit purposes and adhere to rota and scheduling expectations to meet client needs consistently.
Participate in multidisciplinary case reviews and handovers, sharing observations and collaborating with district nurses, therapists and social workers to optimise care outcomes.
Maintain client confidentiality and data protection standards when handling personal health information in both electronic records and paper files.
Contribute to quality assurance by participating in audits, spot checks, client satisfaction surveys and by implementing feedback to improve care delivery.
Engage in ongoing professional development, attend mandatory training (moving & handling, safeguarding, first aid, medication), and apply new skills to practice to maintain high standards.
Build and maintain professional relationships with clients, families and colleagues that foster trust, promote wellbeing, and reduce social isolation through companionship and active listening.
Respond sensitively and professionally to emergencies in the community (falls, sudden illness), follow organisational incident reporting protocols and assist with first aid or contacting emergency services as necessary.
Coordinate with care coordinators to manage visiting schedules, ensure continuity of carers for clients, and communicate availability or schedule changes proactively.

Secondary Functions

Support administrative tasks such as photocopying care notes, scanning documents, and updating client contact information in the central system.
Assist with onboarding of new clients by attending initial assessment visits and contributing practical insights for care-plan development.
Participate in local recruitment events, provide shadowing and mentoring for trainees and new staff, and act as a role model for best practice in community care.
Help maintain stock of care equipment and supplies in vehicles and client homes; report shortages and request replacements in a timely manner.
Provide basic health promotion information to clients and families, including fall prevention tips, healthy eating guidance, and signposting to local support services.
Support organizational initiatives to reduce missed visits and improve punctuality by suggesting route optimizations and efficient scheduling feedback.
Attend team meetings, briefings and reflective practice sessions to support continuous improvement and shared learning across the service.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Experienced in providing personal care (washing, dressing, toileting) in domiciliary/home-care settings.
Competent in medication support and MAR chart management, with knowledge of safe storage, administration and documentation.
Skilled in moving & handling techniques and confident using hoists, transfer belts, slide sheets and other mobility aids.
Proficient in risk assessment creation and ongoing review tailored to home environments and individual client needs.
Practical knowledge of infection prevention and control (IPC), PPE use, and safe handling of clinical waste.
Ability to perform and record basic health observations (blood pressure, pulse, blood glucose) and recognize when to escalate results.
Familiar with person-centred care planning, reablement approaches and goal-setting to promote independence.
Comfortable using electronic care planning systems, mobile apps and basic office software for record-keeping and rota management.
First Aid and CPR competency (or willingness to obtain) and experience following emergency response protocols.
Experience supporting clients with dementia, mental health conditions, learning disabilities, or chronic long-term conditions.
Valid driver's license and experience traveling between client locations (where required by the employer); competent with accurate mileage reporting.

Soft Skills

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to engage with clients, families, clinical teams and external agencies.
Strong empathy, patience and emotional resilience when working with vulnerable people and stressful situations.
Excellent time management, punctuality and ability to manage multiple visits and priorities under tight schedules.
High level of observational skills and attention to detail when documenting care, changes in condition and risk indicators.
Ability to work independently, show initiative and make sound decisions while adhering to policies and escalation pathways.
Team-oriented mindset with collaborative working style and willingness to support colleagues across locations.
Cultural sensitivity and respect for diverse backgrounds, beliefs and personal preferences of clients and families.
Problem-solving aptitude to adapt care approaches and find practical solutions to access, mobility and environmental challenges.
Professional integrity and strong commitment to confidentiality, safeguarding and ethical practice.
Flexibility and adaptability to changing client needs, shift patterns, and service priorities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma / GCSEs or equivalent; basic literacy and numeracy required.

Preferred Education:

NVQ/SVQ Level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care, Diploma in Health and Social Care, CACHE/City & Guilds qualifications, or equivalent vocational certification.
Relevant short courses or certifications (medication administration, dementia training, moving & handling, first aid).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Health and Social Care
Nursing / Healthcare Assistance
Social Work / Community Care

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 6 months to 3 years in domiciliary/home care, residential care or community support roles.

Preferred:

Minimum 12 months’ proven experience delivering domiciliary care or community-based support.
Practical experience supporting older adults, people with dementia, learning disabilities or palliative needs.
Experience using electronic care management systems, MAR charts and basic clinical observation recording.
Successful completion of mandatory safeguarding training and a clean background check (DBS/PVG or equivalent).
Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle where travel between client homes is required (or willingness to use employer transport arrangements).