Job summary
Join the heart of healthcare and start your NHS journey today.
Are you looking to develop a career within healthcare? Never worked in care but always had a strong passion for caring for people? Have you recently lost your job due to the current covid pandemic? Do you want to develop your career, with an option for an apprenticeship? We may have the right opportunity for you.
At Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust we are recruiting Healthcare Support Workers (HCSW) to deliver the best care to the people of Gloucestershire and beyond.
As a Trust, we are committed to developing a workforce that delivers high quality, compassionate safe care to all of our patients. Our staff are encouraged and supported to promote our values in all their day-to-day work and as Healthcare Support Worker, you will be expected to do the same.
Our core values are: Caring, Listening and Excelling
Main duties of the job
As a Health Care Support Worker you are at the very heart of patient care. Responsibilities within the role include:
- Communicating with patients
- Working under the supervision of a Registered Nurse/Midwife
- Washing and dressing patients
- Taking and electronically recording patients physiological observations i.e. temperature, pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure, weight, blood sugar levels.
- Making and cleaning beds and patients bed areas
- Serving meals and assisting feeding patients
- Talking and listening to patients
- Dealing with all bodily fluids
- Caring for end of life patients
The ideal candidate will be:
- Kind, caring and compassionate
- Friendly and approachable
- Enthusiastic and motivated
- Able to follow instruction and procedures in line with Trust Policy
- Able to demonstrate using own initiative
- Be flexible and adaptable to work in demanding and fast paced environments
About us
Our Trust delivers acute hospital services from the two sites in Gloucester and Cheltenham so flexibility between the two will be required. We are able to offer part time and full time contracts but availability for all shift patterns is essential which includes days, nights, weekends and Bank Holidays.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Pathways & Training
We are offering two pathways, an apprenticeship route and a permanent position as a Health Care Support Worker. The supporting document illustrates the difference between the two pathways, please take time to read it and consider what you want most out of this opportunity.
Full and comprehensive training will be offered to both pathways. Our apprentices have a more structured training programme and after successful completion will obtain a nationally recognised qualification.
***Applicants who wish to undertake the apprenticeship will be required to carry out online initial assessments of Maths and English. You will need to achieve a minimum of Level 1 on these assessments before being invited to Interview. Minimum of 30 hours per week is required for the apprenticeship***
Please read the attached job descriptions carefully and all the supporting information. We will be hosting an online event on Tuesday 9th March at 10am. This will give you the opportunity to learn so much more about the HCSW role. As well as a chance to ask any questions you may have with our experienced team.
If you are shortlisted you will be invited to a virtual selection day which will be held on Saturday 20th March. For further information or enquiries, please email ghn-tr.hcswprogramme@nhs.net.
We are committed to a culture of fairness and equality to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive employer.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Pathways & Training
We are offering two pathways, an apprenticeship route and a permanent position as a Health Care Support Worker. The supporting document illustrates the difference between the two pathways, please take time to read it and consider what you want most out of this opportunity.
Full and comprehensive training will be offered to both pathways. Our apprentices have a more structured training programme and after successful completion will obtain a nationally recognised qualification.
***Applicants who wish to undertake the apprenticeship will be required to carry out online initial assessments of Maths and English. You will need to achieve a minimum of Level 1 on these assessments before being invited to Interview. Minimum of 30 hours per week is required for the apprenticeship***
Please read the attached job descriptions carefully and all the supporting information. We will be hosting an online event on Tuesday 9th March at 10am. This will give you the opportunity to learn so much more about the HCSW role. As well as a chance to ask any questions you may have with our experienced team.
If you are shortlisted you will be invited to a virtual selection day which will be held on Saturday 20th March. For further information or enquiries, please email ghn-tr.hcswprogramme@nhs.net.
We are committed to a culture of fairness and equality to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive employer.
Person Specification
Healthcare Support Worker Band 2
Essential
- Certificate in Adult Literacy and Numeracy / Appropriate verbal and written communication
- Able to communicate effectively with patients/relatives and carers and other health and care professionals.
- Practical ability, prioritisation and time management
- Evidence of time management skills and the ability to prioritise along with the ability to deal with non-routine and unpredictable nature of the workload and individual patient contact
- Demonstrate a respectful, courteous and caring manner.
- Knowledge of when to seek advice and refer to a registered care professional.
- Project a professional persona in manner of appearance and behaviours
- Acts as a role model and are able to lead by example to ensure the Trust's values and behaviours are reinforced.
- Able to work a variety of shift patterns as stipulated by the Trust and/or external placements.
Desirable
- Demonstrate potential for further development
Apprenticeship
Essential
- Minimum of 4 GCSE's (or equivalent) including English, Mathematics and preferably a Science, Physical Education or Health and Social care based subject
- GCSE Grade D (3) or above in English and Maths or equivalent Functional Skills Level 1 in English and Maths
- Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office Word and email programmes
- A desire to work in a hospital environment caring for acutely unwell people with kindness, compassion and with dignity and respect
- Ability to work on own initiative, independently and as part of a team
- Clear communication skills; verbally, in writing and the use of IT
- Good interpersonal skills to convey information and work effectively with patients, and maintain good working relations with other healthcare staff
- Have responsibility for their personal development and completion of the Level 2 Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship
- To get on well with people at all levels, communicate and work effectively as a team member
- Project a professional appearance in behaviour and manner of dress
- Be courteous when talking to colleagues, patients, their families and visitors on the ward and to treat everyone with dignity and respect
- Knowledge of physical and psychological needs of people (patients)
- To demonstrate qualities of or ability to promote self-care and look after patients as required with care and compassion
- Enthusiastic and self-aware
- Flexible
- Resilient (works well) under pressure
- Team focused
- Reliable, Adaptable and Dependable
Desirable
- Experience (through placement or employment) of working
- Previous experience in a healthcare environment
- Have and describe an understanding of confidentiality
- Knowledge of prevention of cross infection
- To be able to explain what is meant by safe environment
- To demonstrate awareness of factors which contribute to the smooth running of the ward e.g. duties including unpacking stores, tidying and cleaning equipment
Person Specification
Healthcare Support Worker Band 2
Essential
- Certificate in Adult Literacy and Numeracy / Appropriate verbal and written communication
- Able to communicate effectively with patients/relatives and carers and other health and care professionals.
- Practical ability, prioritisation and time management
- Evidence of time management skills and the ability to prioritise along with the ability to deal with non-routine and unpredictable nature of the workload and individual patient contact
- Demonstrate a respectful, courteous and caring manner.
- Knowledge of when to seek advice and refer to a registered care professional.
- Project a professional persona in manner of appearance and behaviours
- Acts as a role model and are able to lead by example to ensure the Trust's values and behaviours are reinforced.
- Able to work a variety of shift patterns as stipulated by the Trust and/or external placements.
Desirable
- Demonstrate potential for further development
Apprenticeship
Essential
- Minimum of 4 GCSE's (or equivalent) including English, Mathematics and preferably a Science, Physical Education or Health and Social care based subject
- GCSE Grade D (3) or above in English and Maths or equivalent Functional Skills Level 1 in English and Maths
- Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office Word and email programmes
- A desire to work in a hospital environment caring for acutely unwell people with kindness, compassion and with dignity and respect
- Ability to work on own initiative, independently and as part of a team
- Clear communication skills; verbally, in writing and the use of IT
- Good interpersonal skills to convey information and work effectively with patients, and maintain good working relations with other healthcare staff
- Have responsibility for their personal development and completion of the Level 2 Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship
- To get on well with people at all levels, communicate and work effectively as a team member
- Project a professional appearance in behaviour and manner of dress
- Be courteous when talking to colleagues, patients, their families and visitors on the ward and to treat everyone with dignity and respect
- Knowledge of physical and psychological needs of people (patients)
- To demonstrate qualities of or ability to promote self-care and look after patients as required with care and compassion
- Enthusiastic and self-aware
- Flexible
- Resilient (works well) under pressure
- Team focused
- Reliable, Adaptable and Dependable
Desirable
- Experience (through placement or employment) of working
- Previous experience in a healthcare environment
- Have and describe an understanding of confidentiality
- Knowledge of prevention of cross infection
- To be able to explain what is meant by safe environment
- To demonstrate awareness of factors which contribute to the smooth running of the ward e.g. duties including unpacking stores, tidying and cleaning equipment
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.