Senior Health Care Assistant
We love what we do and we think you will, too!
At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.
We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you’.
We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.
Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.
It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Health Care Assistant at Charlton lane Hospital. The Charlton Lane Hospital provides inpatient assessment and care for mental health service users requiring hospital admission for treatment across 3 in-patient wards: Chestnut Ward, is a 14 bedded ward for Older age Adults that have a functional mental illness; Mulberry ward, is an 18 bedded ward for older age adults that have a functional mental illness and Willow Ward, is a 16 bedded ward for predominantly older adults with an organic mental illness.
It would be desirable for the post holder to have experience in caring for elderly, facilitation of positive engagement and activities with people with dementia. The successful candidate would be supported by the unit manager in taking mandatory, statutory and dementia training.Upon commencing your post, you will participate in a comprehensive trust and unit induction which ensures that you feel skilled and supported to undertake this challenging job.
The posts are funded at 37.5 hours per week (full time) and could involve rotational shift system. ‘Flexible’ working arrangements will be considered. Any request will be set against genuine operational requirements and limitations and it is not obligatory for a manager to accede to the request.
If you do not hear from us within three weeks of the closing date you have probably not been shortlisted. We are sorry we are unable to let you know the outcome of your application.
Main duties of the job
As a Health Care Assistant/ Support Worker you will be responsible for participating and assisting in the delivery of care / services to patients and service users as part of a Mental Health and Social Care Health Service. Health Care Assistant and other Healthcare Support Workers employed by the Trust are required to follow the guidance set out in Code of Conduct for Health Care Assistants/ Health Care Support Workers to provide safe and compassionate care of a high standard, and to challenge others who are not.You will receive direct supervision and partake in reflective practice / training on a regular basis and be required to meet the Care Certificate standards.
Working for our organisation
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.
Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:
72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.
This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas.To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application
As a Health Care Assistant/ Support Worker you will be responsible for participating and assisting in the delivery of care / services to patients and service users as part of a Mental Health and Social Care Health Service. Health Care Assistant, Social Care Workers and other Healthcare Support Workers employed by the Trust are required to follow the guidance set out in Code of Conduct for Health Care Assistants/ Health Care Support Workers to provide safe and compassionate care of a high standard, and to challenge others who are not.
You will receive direct supervision and partake in reflective practice / training on a regular basis and be required to meet the Care Certificate standards. All successful applicants will also have the opportunity to discuss the prospect of undertaking a Level 3 Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship alongside their substantive post.This apprenticeship would include the Level 3 Diploma in Clinical Healthcare.
Gloucestershire Health and Care is committed to embedding and providing personalised care through all of its services as part of our high-quality care strategy. The purpose of personalised care is to empower people to lead the lives they want to live.Personalised care starts with a conversation with people about what matters to them. It builds on what people can do, as well as addressing their health needs. Including new ways of working and delivering care, emphasising that we need to make effective use of the full range of our people’s skills and experience to deliver the best possible patient care.
So we want to know What Matters to You and that you will share our values and join us on this very important journey.
Person specification
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential criteria- NVQ level 3 or Care Certificate
- Dementia Link Worker
- Dementia Care Experience
LENGTH AND / OR NATURE OF EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria- Significant experience of working in a mental health or social care setting
- Significant experience of working in a team and independently
- Dementia Care Experience
- Dementia Care Experience >1year
- Experience of providing social and recreational activities
PROFESSIONAL / MANAGERIAL / SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
Essential criteria- Knowledge of mental illness and Dementia and its impact on the Individuals
- Knowledge of how mental illness has an impact on motivation, social skills and activities and on the individual and their families
- Knowledge and understanding of risk assessment and management obtained through formal in-house training course
- Awareness of issues surrounding diversity and anti-discriminatory practice
- Understanding of the basic principles of Infection Control
- DLW certified
- Awareness of the trusts values
When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:
- Free car parking at many of our sites
- 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
- A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
- A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
- Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
- Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
- Recognition and long service awards
- Fast Track physiotherapy
- Our Wellbeing line
- Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application.
For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.