Healthcare 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
Here at cirencester Hospital we deliver the highest standards of care to our patients.
We pride ourselves on being a dynamic close knit team that delivers rehabilitation and subacute care within a Community Hospital Setting. You will be an integral part of an experienced multidisciplinary team, supporting and facilitating the care needs for 28 inpatients in a purpose built hospital in the picturesque town of Cirencester
Join us in developing your skills in sub-acute medicine, rehabilitation and palliative care.
This post is open to candidates who are looking to start their career in a nursing environment with no previous experience or alternatively the more experienced carer looking for a change to further their clinical knowledge and skills.
This role is an ideal opportunity to develop a career within a multidisciplinary team in a hospital environment and can be used as a stepping stone to gain experience prior to commencing or alongside training in Nursing, Midwifery or Paramedic Science.
We welcome potential candidates to come for a look around and get a feel for what we do by prior arrangement.
Hours per week – Variety of hours available
Interview Location : Cirencester Hospital
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.
You will be expected to provide safe and compassionate care of a high standard under supervision of registered nurses.
You will be expected to assist patients with activities of daily living including personal care and nutritional and dietary support.
You will be expected to take and record observations and undertake additional supportive tasks as directed by registered nurse eg venepuncture , catheter care , ECG recording etc.
Working for our organisation
Our Staff Survey results showed people at our Trust feel they are engaged, part of a team and work for a compassionate and inclusive organisation.
We have in excess of 5000 staff working over 50 sites, providing a diverse range of services. We strive to support an organisational culture that is welcoming, builds and celebrates inclusivity and diversity and provides a sense of belonging and trust.
The annual NHS Staff Survey gives our people the opportunity to tell us about their experience working at the Trust. For the 2023 survey just over 2800 colleagues gave us their views (58.5%). It was great to see from the results that colleagues are saying that:- 89.7% believe they are making a positive difference to patients/service users;
- 73.3% would recommend the organisation as a place to work;
- 82.4% agree that care of patients and service users is the organisations priority;
- 76.7% would be happy with the standard of care for a friend or relative
Our overall scores were better than average in eight of nine themes and level in one - the best overall results for a community, mental health and learning disabilities Trust in the south west and first equal amongst all sector NHS providers within the region too.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As a Health Care Assistant you will be responsible for participating and assisting in the delivery of care and services to patients and service users as part of a Mental Health and Social Care Health Service. Health Care Assistant, 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.
Previous experience is desirable but not essential. If you are new to care and hold no experience in healthcare, then we offer a fantastic development opportunity with a structured development plan (including achieving the Care Certificate). You will progress from a pay band 2 to pay band 3 on achievement of the Care Certification.
You will receive direct supervision and partake in reflective practice and training on a regular basis and to support you meeting 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.
When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post. Please remember that skills and experience gained outside of work can be used as evidence in your application.
Please refer to the Healthcare Support Worker Code of Conduct attachment and use this to support your application.
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.
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.
Person specification
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential criteria- C and above in GCSE English and Maths or level 4 and above (or equivalent Adult Literacy and Numeracy).
- Minimum of 5 GCSE’s (or equivalent) including English, Mathematics, and a Science or Health and Social care based subject
- NVQ level 2
- Care Certificate
NATURE OF EXPERIENCE
Desirable criteria- No previous experience is required although it would be desirable that the individual is able to demonstrate some prior experience and understanding of caring for others on a voluntary basis
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.