Healthcare Assistant - Cirencester
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
Our passion is for delivering care services of the highest quality to our local communities. Developing new working arrangements across health and social care we are striving to deliver new models of service, inspiring innovation, liberating talent and delivering best value for money.To help us achieve our ambitions we are seeking to recruit motivated Healthcare Assistants to join our team here on Windrush Ward, Cirencester Hospital. The hospital supports 49 inpatient beds across two wards. It sub acute medical care and general rehabilitation.
The post provides an excellent opportunity for personal development with a very supportive Training and Development Sister to guide you. You will be expected to complete the Care Certificate within the first year of your employment, and you will also have opportunities to attend regular training sessions held within the hospital and at our selected sites.
You will be enthusiastic, motivated and dedicated to providing only the very best in-patient care. You will also be able to work confidently in a team.
Ideally, you will have previous experience in a healthcare role but for the right candidate this is not essential.
Good IT skills are a must, together with a commitment to developing innovative ways of delivering integrated services.
We welcome potential candidates to come for a look around and get a feel for what we do by prior arrangement.
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.
Please note that this role does not meet the criteria for sponsorship and therefore we are only able to consider applicants with unrestricted right to work in the UK due to the role not currently meeting the UK Government’s Visa's & Immigration's requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa.
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%.
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
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.
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).
- Care Certificate or willing to study towards this
- 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
Essential 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.