Choose Well - Choose WWL
Job overview
We are looking for a Senior Health Care Support Worker to work 37.5 hours per week. We are also recruiting to an additional post which is 24.75 hours per week.
The Senior Health Care Support Worker will undertake high quality, caring and compassionate personal care/clinical and associated duties under the direction and supervision of the registered professional both independently and working as part of the multi-disciplinary team.
As a Senior Health Care Support Worker, you make a valuable and important contribution to the delivery of high-quality healthcare in the Trust. Your role is to support the registered professional in the delivery of safe, effective, compassionate care to patients and their relatives.
Working under the direction of a Registered Health Care Professional, participate in the clinical care provided to patients prioritising workload appropriately and developing competencies that safeguard practice and effectiveness in role
Please note this vacancy may close before the advertised closing date if a sufficient number of suitable applications are received.
You must have an NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care to be eligible for this post.
Please be advised that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship for entry-level candidates. To meet the minimum salary threshold required for sponsorship, applicants must have at least two years of experience working within the NHS as a Band 3 Senior Healthcare Support Worker.
Main duties of the job
The Senior Health Care Support Worker (HCSW) will be responsible for providing a range of personal care for patients and a range of clinical duties under the guidance of a registered healthcare professional.
The Senior Health Care Support Worker (HCSW) will work independently performing a number of clinical duties/tasks following training and meeting competency within the role as per policy and procedure.
Working for our organisation
Choose Well – Choose WWL
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that ‘happy staff, makes for happy patients’. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement, and living our values ‘the WWL Way’.
WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.
At WWL we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Post holders are required to work unsupervised with regard to routine, delegated tasks, following established good practice and refer non-routine tasks appropriately.
Post holders are required to work independently delivering safe, competent practice to ensure the smooth running of clinics.
Following the completion of appropriate training and assessment and under the direction of a registered health care professional undertake clinical activities such as spirometry, urinalysis, changing of simple wound dressings, capillary blood glucose monitoring and decontamination of equipment.
Key duties are:
1. Assist patients with the provision of washing, dressing, personal care, beverages and/or meals.
2. Assist qualified nursing and medical staff where requested.
3. Communicate with all members of the team to maintain a good service provision.
4. Ensure that all patients are able to meet their hygiene needs, providing a level of assistance appropriate to the individual.
5. Prepare and support the patient appropriately during any activity that is to be undertaken.
6. Alert the registered nurse where you notice any changes in the patient’s health and well-being or any possible risks.
7. Undertake observations/tasks such as patient temperature, weighing, fluid checks as directed
8. Ensure effective use of material resources/supplies within the ward/unit in consultation with senior staff.
9. Assist with the general cleaning and re-stocking of resources where appropriate as well as cleaning and preparing patients beds.
10. Contribute to own personal development and take an active part in learning opportunities.
11. To assist in procedures required for each speciality clinic.
12. At the request of the Registered Health Care Professional, perform and record physiological measurements within the remit of the SHCA role and report accurately to the Registered Health Care Professional, the assessment undertaken, on patients.
13. Obtaining samples at the request of a Registered Health Care Professional, including wound swabs, eye swabs, urine specimens, MRSA swabs, stool samples and sputum specimens.
14. Demonstrate good understanding of principles of consent and ensure valid consent is obtained prior to undertaking nursing and care procedures
15. Always maintain confidentiality
16. Work as part of a designated clinical and care team delivering care that focuses on the direct needs of the individual
18. Assist the Registered Health Care Professional in maintaining a clean environment
19. Developing positive relationships with parents, families and carers
20. Work as part of the team in a co-operative, professional and constructive manner.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care qualificatio
Experience
Essential criteria
2. Proven ability to remain calm under pressure
3. Proven ability to demonstrate compassion/empathy/help others
Skills
Essential criteria
4. Effective communication skills – written and verbal
5. Effective level of numeracy and literacy skill
6. Effective customer service skills
7. Effective team player
8. Demonstrable ability to follow instructions
9. Proven ability to be flexible in your approach
Knowledge
Essential criteria
10. Effective understanding of confidentiality
11. Ability to deal with people from all backgrounds
Additional
Essential criteria
12. Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation
Use of Artificial Intelligence in Job Applications
If you choose to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other automated tools to help draft your application, please ensure all content is personalised and an accurate reflection of your own skills, experience and professional judgement. AI may be useful for idea generation, grammar, or formatting, but it must not replace your own supporting statement or be relied on as the sole source of content.
Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust does not advocate reliance on AI during applications and expects applications to be genuine and tailored to the role; over-reliance on AI-generated text may negatively affect your application.
For further information and best practice on using AI when applying for NHS roles, please refer to the attached “Applying for a role in the NHS guidance”.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
13. 302-25-7373475SS JD (PDF, 656.5KB)
14. What WWL can offer you 2026 (PDF, 42.7KB)
15. Applying for NHS vacancies guidance (PDF, 241.2KB)
Apply online now
Further details / informal visits contact
NameAlison ShawJob titleOutpatient Department LeaderEmail addressalison.shaw@wwl.nhs.ukTelephone number01942264087
If you have problems applying, contact
Address Buckingham Row
Brick Kiln Lane
Wigan
WN1 1XX
Telephone 07786529678