Health Care Assistant - Acute Oncology Team
NHS AfC: Band 3
Main area Oncology Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Including bank holidays) Job ref 409-7826404-B
Site St Helens Hospital Town St Helens Salary £24,937 - £26,598 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 14/04/2026 10:00
After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third‑party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e‑mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Health Care Assistant to join the Acute Oncology Team in this newly created post.
The post will support the Acute Oncology Advanced Nurse Practitioners within the Cancer Same Day Emergency Care Unit (cSDEC) at St Helens Hospital. The unit cares for oncology and haemato‐oncology patients who are experiencing complications related to their cancer or cancer treatment.
The service operates Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm, including bank holidays, with future plans to expand to weekend working.
The successful candidate will be a highly motivated and compassionate individual with good knowledge of clinical standards and excellent communication skills. You should also be skilled in basic nursing care, including monitoring vital signs and assisting with personal care, supporting the Acute Oncology Nursing team in delivering holistic care to patients and their families.
The Acute Oncology Team works closely with the Lilac Centre, where patients receive systemic cancer treatments. This role would suit a motivated Healthcare Assistant with a strong interest in caring for patients with cancer who is keen to develop within a specialist service.
You will be supported in your role by the Acute Oncology Lead Nurse, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Cancer Support Worker and the wider Cancer Services team, with opportunities to develop new skills and access professional development.
Please note that this vacancy may close earlier than advertised should a sufficient number of applications be received.
The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change
Main duties of the job
To work as part of the Nursing Team undertaking household support tasks and direct care tasks as delegated by the Nurse in Charge.
To support the qualified Nursing Staff in the maintenance of high standards of nursing care to patients.
To assist in providing an environment within the ward that is conductive to patient recovery and pleasant for patients and their families.
To accept responsibility for specifically delegated functions within the ward which the Nurse in Charge feels are appropriate for untrained staff to undertake.
To ensure where entries are made in nursing documentation, that these are correct, legible and comprehensive and countersigned by a registered nurse.
To ensure the Health and Safety of patients, relatives and other staff is considered and not prejudiced by the post-holder at any time.
Working for our organisation
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
Benefits and Trust information
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
* Work as part of a team and duties will be delegated by the registered healthcare professional
* Act within scope of your training and competence, knowing who to ask for help
* Work within an agreed way of working, following relevant Trust standards, policies and protocols
* Communicate compassionately and effectively with individuals and their families, carers and health care practitioners using a range of techniques, maintaining confidentiality and using tact, empathy, persuasion and reassurance
* Observe, assess and respond to patients’ needs appropriately, escalating concerns to Nursing staff as required, including instigating emergency procedures as per policy
* Organise yourself and supervise other junior staff or learners in general work tasks or when delivering patient care with supervision from nursing staff
* Prioritise a range of delegated clinical care duties
* Act on own initiative, undertake personal care duties and support activities of daily living, e.g. mouth care, personal hygiene and toileting needs, demonstrating person‑centred care
* Assist the registered healthcare practitioners with clinical tasks, follow care plans, notice and report changes, assist with risk assessments, obtain samples and some specimens
* Safely deliver care duties including manoeuvring of patient equipment such as hoists and wheelchairs
* Gather evidence to assist registered healthcare practitioner in obtaining a patient/client history
* Undertake delegated procedures as required within the limits of required training and measured competence e.g. venepuncture/ECG recording/blood glucose monitoring, clinical observations, taking specimens, escalating any abnormalities to the registered nurse
* Support of patients feeding, diet and nutritional needs and accurately record patient’s nutritional intake and fluid intake and output, noticing and reporting changes to nursing staff
Person specification
Qualifications
* NVQ Level 2 (Ideally in Health Care) or equivalent qualification, or equivalent experience
* Care Certificate, or willing to work towards upon appointment
* Venepuncture Course
* Cannulation Course
Knowledge and Experience
* Knowledge of clinical skills required to undertake the role
* Knowledge of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults procedures
* Experience within a care setting
Skills
* Ability to manage time and priorities effectively
* Ability to work autonomously, and use own initiative when necessary
Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward‑thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.
Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under‑represented groups.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments to the application process, please contact Recruitment@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk
We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision‑making process.
The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.
eVisa Update
For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK.
Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account.
Before travelling to the UK, we advise applicants to:
* Understand how to generate an eVisa share code
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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.
Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.
If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
Flexible Working
We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:
* All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
* There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
* Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.
At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.
Working for Team MWL
Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.
The Trust is a non‑smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.
You will be expected to undertake the Trusts' commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.
Additional Information
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here .
An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
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