Overview
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust – Health Care Assistant – Neighbourhood Nursing Service. The closing date is 10 October 2025.
We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, motivated Band 3 Health Care Assistant to work within our Neighbourhood Nursing Service (NNS) and support Virtual Ward referrals throughout the Barnsley area. Virtual Wards enable people to be supported in their own home or place of residence, as an alternative to hospital admission or to support earlier discharge from hospital. NNS is responsible for delivering nursing care to housebound patients, which includes wound management, chronic disease management, promotion of self-care, and terminal/palliative care.
The successful applicant will have experience of providing care and related procedures to those with health and social needs. If you possess excellent communication skills, have the ability to work flexibly and autonomously, this opportunity could be for you. You will have the skills to work across both planned nursing and crisis pathways and be expected to work a seven-day week shift pattern including weekends and bank holidays.
Visas sponsorship under the Health and Care Worker visa route can only be considered if the prorated salary meets the minimum threshold of £25,000, as required by the UK Visas and Immigration. For Band 3 roles, only full-time positions at the top of the pay scale meet this threshold. Therefore, sponsorship may not be possible depending on salary increment placement and working hours.
Main duties of the job
* Contribute to the care planning process and provide high standards of safe and compassionate care.
* Work across planned and crisis pathways, supporting patients to remain well in their own homes, or long-term place of residence, and / or prevent hospital admission.
* Develop and maintain meaningful therapeutic relationships with people and ensure a positive care experience and service user safety.
* Attend to service users' personal care needs, which may involve physical tasks such as moving and handling of service users.
* Apply knowledge of long-term health conditions to provide advice and support.
* Exercise a degree of independence, under supervision, using initiative and judgment when delivering tasks.
* Participate in training/education and clinical supervision to develop skills and knowledge, applying continuous reflection on practice.
* All employees are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect patients.
We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. We strongly discourage this and will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.
About us
We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the West Yorkshire secure provider collaborative. Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers. We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities. As a foundation trust, we are accountable to our members who can have a say in how we are run. Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.
We reserve the right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.
Job responsibilities
JOB SUMMARY
* The post holder will work under the supervision/direction of registered health care professionals/associate practitioner within a delegated framework for agreed tasks, to deliver physical care to a defined group of people.
* Be flexible and skilled to work across planned and crisis pathways, supporting patients to remain well in their own homes, or long-term place of residence and/or prevent hospital admission.
* As part of a healthcare team, provide high standards of safe and compassionate planned care to maximise recovery and rehabilitation.
* Develop and maintain meaningful therapeutic relationships; adopt a polite, positive and empathetic approach with effective communication.
* Understand care and treatment programmes and be able to instruct, advise and guide service users, families and carers; communicate changes to service users and professionals.
* Work independently and with initiative, within own competence, following observation policies and safety procedures.
* Contribute to care planning and enable service users to achieve optimal functioning and independence.
* Implement care within established policies and guidelines; organise meaningful activities for individuals or small groups.
* Apply knowledge of longer-term health conditions and provide advice and support.
* Undertake physical aspects of care, including moving and handling with appropriate equipment and training.
* Assist in managing challenging behaviour with de-escalation techniques as required; include risk assessment and safety planning.
* Provide personal care and participate in flexible rostering to support 24-hour care as appropriate.
* Work in partnership with primary, secondary, social care, the independent and voluntary sector to improve health and care for individuals and communities.
Key result areas:
* Deliver excellent customer service; assess, problem solve or report promptly when standards are not met.
* Work with independence within defined parameters and seek supervision for issues outside competence.
* Prioritise tasks and refer as needed; contribute to initial assessments and individualised care plans to maximise recovery.
* Maintain accurate documentation and demonstrate competent IT and data input skills.
* Record clinical measurements and physical observations and respond to risks appropriately.
* Support self-management and promote independence, dignity and confidentiality.
* Contribute to risk management and safeguarding; participate in violence prevention and management where required.
* Move/escort service users as directed and ensure safe handling practices.
* Ensure a safe and collaborative working environment; uphold Trust values and promote quality of care.
1.2 Working as part of a Team:
* Work within other clinical areas as situation and staffing levels require; deliver person-centred care and participate in team meetings and quality improvement initiatives.
* Use equipment safely and responsibly; engage in good teamwork with health care professionals.
For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.
Person Specification
Physical Attributes
* A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to fairness and equality considerations).
* Able to meet Occupational Health requirements for the post (with reasonable adjustments).
Personal Attributes
* Responsive, professional, and capable of dressing appropriately for the environment.
* Current driving licence and access to a car during the working day are essential (adjustments possible for applicants unable to drive due to disability).
Qualifications
* GCSE A-D or grade 3-9 in Maths and English or equivalent.
* Apprenticeship Level 3 or equivalent (e.g., RQF NVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care or equivalent); or Level 2 with competencies at level 3.
* Care Certificate or to achieve within 12 weeks of commencement; Level 4 units in Health & Social Care.
* Experience in the speciality area; willingness to undertake further study towards Level 4.
Special Knowledge/Skills
* Customer care skills; flexible on a 24-hour shift pattern; safe decision making; confidentiality and trust; resilience to exposure to distressing situations; non-judgemental and empathetic; strong interpersonal, administration and organisational skills; ability to recognise risks and respond appropriately; value-based induction; language skills other than English; experience supervising/inducting others.
Training
* Willing to undertake all mandatory Trust training and ongoing development; knowledge of safety policies such as violence prevention and moving and handling.
Experience
* Experience in providing personal care and related procedures; experience in a caring environment at Band 2 or equivalent; experience dealing with the public; ability to work in a multidisciplinary team; demonstrated initiative and prioritisation; commitment to user/carer involvement.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and requires submission for Disclosure to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
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