Job overview
Join one of our welcoming and supportive teams as a Senior Healthcare Assistant where you will have the chance to learn, grow, and thrive. Our friendly environment ensures you will be guided and developed by our award-winning Education Team every step of the way. Rest assured, you will make a significant impact on our patients every single day, fostering a sense of pride and value in your work.
We offer full training that we have developed ourselves – in fact, your first three weeks starts with you completing your Care Certificate which you will then take onto the ward/department you are allocated to and proudly showcase all your new skills.
Our hospitals do not close, so as you would expect, we do work on a shift basis – our patients need our care and attention 24 hours a day 7 days a week, so everyone gets involved working different shifts to ensure our patients receive the very best. Typically, you would usually work a day or night shift: 07:00-19:30 & 19:00-07:30. We ask our teams how they feel about the shifts and much feedback that it is great to have a varied work pattern & can really help with care responsibilities and ensuring an excellent work life balance & meeting even more colleagues.
We promise you that you will make a difference to our patients every single day and we know that is what will really motivate you. We will be proud of you; you will be proud of you, and you will be so valued here.
Main duties of the job
As you would expect, we do work on a shift basis – our patients need our care and attention 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Typically, you would usually work a four shift system; early, late, twilight and nights. You would need total flexibility for this role.
As a Senior Healthcare Assistant, you will play a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of life for our patients and residents. You will be entrusted with delivering personalised care to patients and performing a spectrum of clinical duties under the guidance of the team leader/nurse in charge. From assisting with personal hygiene and toileting to catheter and stoma care, your responsibilities will encompass a diverse range of essential tasks.
Embrace the opportunity to contribute to patient safety, conduct assessments, and carry out various clinical procedures.
You must have a willingness to undertake further training E.G. phlebotomy, ECG recording to support the team in the management of patients with acute medical conditions. In return you will be fully supported by colleagues who are committed to teaching and nurturing. We recognise that our staff are our most valuable resource, and we are proud of the excellent levels of service our team provides to our service users and the dedication and professionalism of our staff.
Experience of working with acute patients in a hospital setting would be beneficial, and working well within a team is also essential.
Working for our organisation
If you have always aspired to work in your local hospital caring for our patients and working alongside highly motivated teams, then you are going to love this role. We will invest such a lot in you and your development by supporting you, ensuring you stay up to date with all clinical competencies & from day one you will be supported to achieve further qualifications in healthcare if that’s what you want to do, as well as meet the government standards for care within the NHS.
Our initial Care Certificate training is 3 weeks long & full time as there is so much to cram into the time, so you will need to ensure you can attend this, as you cannot start on the Wards without completion of the course.
You will make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care and enhancing their experience which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
One thing that we can promise you, is that no two days will ever be the same! We are also not going to shy away and say that this role will be easy; sometimes the role will be tough, you will see and be involved in some difficult things involving our patients.
Whilst personal care will form a large part of your role, you will also take samples from our patients for testing or dispatching, you’ll undertake clinical duties relevant to the area you are allocated, such as monitoring patients’ vital signs, accurately calculating Early Warning Scores, recognising signs of unwell Patients, and escalating in a timely manner.
Patient safety is in the essence of everything that we do here at the Trust, so maintaining a certain standard of care is so important.
Person specification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
1. Minimum of 12 months recent experience of working in a health or social care setting delivering care for people
2. Understanding of health and safety issues within healthcare
3. Understanding of concept and application of confidentiality
4. Understanding of the role of a Senior Healthcare Assistant
Desirable criteria
5. Minimum 6 months experience of working in an acute healthcare setting providing care to people
Qualifications and Experience
Essential criteria
6. Demonstrates strong numeracy and literacy skills equivalent to Functional skills Level 2, GCSE C or 4 or equivalent numeracy and literacy skills (which would be assessed at interview)
7. Care Certificate or must enrol onto the next available programme on commencement in post
Desirable criteria
8. NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care (must include practical work-based assessments and not an online only qualification) OR •Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Level 2 internal training programme in care