Community Health Care Assistant

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust; Barnsley; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional health organization in Barnsley is seeking a Community Health Care Assistant to deliver care to housebound patients. The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills and the ability to work flexibly across a seven-day shift pattern. Responsibilities include supporting patients in their homes, ensuring their safety and wellbeing, and participating in care planning. Applicants should have relevant qualifications and a commitment to user involvement.

Qualifications

• Experience in providing personal care for those with health needs.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Willingness to undertake further study towards level 4 qualification.

Responsibilities

• Support patients to remain well at home and prevent hospital admission.
• Provide safe and compassionate planned care.
• Maintain therapeutic relationships with service users.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to work flexibly

Empathetic manner

Customer care skills

Education

GCSE A-D or grade 3-9 in Maths and English or equivalent

Apprenticeship level 3 or equivalent

Care Certificate or required to achieve within 12 weeks of commencement

Job description

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Community Health Care Assistant

Closing date: 12 December 2025

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, motivated Band 3 Health Care Assistant to work within our Neighbourhood Nursing Service (NNS).

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 & related procedures to those with health & social needs.

If you possess excellent communication skills, have the ability to work flexibly & autonomously, this opportunity could be for you!

You will have the skills to work across both our planned nursing & crisis pathways, and be expected to work across a seven‑day week shift pattern including weekends & bank holidays.

Visa 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. Therefore, sponsorship may not be possible depending on working hours.

All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID‑19 to protect patients.

Main duties of the job

You will:

• Contribute to the care planning process & provide high standards of safe & compassionate care.
• Have the flexibility & skill set to work with planned & unplanned pathways, supporting patients to remain well in their own homes, or long‑term place of residence and / or prevent hospital admission.
• Develop & maintain meaningful therapeutic relationships with people & ensure the care experienced is positive & service user safety is maintained.
• Attend to service users personal care needs, which may involve undertaking physical aspects e.g., moving & handling of service user.
• Apply your knowledge of long‑term health conditions in order to provide advice/support.
• Exercise a degree of independence, under supervision, using your initiative & judgement when delivering tasks.
• Participate in training/education & clinical supervision to develop skills & knowledge, apply continuous reflection on own practice.

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 to the next stage. 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, we do this 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.

Being a foundation Trust means we are accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

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 do 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: Under the supervision/direction of registered health care professionals/associate practitioner, within a delegated framework for agreed tasks, seek support as and when necessary, in the delivery of physical care to a defined group of people.
• Have the flexibility and skill set, with appropriate training, 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 the highest standards of safe and compassionate planned care to people that maximises their recovery and rehabilitation potential.
• Develop and maintain meaningful therapeutic relationships with people. Adopt a polite, positive and empathetic approach, communicating effectively and informatively.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the care and treatment programmes of a designated group of service users to enable you to instruct, advise & guide service users, family and carers. To make the appropriate adjustments independently within own level of competence and be able to communicate any changes to service users and registered health care professionals.
• Be required to concentrate for periods of time, depending upon the care intervention/care plan eg, following the observation policy, taking, recording of physical observations etc, and responding to issues of concern appropriately. This may include areas of work requiring physical effort, with regard to risk, health & safety.
• Exercise a degree of independence, initiative and judgement and consider different approaches when delivering tasks. Assess situations, identify and resolve potential problems, within own levels of competence.
• Ensure the care experienced is positive and service user safety is maintained. Treat everyone eg, service users, their relatives, visitors, colleagues etc, with respect, dignity, courtesy and in accordance with the Trust’s Values.
• Contribute to the care planning process. Understand the principles underlying care planning eg, enabling the service user to reach an optimum level of functioning/independence/recovery.
• Implement care within well‑established policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines and established clinical care plans. Organise a range of activities e.g., facilitate meaningful activities for individuals or small groups.
• Apply knowledge of longer‑term health conditions e.g., Diabetes, Obesity, smoking cessation etc, providing advice and support.
• Undertake the physical aspects of care e.g., moving and handling of service users. Use items of equipment in delivering care e.g., hoists, wheelchairs etc. (as appropriate to the role), ensuring appropriate instruction on their use has been received.
• Assist in dealing with verbal/physical aggression using de‑escalation techniques, this may include theneed for restraint and/or seclusion (as appropriate to the role).
• Attend to the service users personal care needs as required.
• Participate in a flexible rostering arrangement providing 24‑hour/7‑day care (as appropriate to the role).
• Work in an integrated and partnership way with primary, secondary, social care, the independent and voluntary sector and others to improve the health and care of individuals, families and communities, particularly the most vulnerable.

For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.

Person Specification

Training

• Must be willing/able to undertake all appropriate Trust mandatory training requirements, and subsequent refresher training relevant to the area.
• Must be willing/able to undergo job development and training.
• Demonstrate excellent knowledge of service user safety, eg, Prevention & management of violence & aggression, moving and handling, etc.

Experience

• In providing personal care and related procedures for those with health/social needs.
• In working in a caring environment at a band 2 or equivalent level of competence.
• In dealing with the public.
• In working as an effective team member.
• Of demonstrating own duties.
• Ability to work effectively, professionally and independently or as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• In demonstrating initiative, decision‑making and prioritisation skills.
• Evidence of a commitment to user/carer involvement.

Physical Attributes

• A satisfactory sickness record over previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).
• Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for the post (with reasonable adjustments if necessary).

Qualifications

• GCSE A-D or grade 3-9 in Maths and English or equivalent.
• Apprenticeship level 3 or equivalent eg, RQF (regulated Qualification Framework) NVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care or equivalent.
• Or, level 2 qualification with the ability to demonstrate competencies at level 3.
• Care Certificate or required to achieve within 12 weeks of commencement.
• Level 4 units in Health & Social Care.
• Experience of the speciality area.
• Willingness to undertake further study towards level 4 qualification.

Special Knowledge/Skills

• As appropriate to the role:
• Demonstrates excellent customer care skills.
• Enthusiastic, able to work flexibly on a 24hr shift pattern to meet the needs of service users.
• Demonstrates safe decision making skills commensurate with role.
• Knows responsibilities regarding confidentiality and trust.
• Resilience to pressure and exposure to emotional, distressing or hazardous situations eg, verbal aggression, body fluids, etc.
• Non‑judgemental, empathetic manner.
• Demonstrates Trust Values.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Good administration and organisational skills.
• Able to use observation skills to identify potential services user, environmental etc. risks and act appropriately.
• Able to fulfil the requirements of the value based induction.
• Language skills other than English.
• Experience of supervising/inducting others.

Personal Attributes

• Responsive attitude and approach.
• Dress appropriately for the environment.
• A Current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such 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.

Employer name

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust