Domestic Assistant

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester is seeking a dedicated Domestic Assistant to support a clean, safe hospital environment.

You will follow national cleaning standards, work as part of a team, and ensure waste disposal and hygiene across patient and staff areas, contributing to overall infection prevention and control measures.

Qualifications

• Level 1 functional skills in English and Maths.
• Basic computer literacy required.

Responsibilities

• Provide an efficient, high quality domestic service to patients, visitors, and staff.
• Adhere to cleaning policies, procedures and frequencies.
• Operate mechanical cleaning equipment such as scrubbing and buffing machines.
• Report hazards and incidents to the domestic supervisor.
• Remove clinical and general waste according to Trust procedures.
• Maintain cleanliness of toilets, showers, and patient areas.

Skills

Team player

Effective communication

Follow cleaning schedules

Reliable and punctual

High-pressure environment

Able to work at heights

Education

NVQ Level 1 in cleaning or equivalent

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Isolation room enhanced cleaning (appendix A).
• General cleaning.
• High- and low-level dusting and cleaning.
• Wet and dry mopping.
• Maintain all floor surfaces using equipment as required.
• Clean and store equipment after use.
• Removal clinical and general waste.
• Cleaning and descaling of toilets and sanitary areas.
• Cleaning baths, taps, and showers.
• Removal and cleaning of bodily fluids in public areas.
• Curtain changing - taking curtains down and re-hanging new.
• Replenish all disposables, hand towels, toilet rolls, soaps, and gels.

Responsibilities

• Provide an efficient, high quality domestic service to patients, visitors, and staff.
• Adhere to cleaning policies, procedures, and cleaning frequencies.
• Awareness of health and safety risk assessments and procedures.
• Operate mechanical cleaning equipment i.e., including scrubbing and buffing equipment, vacuum cleaner, and carpet shampoo equipment.
• To check the health and safety of domestic equipment and report any hazards or potential hazards to the domestic supervisor.
• Removal of clinical and general waste from ward and department to designated waste store.
• To be responsible for reporting all accidents and incidents to the domestic supervisor.
• To ensure that personal protection equipment and clean uniform is worn at all times when on duty in accordance with the Trust policy.
• Respond to rectifications following audits within a given timescale.
• To report any signs of infestation to the Domestic Supervisor.
• Demonstrates the Christie values and accountable for own attitude and behaviour.
• Receive and carryout instruction in own area of work.
• Liaise with ward and department staff, to prioritise work areas and workloads.
• Good communication skills and helpful manner to be able communicate sensitively when patients/relatives make enquiries.
• To have a basic knowledge of trust policy and procedures relating to the area of work.
• Staff will be fully trained in accordance with National Cleaning Standards.
• Staff will undertake the trust corporate essential training (CET) and ensure annual compliance with training requirements.
• Staff will undertake departmental induction training including manual handling and working at heights.
• Agree changes to working practices or procedures for own work area when required.
• All staff to work in accordance with COSHH regulations and to follow all instructions given during training and mandatory training.
• Will work largely unsupervised on a daily basis but will know when to seek supervision and further assistance where necessary.
• Respond to ward/department activity and work schedules. This requires a degree of planning and prioritising own workload.
• Frequently required to exert moderate physical effort for short periods of time by lifting and pushing equipment, collection of equipment and consumables from stores.
• Moderate bending and stooping are required when cleaning equipment, fixtures and fittings, and floors.
• Requires a high level of concentration for sustained periods, including responding to unpredictable work patterns and interruptions.
• Working at heights.
• Ability to act calmly and quickly in emergencies.
• Frequent exposure to dirt, dust and bodily fluids.
• To undertake domestic duties with occasional exposure to distressing and emotional circumstances.
• Clean and maintaining the condition of domestic services equipment.
• To ensure all cleaning is carried out in accordance with the National Standards of Health Care Cleanliness (NSHCC).
• Domestic Staff must be able to prepare, provide and maintain a clean, safe and healthy environment. The standard must comply with the current PLACE instructions.
• To undertake isolation cleaning when required following correct procedures. (Appendix A).
• Ensure full uniform and personal protective equipment (PPE), is worn at all times as required.
• Ensure personal appearance is clean and smart at all times.
• Liaise with ward and department staff to receive any special instructions on isolation room cleans as detailed within departmental and infection control procedures.
• Good communication skills and helpful manner and communicate sensitively when patients/relatives make enquiries.
• Ensure cleaning standards are consistently achieved in line with trust policies, procedures, cleaning schedules and monitoring targets.
• Awareness of health and safety risk assessments and procedures.
• Propose changes to working practices or procedures for own work area.
• Clean and maintain the condition of domestic services equipment, report faults as they may occur.
• Ensure stock control in own area of work e.g., soaps, gels, paper towels, mops, cloths etc.
• Propose changes to working practices or procedures for own work area.
• Provide support to new starters, to gain confidence and experience in a new environment.
• To ensure that trust HR policies and procedures are adhered to at all times.
• Basic information technologies (IT) knowledge and skills. Be able to log on to a computer enter a password to access trust information systems.
• Undertake the trust online training.
• To operate the toilet time monitoring systems in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, follow all cleaning schedules and guidelines.
• Undertake trust and departmental training either online e-lite bites or classroom training sessions.
• Participate in domestic services departmental monitoring in own area of work.
• Will work largely unsupervised on a daily basis but will know when to seek supervision and further assistance where necessary.
• Respond to ward/department activity and maintain delivery of work schedules. This requires a degree of planning and prioritising own workload.
• Frequently required to exert moderate physical effort for short periods of time by lifting equipment and disposable stores, e.g., carrying mop buckets filled with water, making and stripping beds.
• Moderate bending and stooping will be required when cleaning equipment, fixtures and fittings, floors and equipment.
• Requires a high level of concentration for sustained periods, including responding to unpredictable work patterns and interruptions.
• Undertake isolation cleaning when required following correct procedures.
• When using cleaning equipment and materials it is important to ensure that adequate safety precautions are taken at all times.
• Ability to act calmly and quickly in emergencies.
• Occasional exposure to distressing and emotional circumstances when cleaning in patient areas.
• To be helpful and sensitive when patients/relatives make enquiries.
• This role is manual working where conditions can be extreme cold and warm.
• Frequent exposure to dirt, dust and bodily fluids.
• Long periods of standing/bending.
• Exposure to cleaning products
• COSHH regulations must be fully adhered to at all times whilst using cleaning materials.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Level 1 functional skills in English, Math
• Can demonstrate basic level of computer literacy

Desirable criteria

• NVQ Level 1 in cleaning or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrate an understanding of the domestic assistant role within a healthcare setting.

Desirable criteria

• Previous Domestic Experience
• Experience working in a health care setting
• Experience in cleaning protocols

Skills

Essential criteria

• Able to work as part of a team.
• Able to communicate effectively.
• Able to follow standardised cleaning schedules.
• Reliable, punctual, and flexible.
• Able to work in a high-pressure environment.
• Able to work at heights.

Desirable criteria

• Contributes to own personal development

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Understands the importance of hygiene in a health care setting

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of infection control
• Knowledge of COSHH
• Knowledge of National Cleaning Standards

Values

Essential criteria

• A good understanding of Trust Values and Behaviours and ability to demonstrate these values in the working day.

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role)

The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.

Sponsorship Information - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the