Donor Carer

NHS Blood and Transplant; Reading; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

27 days annual leave plus Bank Hols

NHS Pension Scheme

Training and development

Health and wellbeing support

Job summary

NHS Blood and Transplant is looking for a friendly, people‑oriented individual to greet donors and support them through the donation process. You’ll work a rota with no night shifts, and training is provided to ensure excellent care at every step.

You don’t need a healthcare background; experience in retail, hospitality or customer service is valued. You’ll learn practical healthcare skills and join a supportive team in a hands‑on role with lifting and moving.

Qualifications

• Experience dealing with the public.
• Experience delivering a quality customer service.
• Willing to learn new technology skills and undergo digital training.

Responsibilities

• Be the friendly face that greets donors and supports them through the donation process.
• Check donors in on systems and ensure comfort during and after donation.
• Keep accurate records and handle blood products safely.
• Drive the equipment lorry with full training provided.

Skills

Public experience

Customer service

Technology skills

Education

Numeracy and literacy

Skills for Health Care Certificate

UK Driving Licence

Job description

Job Summary

It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you’ll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK.

The role involves working a variety of hours that change on a rotational basis, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays, but no night shifts! You will work 8 days per fortnight (4 days per week).

Your shifts will be on a rota basis, but the early shifts may be 07:30 and finish at 18:30 and the late shifts may start at 10:30 and finish at 22:00. These days are approximately 9.5 hours.

Main duties of the job

Are you a people person who loves making others feel comfortable and supported? If you’re someone who naturally puts others at ease, enjoys chatting with people, and can handle questions and concerns with confidence, this could be the perfect role for you!

You don’t need a healthcare background; experience in retail, hospitality, customer service, or even volunteering is just as valuable. If you’ve worked in a team and know what it means to go the extra mile for someone, we’d love to hear from you. Bring your positive attitude and enthusiasm for delivering a great experience, and we’ll provide all the training you need.

In this role, you’ll learn practical healthcare skills and take a step into the NHS. You’ll be the friendly face that greets our donors, supports them through the donation process, and makes sure they leave feeling good about their experience. From checking them in on our systems to ensuring they’re comfortable during and after their donation, your focus will be on delivering excellent care every step of the way.

You’ll also keep accurate records, handle blood products safely, and ensure everything is set up for a smooth session. Plus, you’ll get the opportunity to drive our equipment lorry (don’t worry, we’ll give you full training for that!).

It’s a hands‑on, active role with some lifting and moving, so you’ll need to be comfortable working on your feet and as part of a supportive, close‑knit team.

If you’re ready to build a meaningful career, gain valuable skills, and make a real difference, we can’t wait to welcome you on board!

About You

Experience and Knowledge

• Have experience of dealing with the public.
• Have experience of delivering a quality customer service.
• Be willing to learn new technology skills and undergo digital training.

Qualifications and Training

• Have a good standard of numeracy and literacy.
• Be willing to undertake development and training to upskill yourself including completion of the Skills for Health Care Certificate.
• Hold a valid full UK Driving Licence (Manual) with no more than 6 penalty points (provisional licences will not be accepted).

About Us

It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you’ll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary‑ donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.

Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do.

By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work – and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we’ll save and improve more lives than ever.

You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

What we offer

• 6-week training period to fully prepare you for your career with us, including your Skills for Healthcare Certificate.
• Rotas published 6 weeks ahead of time.
• No night shifts.
• Payments for unsociable hours, overtime, meal and driving allowances where applicable.
• Flexible working options – we promote flexible working where the role allows. We’re happy to discuss what flexibility might look like for you.
• Generous annual leave – 27 days annual leave (pro rata for part-time) plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service and to 33 days after 10 years.
• Inclusive pension scheme – the NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme (not dependent on investment returns). Further details and outline of benefits can be found at http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/information-about-nhs-pensions
• Supportive learning culture – we’ve fostered a culture of continuous learning where colleagues are well-led, engaged, and encouraged to grow. We support you in reaching your full potential, both in your current role and future career. Our Thrive program embodies our commitment to learning and development, offering a wide range of activities to support your personal and professional growth. It’s open to everyone at NHSBT, ensuring you have the resources to succeed and shine in your role.
• Health and wellbeing support – we offer confidential services including occupational health, employee assistance programme, and wellbeing resources. Our support is available to all colleagues and we endeavour to provide tailored workplace adjustments where possible.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applications from disabled candidates. We will talk with you to explore any adjustments that may help you during the recruitment process.

You can find more information about accessibility, our culture, and how we support applicants on the NHSBT Careers website:

• Read about our application process
• Learn more about our culture at NHSBT

This vacancy will close at 23:59 on Saturday 19 September 2026.

For informal enquiries about the job please contact Grace Njihia, Senior Sister of the team at [e-mail].