Health Care Assistant - General Medicine Ward 1A

NHS; Knowsley; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the United Kingdom is looking for a Health Care Assistant to join Ward 1A, delivering excellent patient care. Key responsibilities include assisting with personal hygiene, documenting care information, and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team. Candidates should have basic health and social care qualifications and demonstrate strong communication and interpersonal skills. This role requires flexibility, the ability to work in a team, and a commitment to high-quality patient care.

Benefits

Opportunities for training and development

Access to health and wellbeing support

Qualifications

• Completion of Trust Care Certificate within 4 months of appointment.
• Basic literacy and numeracy skills required.
• Experience of working in a patient care/health related role.

Responsibilities

• Undertake personal care duties for patients under supervision.
• Work with the multi-disciplinary team to provide compassionate care.
• Communicate effectively with patients and their families.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Flexibility

Teamwork

Education

NVQ level 2 Health and Social Care or equivalent

Trust Care Certificate

Basic literacy and numeracy skills

Job description

Health Care Assistant - General Medicine Ward 1A

The closing date is 16 December 2025

Exciting opportunities have arisen on Ward 1A General Medical in-patient ward. We are seeking highly motivated and enthusiastic workforce, with a passion for excellence within the delivery of patient care.

Ward 1A is a 37 bedded General Medical ward, the role will involve shift rotation and a team approach to working effectively as part of the multi-disciplinary team.

If you are the individual for this role and are also flexible, supportive and ready for an exciting new experience please apply.

It is expected that the successful candidate will have experience in an acute medical area but this is not necessary.

Main duties of the job

The Health Care Support Worker (HCSW) will:

• Undertake personal care duties for patients within the care setting accessing supervision from registered healthcare practitioner. Personal care refers to delivery of personal hygiene and assisting with feeding, not requiring clinical skills.
• Record patient's personal care information in accordance with local and trust policies.
• Work with all members of the multi-disciplinary team to deliver the Trust's vision and values providing safe, high quality compassionate, person-centred care.
• Demonstrate ward routine to new employees in own work area, where required.

About us

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our Services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Job responsibilities

• Work as part of a team and duties will be delegated by the registered healthcare professional.
• Act within the scope of your training and competence, knowing who to ask for help and support if you are not sure.
• Work within agreed ways of working, following relevant Trust standards, policies and protocols.
• Communicate compassionately and effectively with individuals and their families, carers and health care practitioners using a range of techniques, maintaining confidentiality and using tact, empathy, persuasion and reassurance.
• Observe, assess and respond to personal care patients needs appropriately, escalating concerns to nursing staff, as required.
• Organises self in general work tasks or when delivering patient care with supervision where needed from Senior Health Care Assistant and/or nursing staff.
• As directed, undertake personal care duties and support activities of daily living, e.g. mouth care, personal hygiene, and toileting needs, demonstrating person centred care.
• Safely deliver care duties including manoeuvring of patient equipment (such as hoists and wheelchairs).
• Under supervision of a registered healthcare practitioner, undertake delegated procedures within the limits of required training and measured competence, where appropriate. For example, patient moving and handling, and providing personal care.
• Support of patients feeding, diet and nutritional needs and accurately record patients nutritional intake and fluid intake and output, noticing and reporting changes to the nursing staff.
• Ensure patient property is managed as per Trust policy.
• Monitor levels of supplies and order supplies for the department as appropriate.
• Demonstrates own duties to new starters, contributing to the learning environment.
• To work in line with Trust policies and procedures
• Contributes to maintaining a safe, healthy working environment.
• Follow the principles for implementing a duty of care, always acting in the best interest of individuals to ensure they do not come to harm.
• Work in partnership with the individual, their carers/ families and the wider healthcare team.
• Maintain and further develop your own skills and knowledge through development and learning activities; maintain evidence of your personal development and actively prepare for and participate in appraisal.
• Participate in team handovers

Person Specification

Our Values

• We are Kind
• We are Open
• We are Inclusive

Qualifications

• Completion of Trust Care Certificate within 4 months of appointment
• Basic literacy and numeracy skills
• NVQ level 2 Health and Social Care or equivalent
• Care Certificate (equivalent to level 1)

Knowledge and Experience

• Knowledge of personal care and related procedures
• Experience of working in a team
• Experience of working in a patient care/health related role

Skills

• Ability to communicate effectively in both verbal and written formats
• Good interpersonal skills
• Able to work within a team
• Able to accept direction and guidance
• Aware of own limitations
• Able to prioritise own workload and manage time effectively
• Flexible, adaptable and responsive to change
• Reliable and professional
• Ability to cope in stressful and challenging situations
• Inclusive and non-judgmental
• Punctual, motivated and committed
• Effective role model demonstrating Trust values
• Basic IT skills

Other

• Frequent, moderate effort for several short periods during the shift such as manual handling patients to supporting patients personal care
• Occasional requirement for concentration, with few competing demands for attention
• Aware that developing resilience to distressing situations is necessary without losing the ability to care compassionately
• Aware of the process for accessing staff health and wellbeing support
• Occasional exposure to distressing situations which may care of chronic health conditions, patient end of life care/ care after death
• Able to carry out direct personal care as required on ward or department
• Frequent exposure to blood or body fluids
• Occasional exposure to patients with challenging behaviours

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

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust