Health Care Support Worker

Hampshire And Isle Of Wight Healthcare Nhs Foundation Trust; Southampton; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an enthusiastic Healthcare Support Worker to join our integrated sexual health service in Southampton. The role involves supporting screening, treatment of STIs, HIV care and contraception across South Hampshire, with travel between clinics required.

You’ll work 37.5 hours per week, with on-the-job training and regular supervision from a line manager and mentor.

Qualifications

• Healthcare qualification Level 2 or 3 or working towards gaining equivalent level
• GCSE English and maths achieved
• Willingness to learn and strong people skills

Responsibilities

• Collect and process a variety of specimens
• Perform venepuncture and basic observations of patients
• Assist clinicians during examinations and procedures
• Maintain stock levels and order supplies as needed
• Travel between Sexual Health clinics across South Hampshire
• Administrative duties including reception tasks
• Treat all patients with dignity and respect and de‑escalate challenging situations

Skills

Healthcare qualification Level 2/3

Education

GCSE English and Maths

Job description

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic, motivated and flexible Healthcare Support Worker to join our integrated sexual health service. We provide screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, HIV care and contraception to a diverse population of clients. This vacancy is for 37.5 hours - The main base will be Southampton but there will be a requirement to cover other clinics in the South locality as and when required. In return you will become a valued member of a team known for its innovation and high standard of care. You will be supported to complete in house training by a line manager and HCSW 'mentor'. You will have regular one to one meetings and appraisals to monitor your progress and development needs. In addition, the service offers regular education sessions and clinical supervision. For this post, you will need to be able to travel between sites. The successful candidate may have some previous experience working as a Healthcare Support Worker or in a sexual health environment but this is not essential. People skills and a willingness to learn are paramount. You will be expected to work in sexual health clinics across South Hampshire and on occasion, and dependent on the needs of the service, we may ask you to support other clinics across our Hampshire sites.

Main duties of the job

• Collect and process a variety of specimens.
• Perform venepuncture
• Undertake basic observations of patients, including blood pressure.
• Manage asymptomatic patients.
• Able to assist the Clinician during IUD fittings
• Processes routine samples by labelling, recording, and storing appropriately
• Performs light microscopy for sexually transmitted infections
• Maintains stock levels and orders stock as necessary
• Travels to spoke clinics or other locations within Sexual Health
• Administrative duties as required, including reception tasks
• Develop rapport with patients and treat all patients, carers and staff with dignity and respect
• Frequently use interpersonal and communication skills to de-escalate and reduce aggressive behaviour if encountered from patients and carers
• Implement agreed standards of care provision in line with local Ward/Unit/community and Trust policies, Adhere to all Trust Policies and Procedures
• Be aware of own limitations, seek support when the need arises, maintain professional boundaries at all times
• Acts as patients chaperone, when required, for doctors and nurses during examinations and procedures providing privacy and dignity
• Observes patients right to confidentiality specifically in relation to contraception and sexual health
• Aware of the specific confidentiality rights of patients aged under 18, attending the service

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence.

Qualifications

Essential

• Healthcare qualification Level 2, 3 or working towards gaining equivalent level
• Good basic education or GSCE in English and maths

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.

Closing date: 04 November 2026

Reference number: 348-CSS-12908