Healthcare Assistant

NHS; Basildon; On-site; GBP 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare trust in Basildon is seeking a Healthcare Assistant to join its Surgical Referral Unit. The role involves supporting patient care, collaborating with qualified staff, and ensuring effective communication within the team. Candidates should have at least GCSEs in Math and English, good literacy skills, and preferably experience in a healthcare setting. This position provides a rewarding opportunity to make a difference in patients’ lives, promoting comfort and dignity in care.

Qualifications

• GCSE Math and English or equivalent required.
• Good literacy demonstrated through minimal spelling and grammatical errors.
• Previous experience in a healthcare setting is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide basic personal care to patients.
• Safely assist in moving and handling patients.
• Obtain and record patient specimens.
• Respond appropriately to emergency situations.

Skills

Good literacy

Patient care

Communication

Education

GCSE Math and English or equivalent

Job description

Healthcare Assistant

The closing date is 28 December 2025

We are looking for a Healthcare Assistant to join our friendly Surgical Referral Unit.

In this role, you'll:

• Work closely with our ward team, building strong and positive relationships.
• Support qualified staff in providing safe, high-quality clinical care.
• Promote equality and respect for every patient's beliefs and identity.
• Communicate effectively, ensuring important information reaches the right people.
• Offer comfort and guidance to patients and relatives as they adjust to life changes caused by illness or injury.

Please be aware that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a suitable number of applications.

No VISA sponsorship available for this role

Main duties of the job

• Basic patient care - this could include personal hygiene.
• Undertake patient moving and handling using a safe and correct procedure.
• Obtaining, testing and recording specimens from the patient.
• Responding appropriately to emergency situations

About us

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) brings together key health, care, community, and voluntary sector organisations from across our area. Our aim is to work together in partnership to join up health and care services, improving our populations health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities. One such example of this collaborative work is the launch of our HCA Academy, an ICS initiative between Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) to support the incoming Health Care assistant (HCA) workforce. The academy models a 'one workforce' cross system approach to the onboarding, induction, education, and experience of Healthcare Assistants.

Successful candidates to this role will be able to access the additional support provided by the HCA Academy following their induction with MSEFT. This includes development opportunities, pastoral support, staff rewards and access to HCA exclusive resources such as HCA App.

Job responsibilities

Are you looking for an exciting role using your unique qualities, then we want to hear from you. For full details about this varied and rewarding role, please see attached job description. We look forward to your application.

Qualifications

• GCSE Math and English or English

Knowledge and Experience

• Good literacy demonstrated through minimal spelling and grammatical errors through applications
• Previous experience of working in health care setting

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

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

£24,937 a yearPer Annum (Pro Rata for Part Time)