Healthcare Assistant

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust; Littledean; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free car parking

27 days leave + bank holidays (33 days

NHS pension

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting for a Band 3 Health Care Assistant at Forest of Dean Community Hospital, Cinderford, Gloucestershire. The post offers a permanent contract with 37.5 hours per week, available as full-time or part-time, on-site at Forest of Dean Community Hospital.

The role supports an MDT in sub-acute and rehabilitation care, with development opportunities from Band 2 to Band 3 and pathways toward Nursing, Midwifery or Paramedic Science.

Qualifications

• NATURE OF EXPERIENCE section outlines general expectations.
• Experience working in NHS is desirable but not essential.
• Desirable prior caring experience, including voluntary work.

Responsibilities

• Participate and assist in the delivery of care and services to patients.
• Provide safe and compassionate care under supervision of registered nurses.
• Assist with activities of daily living and nutritional support.
• Take and record observations and perform tasks as directed (e.g., venepuncture, catheter care, ECG).

Education

GCSE English and Maths or level 4 and above

Care Certificate

Job description

Band 3 (Starting Band 2 Development post)

Main area Health care assistant Grade Band 3 (Starting Band 2 Development post) Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (Full and Part time hours available) Job ref 327-26-752

Site Forest of Dean Community Hospital Town Cinderford Salary £25,272 - £27,476 per annum (pro rata) Salary period Yearly Closing 04/10/2026 23:59

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you ’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

Hours per week – Variety of hours available

Interview Location : Forest of Dean Community Hospital, Cinderford, Gloucestershire, GL14 3HY

Here at the Forest of Dean Community Hospital we deliver the highest standards of care to our patients.

We pride ourselves on being a dynamic close knit team that delivers rehabilitation and subacute care within a Community Hospital Setting. You will be an integral part of an experienced multidisciplinary team, supporting and facilitating the care needs for 24 inpatients in a purpose built hospital in the beautiful Forest of Dean countryside.

Join us in developing your skills in sub-acute medicine, rehabilitation and palliative care.

This post is open to candidates who are looking to start their career in a nursing environment with no previous experience or alternatively the more experienced carer looking for a change to further their clinical knowledge and skills.

This role is an ideal opportunity to develop a career within a multidisciplinary team in a hospital environment and can be used as a stepping stone to gain experience prior to commencing or alongside training in Nursing, Midwifery or Paramedic Science.

We welcome potential candidates to come for a look around and get a feel for what we do by prior arrangement.

Main duties of the job

As a Health Care Assistant/ Support Worker you will be responsible for participating and assisting in the delivery of care / services to patients.

You will be expected to provide safe and compassionate care of a high standard under supervision of registered nurses.

You will be expected to assist patients with activities of daily living including personal care and nutritional and dietary support.

You will be expected to take and record observations and undertake additional supportive tasks as directed by registered nurse eg venepuncture , catheter care , ECG recording etc.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us . In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views . It was great to hear that:

72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.

76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement . However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a Health Care Assistant you will be responsible for participating and assisting in the delivery of care and services to patients and service users as part of a Mental Health and Social Care Health Service. Health Care Assistant, employed by the Trust are required to follow the guidance set out in Code of Conduct for Health Care Assistants/ Health Care Support Workers to provide safe and compassionate care of a high standard, and to challenge others who are not.

Previous experience is desirable but not essential. If you are new to care and hold no experience in healthcare, then we offer a fantastic development opportunity with a structured development plan (including achieving the Care Certificate). You will progress from a pay band 2 to pay band 3 on achievement of the Care Certification.

You will receive direct supervision and partake in reflective practice and training on a regular basis and to support you meeting the Care Certificate standards. All successful applicants will also have the opportunity to discuss the prospect of undertaking a Level 3 Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship alongside their substantive post. This apprenticeship would include the Level 3 Diploma in Clinical Healthcare.

When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post. Please remember that skills and experience gained outside of work can be used as evidence in your application.

Gloucestershire Health and Care is committed to embedding and providing personalised care through all of its services as part of our high-quality care strategy. The purpose of personalised care is to empower people to lead the lives they want to live. Personalised care starts with a conversation with people about what matters to them. It builds on what people can do, as well as addressing their health needs. Including new ways of working and delivering care, emphasising that we need to make effective use of the full range of our people’s skills and experience to deliver the best possible patient care. So we want to know What Matters to You and that you will share our values and join us on this very important journey.

Person specification

Experience

• Experience working in NHS

QUALIFICATIONS

• C and above in GCSE English and Maths or level 4 and above (or equivalent Adult Literacy and Numeracy).
• Care Certificate

NATURE OF EXPERIENCE

• Some awareness of role and location
• No previous experience is required although it would be desirable that the individual is able to demonstrate some prior experience and understanding of caring for others on a voluntary basis

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for financial and pastoral support from the King’s Trust, with who we are in partnership with to support your first 6 months in role. We will pass on your details to the King’s Trust who will be in touch with you if you are eligible. If you would rather not be contacted, please let us know.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

Good luck with your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.