Healthcare Assistant

St Margaret's Hospice Care; Taunton; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site parking

Health Cash Plans

Life assurance (2x salary)

Employee Assistance Programme

Pension scheme

Job summary

St Margaret’s Hospice Care in Taunton is hiring a Healthcare Assistant on a full-time basis (37.5 hours per week). The role involves delivering specialist palliative care to patients, supporting families, and collaborating with the multidisciplinary team.

Salary is £25,450.33 per annum with 30% unsocial hours on Saturdays and 60% on Sundays/public holidays. Benefits include NHS-style pension, life cover, health plans, and free on-site parking in Yeovil and Taunton.

Qualifications

• Qualified to Level 2 in Health and Social Care.
• A caring, enthusiastic individual who thrives on being part of a patient focused team.
• Shifts reflect a 24-hour rota with rotation and flexibility required.

Responsibilities

• Providing specialist palliative care that is patient-centred, holistic and quality driven.
• Providing appropriate support and advice for families, carers, and bereaved relatives.
• Working as part of the multidisciplinary team under the direction and leadership of the registered staff, supporting them to meet the needs of patients and their families.

Education

Level 2 in Health and Social Care

Job description

St Margaret’s Hospice Care has a fantastic opportunity for a Healthcare Assistant to join our team in Taunton.

• Salary: £25,450.33 per annum
• Unsocial Hours payments: 30% for all time on a Saturday (midnight to midnight) and any weekday after 8pm and before 6am. 60% for all time on a Sunday and Public Holidays (midnight to midnight)
• Working Pattern: Full time, 37.5 hours per week

Our healthcare assistants provide outstanding patient care to those with a life limiting illness, making each day count for those who rely on St Margaret’s services.

As an employer we hope to nurture and develop all our staff to ensure that you are achieving your full potential and actively encourage all staff in their training and education.

What can you expect to be doing?

We currently have a vacancy for a Healthcare Assistant, qualified to Level 2 in Health and Social Care, within our In-patient team.

Responsibilities as our Healthcare Assistant will include:

• Providing specialist palliative care that is patient-centred, holistic and quality driven.
• Providing appropriate support and advice for families, carers, and bereaved relatives.
• Working as part of the multidisciplinary team under the direction and leadership of the registered staff, supporting them to meet the needs of patients and their families.

What will you be good at?

You will be:

• Qualified to Level 2 in Health and Social Care
• A caring, enthusiastic individual who thrives on being part of a patient focused team.

Our in-patient unit is a 24 hour a day service, and shifts will reflect this working on a rotational basis, so flexibility is required of all staff.

Our Values

At St Margaret’s Hospice, our values guide everything we do. We are:

• Compassionate: Kindness and care for everyone, every day
• Collaborative: One team, working together for one goal
• Ambitious: Striving for better, now and into the future.

If these values resonate with you, we’d love to hear from you.

Inclusive recruitment

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

If your experience broadly matches the role and you’re motivated to make a difference, we encourage you to apply.

If you need adjustments during recruitment, please contact [e-mail].

Why join St Margaret’s Hospice?

You won’t just be joining a fantastic team - you'll become part of a welcoming, community-minded charity making a real difference every day.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment alongside a range of benefits including:

Holiday entitlement

• 33 days including bank holidays, rising to 35 days after 1 year, and increasing with length of service (pro‑ratio if part‑time)
• Ability to buy and sell annual leave

Pension scheme

• NHS pension continuation where applicable*
• 6% employer / 5% employee contribution for non-NHS staff

Additional Benefits

• Life assurance cover (2x salary)
• Health Cash Plans
• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 GP access, counselling, wellbeing support, and legal/financial advice
• Blue Light Discount Card
• Enhanced maternity leave*
• Excellent learning and development opportunities
• Free on-site parking in Yeovil and Taunton
• Opportunities to volunteer and support fundraising initiatives
• Eligibility criteria applies

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Closing date:

15/09/2026

We may interview suitable candidates before the closing date and reserve the right to close the advert early.

Safer Recruitment

St Margaret's Hospice are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those who use our services.

As part of our safer recruitment processes, all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks relevant to the role. These may include verification of identity, right to work, references, qualifications, DBS, and other regulatory, fraud prevention, and compliance checks.

The DBS offers a confidential checking process for transgender applicants, allowing gender or name details not to appear on the DBS certificate.