Healthcare Assistant

St. Margaret’s Hospice; Taunton; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life assurance (2x salary)

Health Cash Plans

Employee Assistance Programme

Blue Light Discount Card

Enhanced maternity leave

Learning and development opportunities

Free on-site parking

Volunteer opportunities

Job summary

St Margaret’s Hospice in Taunton is seeking a Healthcare Assistant. You will join our in-patient team to provide high-quality, compassionate care to patients with life-limiting illness and support their families. The role requires Level 2 in Health and Social Care and a patient-centered approach.

The post is full-time (37.5 hours per week) with rotational shifts, including unsocial hours. We offer development opportunities and a supportive environment, with a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

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

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.

Skills

Caring demeanor

Enthusiastic team player

Education

Level 2 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:£25,450.33per 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, 37.5hours 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-rata 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

If you’d like to learn more about our team or have an informal chat before applying, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Anna Saunders, Senior Sister, at [e-mail]

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visasponsorshipat 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 otherregulatory, 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.