Healthcare Assistant (B3)

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust; South Shields; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Part time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK seeks a Healthcare Assistant to deliver compassionate patient care and therapies for cognitively frail patients. The role requires a caring individual with strong communication skills and relevant qualifications to assist in hospital settings. This position offers training and a supportive environment to enhance patients' experiences at a critical time.

Benefits

Access to fitness centre

Career progression and support

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Substantive customer services experience or experience of working in a caring role.
• Willingness to complete Competency Based Assessments.

Responsibilities

• Assist the registered practitioner in providing high quality patient care.
• Maintain patients privacy and dignity at all times.
• Carry out tasks as delegated by the registered practitioner.

Skills

Communication skills

Customer care skills

Basic IT skills

Ability to assist patients

Education

Mathematics and English at level 1 or above (GCSE A-E)

NVQ Level 2 qualification in health and social care

Tools

Basic keyboard skills

Job description

Go back South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Healthcare Assistant (B3)

The closing date is 11 December 2025

We are looking for a highly enthusiastic individual to work with the Hospital Elder Life Practitioners within our trust. The post offers a challenging opportunity to gain knowledge of delirium and dementia. We are searching for a new band 3 who is a dynamic, highly motivated and passionate individual committed to high quality patient care within the hospital setting. The Hospital Elder Life Programme Assistant will provide therapies and support to cognitively frail patients across the trust. These therapies will be conducted both with the Alexandra centre at Sunderland and also within the ward environment at both South Tyneside and Sunderland. These therapies will aid in improving patients experience, reducing incidence of delirium, reducing falls, providing an enhanced level of care for patients and improving orientation. The team provide multi-component therapies within the inpatient setting inorder to reach these goals and will act as shining examples of the quality care we provide to this patient group.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the job will be to provide multicomponent therapies to cognitively frail patients. These therapies include:

• Provide enhanced 1:1 care for patients who have an ongoing delirium or dementia, ensuring that appropriate stimulation, engagement, reorientation and meeting dietary and fluid intake requirements.
• Assisting with diet and fluid support for patients around the trust, including activities such as assisting with meal times, feeding assistance and ensuring appropriate prompting, documentation and encouragement of dietary and fluid intake.
• Carrying out life story session and engaging in reminiscence work within our patient group, including life story work and music therapy where appropriate in the Alexandra centre.
• Facilitating crafts and themed sessions both on wards and within the Alexandra centre.
• Ensuring patients mobility needs are met and contributing to the PJ Paralysis initiative by ensuring patients are as mobile as possible during their inpatient stay.
• Providing appropriate personal care to maintain patient privacy and dignity at all times.
• You will be required to develop the necessary skills to support our patients. This will involve training sessions and support by the practitioners within the team.

For informal enquiries please contact: Claire Boylan [e-mail] and Kathryn Wressell on [e-mail] or telephone [phone].

About us

Please add your telephone number to your application form so we can contact you quickly if required.

One Team One Trust - There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment.

We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion / belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Looking after our workforce health and wellbeing is a priority for us. We also provide access to high quality education, training, career progression and support. Flexible working is supported via our Flexible Working Policy.

The Trust employs around 8,746 people and provides a range of hospital services to a local community of around 430,000 residents. We also provide a range of more specialised services outside this area. We offer our staff outstanding benefits - Fitness Centre (SRH), libraries at both hospital sites, chaplaincy support and access to a Care Co-ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements.

If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for full details

• Assist the registered practitioner (or other healthcare practitioners) in providing high quality compassionate patient care and assistance to patients / relatives and their carers appropriate to their needs.
• Maintain patients privacy and dignity at all times.
• Responsible for carrying out tasks as delegated by the registered practitioner who has overall accountability for delegating care.
• Continue to develop and maintain competences to support high quality safe care.
• Be an effective part of the multi-disciplinary team contributing to the departmental objectives.
• Contribute to housekeeping and other ward duties as required, e.g. general tidiness, pre-determined stock levels are met and clinical equipment is clean, working and stored correctly. Assist with admin & clerical duties as required.
• To comply with the Trusts vision values, behavioural compact, as well as policies and procedures.

Person Specification

Physical Skills

• Ability to assist patients to move, as per Trust Moving and Handling Policy.

Experience

• Substantive customer services experience or experience of working in a caring role (paid or unpaid).
• Mathematics and English at level 1 or above (GCSE A E or equivalent).
• NVQ Level 2 qualification in health and social care / customer care or equivalent in any subject.

Qualifications

• Mathematics and English at level 1 or above (GCSE A E or equivalent).
• NVQ Level 2 qualification in health and social care / customer care or equivalent in any subject.

Skills & Knowledge

• Ability to communicate messages and instructions accurately to colleagues, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrate good customer care skills and the ability to communicate effectively with the patients, carers and visitors.
• Present self as courteous, respectful and helpful.
• Basic keyboard and IT skills.
• Willingness to complete Competency Based Assessments and a Portfolio of evidence, in order to achieve the Care Certificate and any other training related to this role.
• Work effectively under direct supervision as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

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 to make 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

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Pay

£24,937 to £26,598 a year P.R.A.T.A for Part Time Hours