Healthcare Assistant - Burns and Plastics

Transformation Unit; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a Band 3 Health Care Assistant for the Adult Burns ward on a fixed term contract from 1/10/26 to 30/09/27. This role is 37.5 hours per week across day and night shifts, based in Chelmsford.

As part of the team you will support nursing and medical staff, learn extended skills such as venepuncture and wound care, and help deliver safe, compassionate patient care in a busy clinic environment.

Qualifications

• Experience as Health Care Support Worker in NHS or equivalent.
• Experience in burn care is preferred.
• Ability to follow instructions and work in a busy clinical area.

Responsibilities

• Provide care to patients on the Burns ward and support with wound care and observations.
• Assist with patient flow and transfers within the clinic.
• Support nursing and medical staff in ongoing care.

Skills

Communication skills

Literacy

Teamwork

Job description

Main area Burns - Adults Ward Grade Band 3 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (1/10/26 to 30/09/27) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (7 days a week, 52 weeks per year, day and night shifts) Job ref 390-B&P-BR-2975

Employer Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Broomfield Town Chelmsford Salary £25,272 Per Annum (Pro Rata for Part Time) Salary period Yearly Closing 14/10/2026 23:59

Healthcare Assistant - Burns and Plastics

Band 3

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the onlyacute hospital provider in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is a system of health and care partners working together for our local population.

Within Mid and South Essex there are 149 GP practices, operating from over 200 sites, forming 27 Primary Care Networks and one Ambulance Trust. There are also three main community and mental health service providers who work together through a community collaborative.

We collaborate with other valuable partners, including three Healthwatch organisations, nine voluntary and community sector organisations and three top tier local authorities, with seven district, borough and city councils, as well as our local universities.

Job overview

Adult Burns ward is an eight bedded ward, specialising in the rehabilitation and treatment of adults who have sustained burn injuries and require intensive therapy and wound care. We are currently recruiting for Band 3 Health Care Assistants to help maintain our high standard of care, on a fixed term contract until 30/9/27
The successful candidate will be able to cope in a busy and dynamic clinic environment, working alongside nursing and medical staff, to help with patient flow.

Right from the time you join us, you will have access to learning, development and training opportunities. As you progress in your role you will acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence you need to provide safe and compassionate patient care.

Mid and South Essex is a great place to work, offering a working environment with an inclusive culture that looks after and values our people and creates a sense of belonging. We encourage applications from people who embrace our values and who will enable us to expand our diverse workforce.

The Healthcare Support Worker role provides an exciting opportunity to learn extended skills such as venepuncture, cannulation, wound care and much more. It is a fast paced clinical area, with great learnng opportunities, two days are never the same.

Main duties of the job

As a Health Care Support Worker, you will be a hugely valuable support to our team providing care to our patients. Every day will be different and you will work alongside the rest of the team carrying out a wide range of tasks and assisting with the flow patients through the service.

Examples of what you may do as part of your role

Undertaking observations, ECG's and urine samples
Transferring patients to other clinical areas
Talking to patients and their families
Monitoring patient conditions and escalating concerns
Assisting in wound care and personal care to patients
Assisting Registered Nurses in their duties

Skills and personal attributes needed

Caring and kind
Cheerful and friendly
Able to follow direct instructions
Happy to work in a team but also able to use own initiative
Have good written, listening and communication skills
Be well organised
Ability to upscale concerns

Working for our organisation

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 ISC 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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Are you looking for an exciting Healthcare Assistant 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.

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

Person specification

Experience

• Previous HSCW experience in NHS
• Previous experience working in a busy clinical area
• Previous experience in Burn care

Skills

• Good level of literacy, demonstrated through minimal mistakes on application form

Knowledge

• Knowledge of NEWS2 scoring and correct observations
• Knowledge of electronic systems within the trust

Please be aware as per the new Immigration guidelines we cannot sponsor candidates with a salary (full time or pro Rata) under the current minimum threshold.

Please note, the selection processes at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills, and you will be required to declare on your application if AI has been used before submitting 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.