Healthcare Support Worker - Emergency Department

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent teaching hospital in Southampton is seeking compassionate Healthcare Support Workers for its Emergency Department. This role offers significant training, flexible shift patterns, and opportunities for professional development. Candidates must be ready to work in a fast-paced environment and possess excellent communication skills, with responsibilities including patient hygiene and support. A valid work right in the UK is required.

Benefits

Minimum 35 days paid holiday

Intensive two-week induction

Guaranteed contracted hours

Access to extra shifts and overtime pay

Mentoring support

Onsite subsidised restaurants

Generous pension scheme and life insurance

Qualifications

• Ability to handle patients and equipment safely.
• Evidence of empathy, patience, and dependability.
• Ability to cope with fluctuating demands and pressures.

Responsibilities

• Wash and dress patients and aid in their personal hygiene.
• Assist patients with toilet facilities and meal serving.
• Collect pathological specimens like urine and sputum.

Skills

Compassion

Communication skills

Teamwork

Flexibility

Education

Capable of attaining NVQ level 3 in care

Completed care certificate or ability to complete within 6 months

Completed secondary education

Job description

Overview

Are you compassionate, caring and communicative? Would you like to be the best you can be or grow your career in a world-class teaching hospital? Have you been considering a change of occupation and looking for secure and rewarding employment? We believe our Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) role offers this opportunity and our tailored training programme supports you to develop in your career. We are excited to offer an opportunity for healthcare assistants to join our Emergency Department at University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS). As a large teaching hospital and Major Trauma Centre, we are committed to providing exceptional care for both adults and children. We continually assess and improve our approach to major trauma care. As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we provide numerous learning and development opportunities to help you achieve your career goals. If you are looking to start your journey within healthcare, then we would love to hear from you. We offer continuous training and development opportunities to help you reach your potential. You’ll start your career with us by following a 1-week full-time and in-depth induction that will enable you to complete your Care Certificate, find your feet within the hospital, and quickly embed yourself as part of our team.

Responsibilities

Main duties of the job

Here at UHS, we recognise that Healthcare Support Workers from different employment backgrounds can bring a breadth of knowledge and new ideas.

What You Will Do

This role is diverse and will involve essential emergency skills such as applying plaster casts, venepuncture, and cannulation. You will be responsible for patient assessments and meeting care needs, while also contributing to improved nursing quality, including initiatives related to dementia and mental health.

What We're Looking For

We seek a caring and compassionate healthcare assistant who thrives in a busy and rewarding environment. Excellent communication skills and a collaborative approach to delivering high-quality care to all patients in the emergency department are essential. The Emergency Department operates 24/7, so some flexibility will be required to meet service needs. Our department is known for its innovative approach and is increasingly recognized for its clinical academic work in emergency care, enabling us to deliver expert care, education, and support to patients with complex needs during their most critical moments.

Applicants that have applied and been unsuccessful in the last 6 months, do not need to re-apply or submit another application.

Working for our organisation

Benefits

A Healthcare Support Worker at UHS is not just a job, it’s a career opportunity that can start your exciting journey within healthcare. Our HCSWs receive top industry training and development, with a tailored career programme and amazing links to support nursing or higher healthcare apprenticeships. We lead the way in benefits too – our HCSWs receive:

• A minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata)
• A two-week intensive induction to set you up for success in your new role
• Guaranteed contracted hours
• Access to extra shifts and overtime pay for those who want it
• A mentoring team that is dedicated to our HCSWs, who will help you with emotional, personal, and professional support
• A central hospital location with great transport links and reduced fares for UHS staff
• Continued professional development
• A generous pension scheme and life insurance
• Access to national and local NHS discounts including popular high street and online retailers
• Onsite subsidised restaurants, cafes and high-street shops
• Financial awards through our refer a friend scheme
• An internal mover process which allows you to transfer wards every six months if you wish
• Support with flexible working requests which are regularly reviewed against the service need

We consider both Part-Time and Full-Time applications, but you MUST be able to work a variety of shifts and days of the week as UHS operates a 24 hours a day service, 365 days of the year.

Unfortunately, we cannot currently offer set shifts e.g. nights only.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

As a Healthcare Support Worker, you will work under the guidance of a Registered Nurse or healthcare professional within the Emergency Department. You will help our nurses and doctors at UHS, by offering the highest standards of personal care and support to our patients.

Your Main Day-to-day Duties Will Include

• Washing and dressing patients and aiding in their personal hygiene
• Assisting patients to access and use toilet facilities
• Serving meals and helping to feed patients
• Helping patients to safely move around
• Assisting with bed making, cleaning tasks, errands, or general duties
• Collecting pathological specimens e.g., Urine, faeces, sputum
• Making patients and their families feel comfortable

Development

Skills

After you have completed your 1-week foundation induction you will attend an extended induction consisting of 1 study day per month for 5 months (total 5 study days). During this time, with the support of your line manager you will be learning the additional skills necessary to be a Senior Healthcare Assistant such as:

• Taking physiological measurement
• Maintaining patients skin integrity
• Local specific skills such as cannulation, catheterisation and ecgs

p>Upon successful completion of this training and its associated competency document containing the core HCSW competencies as well as the additional competencies required for a Band 3, you will progress into a Band 3 Senior Healthcare Support Worker role.

Please read the attached person specification and job description as this will support you in your application, and then apply via the link. If your application is successful, we will contact you to arrange a screening telephone call to discuss next steps.

Our fantastic staff can teach you the required skills if you share our values, are ready to learn and:

• Be able to work a variety of shifts as part of your work roster. You will cover some mornings (shifts could start from 7am ending around 3pm), short days & long days (shifts are generally 8 – 12 hours long and occur between 7am and 8pm), evenings (till around 8pm) and nights (from around 7pm to 7am the next day)
• Be available to work any day from Monday to Sunday depending on your shift pattern, including bank holidays
• Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Are happy to carry out a variety of tasks - including personal hygiene care to patients of all ages and backgrounds

If you’re the kind of person who believes in putting patients first, is always looking to improve and are a team player, then we’d love to hear from you!

Please note: This vacancy does not meet the Home Office threshold for sponsorship and requires candidates to complete a 9-month training period. We are therefore unable to accept applications from candidates who do not have the right to work in the UK or where candidates do not have at least 9 months remaining on their visa from the start date of the new role.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Completed care certificate or ability to complete within 6 months of appointment
• Capable of attaining NVQ level 3 in care with acute units corresponding to specialty or equivalent experience
• Completed secondary education

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Ability to move and handle patients and equipment
• Evidence of empathy, patience and dependability
• Ability to deal with a range of difficult situations
• Be able to take instruction / directions and work within the confines of the role
• Ability to cope with fluctuating demands and pressures of the role
• Requirement to be aware of and adhere to the care certificate standards; https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/care-certificate
• Capable of completing core HCSW competencies and additional specific competencies related to area of work within 12 months of appointment

Desirable criteria

• Previous Experience in: 1. Acute hospital setting; 2. Volunteer sector; 3. Teaching Assistant; 4. Nursing home carer

Trust Values

Essential criteria

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together