L2 Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship

Royal Free Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting Healthcare Assistant Apprentices (Band 3). You will attend classes and work alongside dedicated staff to care for patients while earning a salary of £24,291–£25,213 per year LS inclusive of London allowance, and complete a 13‑month apprenticeship.

No prior hospital experience is required; the pathway can lead toward nursing with training under the apprenticeship programme. Apply via NHS Jobs.

Qualifications

• Willing to undertake Care Certificate.
• Willing to undertake L2 HCSW Apprenticeship Programme.
• Achievement of or willing to undertake level 2 functional skills.
• Good standard of written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Attend classes and work alongside dedicated colleagues caring for our patients.
• Assist patients with personal care and support the registered nurse.
• Be prepared to work long days, weekends and night shifts as part of a 37.5-hour week.

Skills

Written English

Education

Care Certificate

L2 HCSW Apprenticeship Programme

Level 2 functional skills

Job description

Our current vacancies

If you want to be part of the Royal Free London team, search our current vacancies below to find the job for you.

NHS AfC: Band 3

Main area L2 HCSW Apprenticeship Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 391-RFL-8322505

Site Royal Free Hospital Town Hampstead Salary £24,291 - £25,213 per annum inclusive of HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 13/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 30/10/2026

Our trust has over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community. This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants.However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey. Further guidance can be found in the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1 .

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to ensuring that its recruitment processes are carried out with integrity, transparency, and fairness for all applicants. To help maintain these standards, we ask candidates to provide accurate and truthful information throughout the recruitment process.

If incorrect or misleading information is identified, this may affect the progression of an application, any employment offer, or continued employment. As part of our due diligence, the company may verify the information provided by applicants and take appropriate act ion where necessary.

We do not charge applicants any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including applications, interviews, sponsorship arrangements, pre-employment checks, or employment offers. All vacancies are advertised through TRAC/NHS Jobs and candidates are assessed solely on their skills, qualifications, experience, and suitability for the role. If you are asked to make a payment in connection with an NHS job opportunity, please treat this as suspicious and contact the organisation directly using the details published on our official career's website

Are you interested in a career in healthcare at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust?

This is an exciting opportunity, and we are recruiting for RFL NHS Foundation Trust for Healthcare Assistant Apprentices (HCAs).

We have a number of vacancies for posts as Healthcare Assistant Apprentices - don’t worry if you haven’t worked in a hospital before, we offer comprehensive training through our apprenticeship programme. If you are fresh from school/college, worked in care or just keen to work within the NHS, now is the time to join the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Due to the nature of this work and working patterns we would encourage people of over the age of 18 years old to apply.

If you have the right attitude and live our values, then we can train you for the role and onto our apprenticeship career pathway that can lead to nursing.

Please note that under the current apprenticeship rules we cannot accept:

Any applicants requiring sponsorship

Applicants who have not been residing in UK for the last 3 years

Applicants whose right to work in UK expires before March 2028

Main duties of the job

As a band 3 HCA apprentice you will attend classes and work alongside dedicated and passionate colleagues caring for our patients. In your role you will assist patients with their personal care such as washing, dressing, feeding and support the registered nurse to care for the patients. As you may be aware patients require care for 24 hours a day and therefore you will be expected to work a combination of long days, weekends, and night shifts of 12 hours. You will only be expected to work 37.5 hours a week. Please consider how you will travel to work as you may be based at any of our hospitals.

The Band 3 Healthcare Assistant Apprentice’s starting salary will between £ 24,291 - £ 25,213 (including London allowance - dependent on the hospital location) . The duration of the apprenticeship is a minimum of 13 months.

Upon completion of a satisfactory probation period and the achievement of the apprenticeship, the salary will rise to the bottom of band 3 under agenda for change £30,630 or £31,554 (including London allowance - dependent on the hospital location)

Working for our organisation

Every single member of staff has an important role to play in bringing the best of the NHS to all our patients.

More than 17,000 people make up the incredible Royal Free London (RFL) team: caring for those when we need them most; ensuring our buildings are clean; providing food for our staff; transporting patients through our endless corridors; and making sure our support services run smoothly.

We have set out an ambitious plan to enable our staff to deliver world-leading healthcare for all our patients, meet growing demand and create a healthier future for local people and those further afield who come to our hospitals for specialist treatment.

Our clinical vision is transforming how we deliver world-class care, and the way people access our services.

Our plan is underpinned by five key principles:

• our focus on world class care, ground breaking research, and best in class teaching
• working in partnership
• continuous improvement

We are embedding these principles across all our hospitals and satellite sites

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We would like to invite you to join our virtual open day via Microsoft Teams on Friday 2 nd October starting from 2:00 PM TO 3:00 PM (estimated finish time).

Person specification

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust shared commitments.

Education and professional qualifications

• Willing to undertake the Care Certificate
• Willing to undertake L2 HCSW Apprenticeship Programme
• Achievement of or willing to undertake level 2 functional skills

Personal qualities and attributes

• Demonstrates understanding of importance of maintaining privacy and dignity
• Demonstrates compassion for patients
• Willing to assist with essential care for patients as directed
• Able to use a computer/ learn how to use a computer to record information
• Able to communicate accurately and effectively with patients and colleagues, verbally and in writing
• Able to follow instructions and complete assigned tasks
• Able to deal with the public in person and on the phone
• Understands importance of maintaining confidentiality
• Willing to produce a personal development plan with manager
• Willing to develop self & undertake in-house study
• Demonstrates understanding of own role within the team

Experience

• Carrying out assigned duties/assisting qualified staff after training
• Good standard of written and spoken English
• Interest or experience of working within a care role/setting
• Working in a team

Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns. We are committed to equal opportunities.

Please note:

• Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification
• Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
• Interview arrangements will be communicated via email so please check your email regularly following the closing date.

Please be advised that due to exceptionally high demand, all Royal Free accommodation is at full capacity and waiting lists are being held. Average waiting times are 12 months. Please do not rely on Trust accommodation when you commence your role and ensure you investigate alternative accommodation for your arrival.

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.

Name Babita Narang Job title Lead Education Nurse - Bands 2-4 Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 020 7794 0500

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