Senior Health Care Assistant - Ward 3A Plastic Surgery

St. Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Knowsley; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 21,000; Part time

Job summary

St. Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Senior Health Care Assistant for Ward 3A Plastic Surgery.

The role is Band 3, part-time, 30 hours, supporting a team of health professionals to deliver safe, compassionate patient care under a qualified nurse's supervision. The post holder will perform direct care, help maintain high nursing standards, and contribute to a respectful ward environment while safeguarding patient privacy and information confidentiality.

Qualifications

• NVQ level 3 Health and Social Care or equivalent experience.
• Care Certificate (equivalent to level 1).
• Literacy and numeracy functional skills level 2 or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of the Nursing Team undertaking household support tasks and direct care tasks as delegated by the Nurse in Charge.
• Support the qualified Nursing Staff in the maintenance of high standards of nursing care to patients.
• Assist in providing an environment within the ward that is conducive to patient recovery and comfort.
• Accept responsibility for delegated functions within the ward as appropriate for untrained staff.
• Ensure nursing documentation entries are correct, legible and countersigned by a registered nurse.
• Prioritise Health and Safety of patients, relatives and staff at all times.
• Be able to work autonomously with supervision as needed.
• Ensure privacy and dignity of patients is paramount and confidential information is protected.
• Deliver patient care with the highest degree of professionalism.

Skills

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Teamwork

Support juniors

Direction and guidance

Self awareness

Flexible working hours

Time management

Adaptable

Reliable and professional

Coping under pressure

Inclusive and non-judgmental

Punctuality

Trust values

Basic IT skills

Education

NVQ level 3 Health and Social Care

Care Certificate

Literacy and numeracy functional skills level 2

Job description

Job overview

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Senior Health Care Assistant - Ward 3A Plastic Surgery

Band 3 - Part Time 30 Hours

The post holder supports the team of health professionals to enable them to provide an effective, caring, seamless service to patients and their families by carrying out assigned tasks and by being involved in direct care under the supervision of a qualified nurse.

Main duties of the job

• To work as part of the Nursing Team undertaking household support tasks and direct care tasks as delegated by the Nurse in Charge.
• To support the qualified Nursing Staff in the maintenance of high standards of nursing care to patients.
• To assist in providing an environment within the ward that is conductive to patient recovery and pleasant for patients and their families.
• To accept responsibility for specifically delegated functions within the ward which the Nurse in Charge feels are appropriate for untrained staff to undertake.
• To ensure where entries are made in nursing documentation, that these are correct, legible, and comprehensive and countersigned by a registered nurse.
• To ensure the Health and Safety of patients, relatives and other staff is considered and not prejudiced by the post‑holder at any time.
• To be able to work autonomously as required and to receive close supervision and instruction as necessary.
• To ensure that privacy and dignity of patients is paramount and is not compromised.
• To ensure that all patient information is confidential and is not disclosed to a third party except with permission of the Nurse in Charge.
• To ensure that all patient care is delivered with the highest degree of professionalism.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Advertising date: 22nd September 2026

Closing date: 29th September 2026

Shortlisting date: TBC

Proposed Interview date: TBC

Please note, this post may close earlier than advertised if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ level 3 Health and Social Care or equivalent experience
• Care Certificate (equivalent to level 1)
• Literacy and numeracy functional skills level 2 or equivalent

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of personal care and related procedures
• Demonstrable experience of working in a patient care/health related role
• Knowledge of relevant legislation related to healthcare
• Experience of working in a team

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to communicate effectively in both verbal and written formats
• Good interpersonal skills
• Able to work within a team
• Experience of supporting junior staff and learners
• Able to accept direction and guidance
• Aware of own limitations
• Flexible in working hours
• Able to prioritise own workload and manage time effectively
• Flexible, adaptable and responsive to change
• Reliable and professional
• Ability to cope in stressful and challenging situations
• Inclusive and non-judgmental
• Punctual, motivated and committed
• Effective role model demonstrating Trust values
• Basic IT skills

Other

Essential criteria

• Frequent moderate effort for several long periods during the shift such as manual handling patients to supporting patient's personal care.
• Concentration, focus and frequent record keeping requirements. Carrying out time critical tasks.
• Aware that developing resilience to distressing situations is necessary without losing the ability to care compassionately.
• Aware of the process for accessing staff health and wellbeing support
• Daily exposure to distressing situations which may include challenging behaviour, care of chronic health conditions, patient end of life care/care after death.
• Able to carry out direct clinical care as required on ward or department.
• Potential blood or body fluids exposure.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.