Senior Healthcare Support worker

The Christie International; Manchester; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester is seeking compassionate Health Care Assistants (Band 3) to join a busy team across inpatient and outpatient areas. The role involves assisting with personal care, mobility, nutrition and documentation in line with Trust guidelines, under supervision of Registered Nurses.

Candidates with a willingness to develop extended clinical skills will progress from Band 2 to Band 3 on successful completion of required training.

Qualifications

• Holds National Care Certificate or willing to undertake and complete the Christie Care Certificate within 12 weeks of starting.
• Basic literacy and numeracy skills

Responsibilities

• Assist the Nursing team in delivering high standards of patient care.
• Support patients with personal care, mobility and daily activities as directed by the Registered Nurse.

Skills

Excellent communication

Education

National Care Certificate

Job description

Main area Senior/ Health Care Assistant Grade Band 3 Contract Fixed term & Permanent positions available Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 413-HCA-2026-AA

Site Healthcare Support Worker Town Manchester Salary per annum pro rata Closing 28/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

We are looking for compassionate and caring health care assistants with a passion to be a key part of the patient journey at The Christie. Rated in the top 3 NHS Trusts, The Christie are a dynamic and ground-breaking Trust where we support our staff to be the very best they can be. We are looking for people who have excellent communication skills and are prepared to go above and beyond to ensure our patients receive the highest level of care. In return, you will have the opportunity to learn, grow and experience career opportunities in a friendly and welcoming team.

If you do not have qualifications and experience in undertaking extended clinical skills then we will support you in achieving these whilst receiving a band 2 salary. On successful completion of the relevant skills, you will progress into a band 3 role.

HCA vacancies are available across both our inpatient and outpatient areas. Please indicate in your application if you have a preferred area in which you would like to work.

Interviews will be held at The Christie Hospital on Saturday 14 th November. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted in advance with further details. Please note that sponsorship will not be available for this role. Applications from candidates requiring sponsorship to work in the UK cannot be considered.

Main duties of the job

Being supervised by Registered Nurses & within Trust guidelines & protocols, you'll assist the Nursing team in delivering the excellent standard of patient care that you would expect for yourself and your loved ones.

Your duties will involve supporting patients with personal care needs, including mobilising, toileting, bathing, dressing, eating & drinking.
As a senior health care assistant you will undertake a range of delegated clinical care duties that include recording patient observations & changes to patient conditions.

Working for our organisation

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical:

• 1. Assists with the care of patients by:
  • Participating in basic nursing care and procedures by providing personal care to patients, responding to nurse call as required.
  • Assisting patients in gaining access to, and in the use of, appropriate toilet facilities including catheter care, measuring and recording bodily waste/fluid balance accurately.
  • Assisting in meeting the nutritional needs of patients by assisting in the preparation of patients prior to meals and beverages, giving help and assistance in feeding/drinking as necessary. Support nutritional monitoring by weighing patients.
  • Assist, direct and escort patients/visitors where and when appropriate.
  • Ensuring a clean and safe environment for patients and escalating any concerns.
  • Recording accurate fluid balance
  • Handling patient’s personal possessions, ensuring money and valuables are kept securely.
  • Enhanced care observation as appropriate
  • Support the team in ensuring that patients receive basic cardio‑pulmonary resuscitation as required.
• 2. Complete all appropriate documentation relevant to care provided and update patient’s named nurse / shift coordinator where required.
• 3. Assist patients in maintaining their personal hygiene (inc. skin assessments), grooming and dressing needs with specific concern for their religious, cultural and personal preference, ensuring privacy and dignity at all times. Undertake oral hygiene procedures for patients as per trust protocol.
• 4. Assist patients in their mobility requirements, help move and position appropriately to maximise their physical comfort utilising equipment as directed by the multi professional team. Assist in the care of patients’ pressure areas and prevention of pressure ulcers.
• 5. Assist in meal service as required in line with Trust hygiene and food handling policy, covering hostess role as required.
• 6. At the delegation of the Registered Nurse transfer the patient/client from one care area to another, i.e. other ward or department. Chaperone the patient as required ensuring appropriate support.
• 7. Welcome and orientate patients, visitors and others to the ward/department and ensure that all communications result in effective customer care.
• 8. Assist in the correct procedure of duties relating to last offices for deceased persons. Ensure that all religious and cultural wishes, obligations are adhered with.
• 9. Communicate well within the team at all times. Demonstrate a pleasant and approachable manner and help create and promote a good team working relationship. Proactively help patients and carers to take an active role in care delivery.

Clinical Support:

• 1. Assist with the admission of patients, and during their stay, by undertaking screening swabs, taking and labelling of pathology samples, excluding bloods.
• 2. Assist the Registered Nurse in the process of undertaking clinical risk assessments e.g. recording height and weight, updating the nurse on any changes to a patient’s condition/circumstances. Responsibility for undertaking the risk assessments lies with the Registered Nurse.
• 3. Appropriately record and monitor dietary intake of patients, informing relevant staff of progress and/or any difficulties relating to dietary/fluid intake.
• 4. Assist in providing conditions to meet the patient’s need for rest and sleep.
• 5. Actively support and assist in alleviating distress and anxiety of patients or carers, consistent with their personal beliefs and preferences.
• 6. Record patient’s items of property in the ward property and valuables book, ensuring valuables are correctly placed into safekeeping.
• 7. Prepare trolleys for specific clinical procedures in line with trust policy utilising aseptic non touch technique practices.
• 8. Recognise and report abusive or inappropriate behaviour to an appropriate member of staff, documenting the same.

Other duties

• 1. Be responsible for self and others through identifying risks and undertaking work activities in a safe manner.
• 2. Maintain cleanliness in the work environment, ensuring a clean and safe environment for patients, adhering to infection prevention control policies and guidance in line with Trust health and safety policies.
• 3. Prepare and maintain environments for clinical procedures.
• 4. Undertake cleaning of equipment/environment as per Trust policy, including drip stands / suction points etc.
• 5. Participates in maintaining overall cleanliness of ward areas and follows schedules and procedures for the ward around room cleaning.
• 6. To check the ward linen stock is adequate until the next due delivery, in the absence of a housekeeper. Contribute in the supply and maintenance of materials and equipment to ensure the efficient running of the clinical environment.
• 7. Ensure patient beds linen is changed daily as a minimum. Participate in ensuring that the bed space and associated equipment is cleaned and checked upon patient discharge. Ensure patients receive clean towels daily. Collect full bags of soiled linen and move to collection points.
• 8. Assist with the checking and recording of deliveries to the clinical areas against original orders. Ensure stock rotation is undertaken to minimise the risk of equipment becoming out of date.
• 9. Assist in the transfer of materials and equipment as requested, including the maintenance of equipment as appropriate.
• 10. Report faults on the ward as necessary.
• 11. Reports all accidents and complaints according to the agreed policy to shift coordinator or senior staff.
• 12. Contributes to the continuous improvement of services.
• 13. Undertake all training required to perform duties effectively to the requirements of the post, including but not limited to attending all required mandatory training courses.
• 14. Maintain own professional portfolio in accordance with personal development plans.
• 15. Demonstrates the agreed set of values and accountable for own attitude and behaviour.

Administration:

• 1. Assist in preparing patients notes, relevant charts, nursing documentation and identity bracelets prior to, and on admission.
• 2. Undertake clerical duties as directed by the Registered Nurse in relation to all verbal, digital and written communications, ensuring messages and communications are passed to other team members, storage of patient information and retrieval of such information, in line with the Trust Information Governance policy.

These duties and responsibilities are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and staff may be required to undertake other duties and responsibilities consistent with the band. Skills development is encouraged and you may wish to consider additional skills/duties as part of your appraisal/PDR process.

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS

• Holds National Care Certificate or willing to undertake and complete the Christie Care Certificate within 12 weeks of starting.
• Basic literacy and numeracy skills

EXPERIENCE

• Experience of working with people in a customer service environment
• Experience of working in a health or social care setting

SKILLS

• Good communication skills (written and verbal)
• Able to follow instructions and carry out defined routine tasks.
• Able to work on own initiative, following direction/ supervision from a Registered Healthcare Practitioner.

KNOWLEDGE

• Evidence of understanding of the healthcare support worker role

VALUES

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.
Application Information - If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, I regret that on this occasion your application will have been unsuccessful.

Sponsorship Information -We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications.Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship.You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

Pre-Employment Checks -To confirm your suitability for the role, we will carry out pre-employment checks in line with NHS Employment Check Standards . These include:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role, payment of this will be the applicants responsibility)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust will be required to provide their HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years employment. This information will used to validate employment history andreferences.

If you require sponsorship, we will assess your eligibility based on current government guidance. If the role is not eligible and you cannot demonstrate your right to work, your conditional offer may be withdrawn.

No Smoking Policy - You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.

Additional Information - We want to ensure that everyone who works at the Christie or uses our services is welcomed, valued and treated with dignity and respect.The Christie values diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all and fair representation across the organisation at all levels. In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.

We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all our activities. We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery in any of its forms, including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. We are fully committed to acting ethically and with transparency in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our organisation or supply chains.

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.