Senior Healthcare Support Worker

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW); Weston-super-Mare; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider in Weston-super-Mare is seeking a Senior Healthcare Support Worker to provide patient care in an acute setting. This role involves assisting patients, monitoring vital signs, and maintaining a safe environment. Applicants should have a Level 3 qualification and a commitment to high-quality care. Flexibility across various shifts is essential, and training is provided for successful candidates.

Qualifications

• Ability to complete documentation accurately.
• Experience with healthcare policies and procedures.
• Will undertake necessary training within time frames.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to direct patient care alongside registered nurses.
• Maintain privacy and dignity of patients.
• Assist with daily living tasks, including hygiene and nutrition.
• Monitor and record patients' vital signs.

Skills

Effective communication skills

Ability to work flexibly

Teamwork

Time management

Commitment to patient care

Education

Level 3 qualification (SCQF - 6)

Level 2 Functional skills in English and Maths

Job description

Senior Healthcare Support Worker

The closing date is 16 November 2025

Working as a Senior Health Care Support Worker (SHCSW) at University Hospital Bristol and Weston is an immensely rewarding job. A job in which your care can make a real difference to patients’ lives. We are looking for enthusiastic, compassionate, and hard‑working individuals that also believe in our Trust Values: Supportive, Respectful, Innovative & Collaborative. Previous experience is not essential, as we offer training.

This advert is for SHCSW roles within Weston Adult inpatient services. SHCSW role is a Band 3 role and previous healthcare experience and Level 3 qualification is essential for direct entry into this role. Ideally this experience should be in an acute/hospital setting. If you have a particular interest in a particular ward, please add this to your supporting statement.

We require everyone to be fully flexible across all shift patterns including long, weekdays, weekends, nights and bank holidays. Please note, this role does not currently meet the salary requirement for certificate of sponsorship. From the 9th April 2025, the minimum salary required for a Skilled Worker visa became £25,000 per year. While this role may be offered at a higher point on the pay scale depending on relevant NHS experience, most new starters are appointed at the bottom of the band, which does not meet the new salary threshold.

Main duties of the job

Working as an SHCSW on the adult Inpatient & Outpatient wards you will be involved with direct patient care whilst maintaining the privacy and dignity of patients. You will be working alongside a registered Nurse to provide the essentials: nursing care, helping your patients (both male and female) with daily living tasks, including washing, going to the toilet (hygiene & continence) or helping with their meals (nutrition).

• Helping with mobility needs and providing pressure area care.
• Providing emotional support to patients and their families.
• One‑to‑one observation for patients who present a high risk due to clinical condition.
• Ensuring that the ward environment is clean and safe preventing infection and falls.
• As an SHCSW you will also be taking and recording patients’ vital signs, identifying and escalating changes to a patient's condition to the registered nurse. Some clinical areas may require you to be proficient in additional clinical skills such as ECGs, venepuncture, simple dressings as required by the ward area.

About us

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 15,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England.

UHBW has been rated by the CQC as “Good” overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Weston, Bristol and beyond. As a forward‑thinking multi‑award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world‑leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Weston and Bristol. Join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; countryside and beside the sea or city living within a stone's throw with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.

Job responsibilities

Working Hours: 37.5 hrs per week (full time) or 23 hrs per week (part time)

You will be working on an inpatient ward, and you will be required to work long shifts (12 hrs) which include days/nights, weekend and Bank Holidays.

This is a physically demanding role, assisting patients who may have poor mobility, and you will be on your feet for long periods.

This is an emotionally demanding role and requires you to adapt quickly to the constantly changing clinical demands on an acute inpatient ward.

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Be able to work as a member of a team
• Experience of time management and prioritising work
• Understands and committed to a caring approach to patients & relatives

Qualifications and Training

• One of the following? Level 3 (SCQF - 6): City and Guilds 3? NVQ 3? BTEC National Diploma? Experience equivalent to the above qualifications
• Level 2 Functional skills in English and Math's, or equivalent

Skills and Abilities

• Effective and appropriate communication skills both written and verbal
• Able to complete appropriate documentation accurately
• Demonstrate an awareness of healthcare work and policies and procedures
• Committed to providing high quality patient care
• Ability to work with minimum supervision to a high standard
• Ability and willingness to undertake appropriate training within given time frames
• Flexible and adaptable to change, able to work a range of shifts and moving across wards/unit dependant on clinical need
• Enthusiasm and commitment to working within the healthcare setting
• Able to meet the physical and developmental demands of the role

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)