Trainee Theatre Support Worker- General Surgery

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension Scheme

27 days holiday

Relocation package up to 30% (£18k)

Learning and development opportunities

NHS Car Lease and Cycle to Work

Job summary

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Trainee Theatre Support Worker in General Surgery. The role involves assisting in patient prep and theatre setup, with dedicated training during a 4-week academy and a supernumerary period under clinical educators.

Benefits include NHS Pension, 27 days annual leave rising to 33, relocation support, and ongoing learning opportunities. Interviews are in person; location is York, YO31 8HE.

Qualifications

• Assist in the collection and preparation of patient before surgery.
• Understand and monitor patients before surgery.
• Act as a theatre runner to help with setup of sterile equipment.
• Maintain a safe environment and follow cleaning protocols.
• Set up and maintain theatre equipment.
• Stock up and maintain stock levels with theatre.
• Handle tissue samples and document them correctly.
• Handle sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the collection and preparation of patient before surgery and advocate for their time in theatre.
• Apply and understand monitoring of patients before surgery.
• Set up and maintain theatre equipment and sterile supplies.
• Ensure a clean and safe environment and manage stock levels.

Skills

Patient safety

Theatre assistance

Aseptic technique

Communication

Job description

Trainee Theatre Support Worker- General Surgery

Company: York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

A Vacancy at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

We are looking for someone to join our General Surgery Team as a Theatre Support Worker.

Our department is fast paced and dynamic with no 2 days the same. Once you have completed your 4 week Healthcare Support Worker Academy you will complete extensive training in department across a supernumerary period with support from our 2 in house clinical educators. You will be supported to complete a theatres skills book to be able to give our patients the best care possible.

PLEASE NOTE:

You must be able to commit to attending our 3 week, full time HCSW Academy when you start working for our Trust

As a Healthcare Support Worker within our team, your duties will include (but not be limited to):

• Assist in the collection and preparation of patient before surgery. You will be the patient advocate for their time in theatre, so you need to be thorough and patient.
• Apply and understand monitoring of patients before surgery.
• Act as a theatre runner to help with the set up of sterile equipment and maintaining this.
• Maintain a safe environment.
• Follow cleaning protocol to maintain a clean and safe environment for our patients.
• Set up and maintain theatre equipment.
• Stock up and maintain stock levels with theatre.
• Handle tissue samples and document them correctly.
• Handle sensitive information.

For a full list of duties and responsibilities for this role please see the Job Description attached.

We offer a range of benefits to support our staff including:

• Access to the NHS Pension Scheme, providing generous benefits upon retirement, as well as a lump sum and pension for dependants
• 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service)
• A generous relocation package of up to 30% of salary (capped at £18k) to support with relocation expenses for hard to fill positions where relocation would be an expectation to undertake the role fully. If you would like to discuss a potential relocation package, please speak to the recruiting department/manager at interview stage.
• A variety of different types of paid and unpaid leave covering emergency and planned leave
• Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues, 24/7, from our Employee Assistance Programme
• NHS Car Lease scheme and Cycle to Work scheme
• An extensive range of learning and development opportunities
• Discounts on restaurants, getaways, shopping, motoring, cinema and finance from a range of providers

For further information on the fantastic range of benefits we offer please visit the Trust's dedicated Staff Benefits pages.

Interviews for this position will be held in person ONLY. Remote interviews will not be available.

Interested candidates are encouraged to make contact with the Recruiting Manager to have an informal discussion about the role

A full description of the role is available in the attachment: job description.

Please note that if a high number of applications are received this advert may close early. You are advised to submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

Working for the Trust

Across our organisation, people are guided by values that were co-developed with staff: we are kind; we are open; and we pursue excellence.

Our values play into our ambition to develop a more diverse workforce, truly representative of our communities. We welcome applications from everyone, while working with our Staff Networks - including our Race Equality, LGBTQ+, Disability and Carers Networks - to increase the number of applications we receive from different backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to make our application process more accessible to you, please contact:[e-mail].

As part of seeking to become more inclusive, we will consider requests for flexible working from the start of your employment. It may not be suitable for every role, but we will try and be supportive where we can. We would encourage you to speak to the recruiting manager named within this advert to discuss any requirements you may have.

Armed Forces Friendly Employer

We are holders of the Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we have made a statement of intent to support all Defence personnel, including with applications for employment.

This advert closes on Thursday 15 Oct 2026

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.

Salary: £25,272 - £27,476 per annum/pro rata

Hours: Full-time

Location: York, YO31 8HE

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 1 Oct 2026

Closing date: 31 Oct 2026