Ward Assistant - The Vale

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust; Stroud; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 22,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Stroud is looking for a Ward Assistant to support Nursing and Facilities teams. The role involves maintaining cleanliness, assisting with food preparation, and providing encouragement to patients. The ideal candidate should possess good communication skills and a willingness to learn. This position offers opportunities for training, including a Level 3 Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship.

Qualifications

• Willing to undertake NVQ Level 2 in Cleaning or equivalent qualification.
• Willing to undertake Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate.
• Knowledge of infection control.

Responsibilities

• Assisting with food and drink preparation.
• Contributing to the cleanliness of the ward.
• Providing encouragement for patients and helping them settle in.

Skills

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Experience of being customer or patient facing

Flexible and adaptable

Work as part of a team and independently

Evidence of commitment to training and learning

Education

Basic level of education

NVQ Level 2 in Cleaning or equivalent qualification or experience

Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate

Job description

Ward Assistant - The Vale

The closing date is 28 September 2025.

As a Ward Assistant, you will be a hugely valuable support to our Nursing and Facilities teams providing support to ward care, the catering team and the housekeeping team.

You will need to be:

• Caring and kind
• Cheerful and friendly
• Able to follow instructions
• Happy to work in a team but also able to use own initiative
• Have good listening and communication skills

Main duties of the job

• Contributing to the cleanliness of the ward
  • making beds
  • tidying rooms
  • re-stocking supplies
• Assisting with food and drink preparation
  • refilling water jugs
  • setting tables
  • clearing plates and cutlery
• Recreational support
  • providing encouragement for patients
  • taking patients out to the garden
  • helping patients settle in
• Administration
  • Answer the door for visitors
  • Showing visitors to the right room to see a patient
  • Answering the telephone

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

About us

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people\'s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust\'s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Job responsibilities

As a Health Care Assistant/ Support Worker you will be responsible for participating and assisting in the delivery of care / services to patients and service users as part of a Mental Health and Social Care Health Service. Health Care Assistant, Social Care Workers and other Healthcare Support Workers employed by the Trust are required to follow the guidance set out in Code of Conduct for Health Care Assistants/ Health Care Support Workers to provide safe and compassionate care of a high standard, and to challenge others who are not.

You will receive direct supervision and partake in reflective practice / training on a regular basis and be required to meet the Care Certificate standards. All successful applicants will also have the opportunity to discuss the prospect of undertaking a Level 3 Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship alongside their substantive post. This apprenticeship would include the Level 3 Diploma in Clinical Healthcare.

Person Specification

Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience of being customer or patient facing
• Flexible and adaptable
• work as part of a team and independently
• Evidence of commitment to training and learning

Knowledge

• Knowledge of infection control

Qualifications

• Basic level of education
• NVQ Level 2 in Cleaning or equivalent qualification or experience (or willing to undertake)
• Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate (or willing to undertake)

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.

Employer name

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust