Veterinary Nurse jobs in United Kingdom

The closing date is 26 September 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Health Care Assistant in Hyper Acute Stroke Unit. The post holder will join our dedicated and friendly team of staff on Ward 5C at Whiston Hospital.

Ward 5C is a 32-bed ward and is located on the 5th floor on the main Whiston Hospital site.

One half of the ward, 16 beds, is called the Hyper-acute Stroke Unit (HASU). This is where patients are cared for in the first 72 hours following a stroke. This half of the ward has a higher ratio of Nursing and Medical staff to ensure closer observation and monitoring of patients in the acute phase following a stroke.

The Health Care Support Worker (HCSW) will:

• Undertake personal care duties for patients within the care setting accessing supervision from registered healthcare practitioner. Personal care refers to delivery of personal hygiene and assisting with feeding, not requiring clinical skills.
• Record patient's personal care information in accordance with local and trust policies.
• Work with all members of the multi-disciplinary team to deliver the Trust's vision and values providing safe, high quality compassionate, person-centred care.
• Demonstrate ward routine to new employees in own work area, where required

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

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

Our services:

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. 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

• Work as part of a team and duties will be delegated by the registered healthcare professional.
• Act within the scope of your training and competence, knowing who to ask for help and support if you are not sure.
• Work within agreed ways of working, following relevant Trust standards, policies and protocols.
• Communicate compassionately and effectively with individuals and their families, carers and health care practitioners using a range of techniques, maintaining confidentiality and using tact, empathy, persuasion and reassurance.
• Observe, assess and respond to personal care patients needs appropriately, escalating concerns to nursing staff, as required.
• Organises self in general work tasks or when delivering patient care with supervision where needed from Senior Health Care Assistant and/or nursing staff.
• As directed, undertake personal care duties and support activities of daily living, e.g. mouth care, personal hygiene, and toileting needs, demonstrating person centred care.
• Safely deliver care duties including manoeuvring of patient equipment (such as hoists and wheelchairs).
• Under supervision of a registered healthcare practitioner, undertake delegated procedures within the limits of required training and measured competence, where appropriate. For example, patient moving and handling, and providing personal care.
• Support of patients feeding, diet and nutritional needs and accurately record patients nutritional intake and fluid intake and output, noticing and reporting changes to the nursing staff.
• Ensure patient property is managed as per Trust policy.
• Monitor levels of supplies and order supplies for the department as appropriate.
• Demonstrates own duties to new starters, contributing to the learning environment.
• To work in line with Trust policies and procedures
• Contributes to maintaining a safe, healthy working environment.
• Follow the principles for implementing a duty of care, always acting in the best interest of individuals to ensure they do not come to harm.
• Work in partnership with the individual, their carers/ families and the wider healthcare team.
• Maintain and further develop your own skills and knowledge through development and learning activities; maintain evidence of your personal development and actively prepare for and participate in appraisal.
• Participate in team handovers

• Completion of Trust Care Certificate within 4 months of appointment
• Basic literacy and numeracy skills
• NVQ level 2 Health and Social Care or equivalent
• Care Certificate (equivalent to level 1)

• Knowledge of personal care and related procedures
• Experience of working in a team
• Experience of working in a patient care/health related role

• Ability to communicate effectively in both verbal and written formats
• Good interpersonal skills
• Able to work within a team
• Able to accept direction and guidance
• Aware of own limitations
• 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

• Frequent, moderate effort for several short periods during the shift such as manual handling patients to supporting patients personal care
• Occasional requirement for concentration, with few competing demands for attention.
• 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
• Occasional exposure to distressing situations which may care of chronic health conditions, patient end of life care/ care after death
• Able to carry out direct personal care as required on ward or department.
• Frequent exposure to blood or body fluids
• Occasional exposure to patients with challenging behaviours

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.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

£24,465 a yearPer Annum (Pro Rata, If Part Time)