Start your career as a Care Support Worker or Healthcare Assistant at DBTH

Joining our Trust as a Care Support Worker or Healthcare Assistant is an excellent opportunity to launch your career within the NHS. These roles provide valuable experience and clear pathways into nursing, making them ideal for both newcomers and those with prior healthcare experience. As integral members of our team, Care Support Workers and Healthcare Assistants play a crucial role in delivering high-quality care to our patients.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your healthcare experience, Care Support Workers and Healthcare Assistant roles are a fantastic opportunity to join our welcoming and helpful Trust as a highly valued team member providing safe and effective care to our patients, which also provides an opportunity for you to develop within the workplace.

For full-time employees, the standard workweek is 37.5 hours, with shifts that may include nights, early mornings, long days, evenings, bank holidays, and weekends. As a Care Support Worker or Healthcare Assistant, you’ll be paid according to the Agenda for Change pay system.

As Care Support Workers or Healthcare Assistants, you will work closely with nurses, midwives, and other healthcare professionals to ensure a positive experience for our patients and their families during times of need. Each day brings new challenges, and the role is diverse, with tasks that may vary depending on your setting, which could include Wards, Outpatient Departments, Emergency Departments, or Theatres.

Our Care Support Workers and Healthcare Assistants deliver vital, holistic and personalised care to our patients. If you are compassionate, kind, and consistently act in the best interest of others while aligning with our Trust’s values and DBTH Way, we encourage you to apply.

Information about the roles

Care Support Worker – Band 2

Personal Care Duties

A Care Support Worker – Band 2 is primarily focused on providing essential personal care to our patients. Their responsibilities include:

  • Washing, dressing, toileting, and assisting with meals
  • Performing last offices with a registered nurse or nurse associate

Recording Patient Information

Care Support Workers are responsible for documenting basic patient information such as:

  • Height and weight measurements
  • Food charts and behaviour charts

Sample Collection

Following direct instructions, they may take:

  • Urine samples (not from a catheter)
  • Stool samples
  • Swabs for MRSA, COVID, etc.

Additional Duties

  • Chaperoning patients during examinations or procedures
  • Setting up trolleys for procedures following direct instructions

Healthcare Assistant – Band 3

Personal Care Duties

Healthcare Assistants – Band 3 undertake personal care duties including:

  • Washing, dressing, toileting, and assisting with meals
  • Performing last offices with a registered nurse or nurse associate

Recording Patient Information

In addition to the duties of Band 2, Healthcare Assistants – Band 3 are responsible for:

  • Recording height and weight
  • Maintaining food charts and behaviour charts
  • Documenting patient observations and changes in clinical condition

Clinical Care Duties

Band 3 Healthcare Assistants are trained to perform limited clinical care duties such as:

  • Monitoring vital signs
  • Blood glucose and ketone monitoring
  • Pregnancy testing
  • Urinalysis
  • Simple wound dressings
  • Removing peripheral cannulas

Specific Clinical Skills (with relevant training)

Healthcare Assistants – Band 3 may also perform more advanced procedures upon completion of the relevant training packages, including:

  • Venepuncture
  • Cannulation
  • Removal of urinary catheters
  • Recording an ECG

What is the Foundations of Care Programme?

For more details about the Foundations of Care Programme please visit the following link  Foundations of Care – Education & Research (dbth.nhs.uk)

Overview of the Care Certificate

For more details about the Care Certificate please visit the following link Care Certificate – Education & Research (dbth.nhs.uk)

Recruitment Process

Interested in joining our team? You can sign up for one of our Care Support Worker / Healthcare Assistant taster sessions, which are announced on our website and social media channels. These sessions are offered before we post job advertisements.

Both Care Support Worker and Healthcare Assistant positions are advertised on Trac Jobs. You can also find all our job listings on our “DBTH Join the Team” page via the link below. Please take note of the interview dates included with each advertisement, as these dates are fixed and cannot be rescheduled.

We consolidate all available positions for each role into a single job advertisement, so you only need to attend one interview. If you are successful on the assessment day, you will be considered for all available positions related to the role you applied for.

During the recruitment assessment event, you will have the chance to meet with our Recruitment and Pastoral Support teams, who can offer additional information about pre-employment checks if you are successful in securing a position, as well as the support available to you. The assessment event will include a group work session, a group scenario exercise, and an individual interview with members of the Trust’s nursing team. The entire assessment process can take up to three hours

Within the interview assessment day, you’ll be informed about the wards and departments that are currently recruiting. You’ll also have the opportunity to specify whether you prefer full-time or part-time work. For those applying for an apprentice Healthcare Assistant role, please note that the minimum working hours are 30 hours per week.

Useful Contacts

Useful Links

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