Job summary
Senior Healthcare Assistant (Rapid Personalised Care Service - RPCS)
-
Hours: working flexible shifts of 7.5/11 hour shifts, Monday - Sunday - up to minimum 23 hours per week (part-time hours considered)
- Location: Based in Watford or Tring and cover the whole RPCS service in the role
- Salary: Rennie Grove Peace Band 4 - £26,530 - £29,114 per annum (pro rata)
- Closing date: 05 September 2025 at 12 noon
- Interview date: 15 September 2025
Main duties of the job
The purpose of this role is to:
To support the team of Health Care Assistants (HCA) to provide high standards of personalised care to
patients in their final weeks of life in the community under guidance from the Rapid Personalised Care
Service (RPCS) Management.
This role will suit someone who
- Works under pressure with the ability to meet deadlines.
- Can quickly build trusting, empathetic and caring relationships with volunteers, customers,
employees and head office teams, not forgetting local traders and the community.
- Is flexible and enjoys the variety of work in a fast-moving environment.
Has good interpersonal skills.
- Has strong organisational skills
About us
At Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, our unique care provides a lifeline of compassion and support to
patients, carers, and families facing progressive life-limiting illness.
We provide palliative and end of life care support, including bereavement services, within
Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire and our patient services are available to adults, as well as patients
transitioning into adult services (16 to 25 years.) Bereavement support is offered for all ages to families of
patients and those around them, as well as throughout the community, in schools and workplaces.
We are proud to offer care in the place that best suits the individuals needs, whether that is at home, in a
care home, in a short stay in our inpatient unit, out in the community, or in our purpose-built Living Well
Centre facilities. As a hospice care charity, we have offered this support, free of charge, for over 40 years.
Our staff team of 340+ includes a wide range of patient-facing disciplines plus operational support based
in Watford, Tring, St Albans, Chalfont St Giles and Berkhamsted. The Charity is now one of the larger UK
hospice charities, reaching a GP population of 797,037 of whom 75% live in Hertfordshire and 25% in
Buckinghamshire.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Weekend triage of new referrals across the RPCS service.
- Weekend point of contact for patients, their families and internal and external healthcare
professionals.
- Out of hours contact for patients, their families and internal and external healthcare professionals.
- Out of hours and weekend monitoring and updating of HCA rotas and patient visits.
- Out of hours and weekend liaison with Patient Services Manager on Call when agency may be
required to ensure adequate workforce in place.
- Support the RPCS Management by completing risk assessments as required.
- Provide cross cover for the coordinator role during periods of annual leave and sickness or if activity
requires this.
- Support the service by completing initial patient assessments as requested and liaising with band 5
RPCS nurse as required.
- With Senior manager support, complete new staff competency assessments in line with the RPCS
competency framework to ensure high quality delivery of care across the team.
- Complete visits to patients home as required.
- Deliver agreed personalised care and support patients, families and carers at home for those
identified as requiring care and support at end of life.
- Competently work alone, as required, with patients and their families in the home environment and
with remote support and guidance from the RPCS Management.
- Work collaboratively with hospice and community partners.
- Promote the Rennie Grove Peace philosophy within the local community.
- Work within the RPCS competency framework
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Weekend triage of new referrals across the RPCS service.
- Weekend point of contact for patients, their families and internal and external healthcare
professionals.
- Out of hours contact for patients, their families and internal and external healthcare professionals.
- Out of hours and weekend monitoring and updating of HCA rotas and patient visits.
- Out of hours and weekend liaison with Patient Services Manager on Call when agency may be
required to ensure adequate workforce in place.
- Support the RPCS Management by completing risk assessments as required.
- Provide cross cover for the coordinator role during periods of annual leave and sickness or if activity
requires this.
- Support the service by completing initial patient assessments as requested and liaising with band 5
RPCS nurse as required.
- With Senior manager support, complete new staff competency assessments in line with the RPCS
competency framework to ensure high quality delivery of care across the team.
- Complete visits to patients home as required.
- Deliver agreed personalised care and support patients, families and carers at home for those
identified as requiring care and support at end of life.
- Competently work alone, as required, with patients and their families in the home environment and
with remote support and guidance from the RPCS Management.
- Work collaboratively with hospice and community partners.
- Promote the Rennie Grove Peace philosophy within the local community.
- Work within the RPCS competency framework
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Care Certificate/NVQ Qualified Level 2
- Qualified by experience in a similar role.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Experience of working within a care setting.
- Experience of care records, Microsoft applications and Outlook functions in clinical settings.
- Relevant experience in assisting patients with their personal hygiene.
- Proven experience of working effectively in a team.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English verbal and written.
- Ability to work effectively in an emotionally demanding environment.
- Ability to observe and report changes in patients condition.
- Drive and Enthusiasm.
- Ability to work autonomously and as an effective member of a team, using initiative.
- Caring and empathetic approach.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Flexible and adaptable to a variety of tasks.
- Ability to prioritise effectively and produce work to high standards under pressure.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Be a perfect match with our values:
- o Caring and compassionate
- o Engage and empower
- o Strive for excellence
- o Develop and innovate
- o Respect and value.
Desirable
- Basic food hygiene certificate.
- Experience of coordinating the organisation, delivery and monitoring of care rotas and caseload for
- health care assistants.
- Experience with completing risk/care assessments.
- Experience of working within a community setting.
- Knowledge of and experience in care at end of life and after death
- Experience of leading and motivating teams of volunteers.
- Strong problem-solving skills and able to implement new initiatives
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Care Certificate/NVQ Qualified Level 2
- Qualified by experience in a similar role.
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Experience of working within a care setting.
- Experience of care records, Microsoft applications and Outlook functions in clinical settings.
- Relevant experience in assisting patients with their personal hygiene.
- Proven experience of working effectively in a team.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English verbal and written.
- Ability to work effectively in an emotionally demanding environment.
- Ability to observe and report changes in patients condition.
- Drive and Enthusiasm.
- Ability to work autonomously and as an effective member of a team, using initiative.
- Caring and empathetic approach.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Flexible and adaptable to a variety of tasks.
- Ability to prioritise effectively and produce work to high standards under pressure.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Be a perfect match with our values:
- o Caring and compassionate
- o Engage and empower
- o Strive for excellence
- o Develop and innovate
- o Respect and value.
Desirable
- Basic food hygiene certificate.
- Experience of coordinating the organisation, delivery and monitoring of care rotas and caseload for
- health care assistants.
- Experience with completing risk/care assessments.
- Experience of working within a community setting.
- Knowledge of and experience in care at end of life and after death
- Experience of leading and motivating teams of volunteers.
- Strong problem-solving skills and able to implement new initiatives
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.
