Health Care Support Worker

Job responsibilities

Senior Healthcare Assistant Band 3Department: AFSS Community ServicesResponsible to: Line Manager

Job Purpose

The Senior Healthcare Assistant HCA supports registered nurses in delivering safe, high quality physical, social, and psychological care to patients in community settings. The role includes recognising and reporting changes in condition, undertaking delegated clinical tasks once competent, and providing mentorship and guidance to junior staff. Registered nurses retain overall clinical responsibility.

Scope and Range

Work under the direction of registered staff, including periods of unsupervised working in the community.

Support qualified staff in personal care, mobility, manual handling, and daily living activities. Liaise with the multidisciplinary team MDT across inpatient, community, statutory, and voluntary services.

Undertake delegated clinical tasks once assessed as competent, including wound care, ECGs, venepuncture, catheter care, phlebotomy, vital signs, blood glucose monitoring, pulse oximetry, and use of risk assessment tools e.g., Waterlow, MUST. Provide information to patients/carers, identify safeguarding concerns, and recognise when referral or signposting is needed.

Work within own competence and role boundaries, seeking support when required.

Provide self directed therapeutic activities for patients, which may include lone working.

Support service improvements, audits, and quality projects.

Mentor HCAs and students.

Maintain Health & Safety and Infection Control standards.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. People Management

Support the development of the Senior HCA role and assist less experienced staff.

Participate in supervision and receive line management support.2. Financial Physical Resources

No budget responsibility but must use resources responsibly and in line with policies.3. Administration

Maintain accurate, confidential patient records.

Report changes in condition to registered staff and document appropriately.

Use organisational IT systems and email as required.4. Direct Patient Care

Provide compassionate physical and emotional care, supporting dignity and independence.

Monitor physical health and escalate concerns.

Support recovery focused approaches in collaboration with patients and carers.

Participate in assessments, discharge planning, care planning, and reviews.

Support therapeutic activities and record interventions electronically.

Escort patients to appointments and manage patient property.5. Policies and Service Development

Adhere to all Livewell Southwest policies including uniform, infection control, safeguarding, Health and Safety, and incident reporting.

Participate in service development and mandatory training.6. Other Responsibilities

Work within competence and complete required shared skills e.g., clinical observations, falls prevention, wound dressing, frailty awareness.

Participate in induction, clinical supervision, appraisal, and professional development.

Report accidents, incidents, or unsafe practice promptly.Communications and Relationships

Act as a professional representative of Livewell Southwest.

Communicate politely and respectfully with patients, staff, and the public.

Use effective communication skills, adapting to barriers such as hearing loss, language difficulties, or cognitive impairment.

Promote a recovery-oriented environment and support patient motivation and engagement.Physical Requirements

Competent in IT and electronic record systems.

Carry out observations and clinical tasks e.g., phlebotomy, wound care, ECGs.

Assist with clinical supplies and stock levels.

Travel across Plymouth when required.

Complete breakaway training; carry a personal alarm in community settings.

Demonstrate emotional resilience.Additional Organisational Requirements

Comply with policies including Health and Safety, Risk Management, Infection Control, Safeguarding, and Data Protection.

Engage in reducing carbon emissions through sustainable working practices.

Post may evolve; duties reviewed annually at appraisal.

Must adhere to No Smoking and No Alcohol policies.Person Specification CondensedQualifications

Essential:

NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent.

Care Certificate or willingness to undertake.

Desirable:

Additional training relevant to physical healthcare.

Vocational Qualification Level 2.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential:

Awareness of safeguarding and boundaries.

Basic IT skills.

Understanding of physical health needs.

Good verbal and written communication.

Organisational, problem solving, and assessment skills.

Ability to maintain professional behaviour, confidentiality, and personcentred practice.

Compassion, resilience, and ability to work with diverse needs.

Desirable:

Triangle of Care understanding.

Willingness to share lived experience appropriately to support recovery.

Experience

Essential:

Previous healthcare experience.

Ability to work with minimal supervision.

Experience supporting vulnerable adults.

Ability to undertake baseline observations.

Evidence of professional development.

Desirable:

Experience in physical health settings inpatient or community.

Experience in MDT working.

NHS experience.

Supporting individuals to achieve recovery goals.

Specific Skills

Effective communication and teamwork.

Ability to mentor junior staff.

Accurate record keeping

Ability to manage time and prioritise.

Confidence, compassion, de-escalation skills.

Lone working and breakaway skills (community roles).

Desirable:

Driving licence (community roles).

Flexible working approach.

Additional Requirements

Friendly, caring, and approachable nature.

Ability to work across a wide range of ages and conditions.

Specific Skills

Essential

• Demonstrate effective
• communication skills
• Ability to provide line
• management / mentoring to
• junior staff
• Ability to engage patients in
• activities off the Unit
• Ability to manage time and
• plan work.
• To complete clinical records
• To take leadership and
• direction from qualified staff
• To participate in unsupervised
• tasks and provide accurate
• feedback to relevant parties.
• Ability to work in a team
• effectively
• Should have ability to
• demonstrate basic IT skills
• Awareness of personal safety
• Breakaway and Lone Working
• training if based in a community
• environment
• Care plans and risk
• assessments
• Confidentiality
• De-escalation skills
• Motivated
• Compassionate

Desirable

• Current driving
• licence
• (Community
• based only)
• Flexible approach
• to working
• arrangements

Experience

Essential

• Previous healthcare experience
• at various levels or equivalent
• Experience in a Physical Health
• setting
• Awareness of vulnerable adult /
• protection issues and guidance
• Recent experience of working in
• a care setting
• Team working
• Clinical governance
• Ability to work with minimum of
• supervision
• To undertake baseline physical
• observations
• Evidence of continuing
• professional development

Desirable

• Experience of
• variety of
• Physical Health
• settings either
• inpatient or
• community
• Previous
• experience
• working in a
• multidisciplinary
• team.
• Working
• within an NHS
• setting
• Experience of
• actively
• supporting
• individuals to
• identify and work
• towards achieving
• personal goals in
• a related social
• care or health
• setting

Additional requirements

Essential

• Friendly and caring manner
• Approachable
• An appreciation of working with
• a wide age group of clients
• Flexible approach

Qualifications

Essential

• NVQ level 3 in Health and
• Social care or equivalent
• qualification.
• Care certificate or willing to
• undertake
• Other evidence of training or
• development relevant to
• working within physical health
• settings.
• Ability to participate in activities
• with patients
• Ability to contribute to the
• process of and the delivery of
• high standard of care as
• planned in care programme

Desirable

• Vocational
• Qualification
• Level II or able to
• demonstrate the
• skills, knowledge
• and ability to work
• to that level
• Other evidence of
• training or
• development
• relevant to
• working within
• physical health
• settings.

Knowledge

Essential

• Awareness of safeguarding
• principles
• Basic IT skills
• A basic understanding of
• physical health presentation
• Good communication and
• listening skills
• Continual assessment of patient
• Organisational skills
• Problem solving skills
• An awareness to maintain
• professional Boundaries
• Awareness of own limits and
• boundaries in relation to own
• job role
• Good written communication
• Sensitive understanding of
• diversity issues and ability to
• promote anti-discriminatory
• practice/ equal opportunities
• Resilience
• Willingness to positively share
• your own life experiences,
• personal experiences of your
• own ill health with service users
• and carers.
• Ability to problem solve and
• create innovative solutions to
• help empower patients and
• carers
• .
• Demonstrates an empathy of people

Desirable

• Willingness to
• undertake training
• in relation to
• required skills
• Knowledge of the
• triangle of care

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).