Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Healthcare Assistant

The closing date is 20 March 2026

Job summary

Join Our Urgent & Emergency Care Team at UHN

University Hospitals Northamptonshire (UHN) delivers urgent and emergency care services across Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital. We are seeking motivated, compassionate and experienced Senior Healthcare Assistants (Band 3) to join our Urgent & Emergency Care teams, including the Emergency Department. This is a single recruitment advert; however, all posts are hospital specific. Applicants may express a preference for NGH or KGH during the application process.

Urgent & Emergency Care is a fast-paced, unpredictable and highly rewarding environment. Our Emergency Departments & Urgent Care Wards care for patients presenting with a wide range of urgent and emergency conditions, requiring high standards of fundamental care, effective communication and timely escalation of concerns.

Main duties of the job

As a Senior Healthcare Assistant (Band 3), you will play a vital role in supporting the multidisciplinary team to deliver safe, effective and compassionate care.

Key responsibilities will include:

Undertaking and accurately recording physiological observations, including temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, oxygen saturations and blood glucose monitoring
Calculating and documenting NEWS2 scores and appropriately escalating care concerns in line with local escalation policies
Supporting the monitoring and comfort of patients across Urgent & Emergency Care areas
Delivering high-quality fundamental care, ensuring dignity, respect and privacy at all times
Maintaining hygiene standards, supporting personal care, continence care and toileting needs
Repositioning patients and delivering pressure area care in line with risk assessments
Supporting patients with hydration and nutrition, including assistance with meals and fluid balance monitoring
Supporting patient flow and maintaining a safe, clean and organised clinical environment
Communicating effectively with patients, relatives and the wider multidisciplinary team

You will be expected to recognise deteriorating patients, escalate concerns promptly and contribute to maintaining patient safety in a busy UEC care setting.

At UHN, we are committed to supporting the development of our Healthcare Assistants and recognising the valuable contribution they make to patient care.

About us

Please submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close adverts once we have received sufficient applications

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is on an exciting journey with all of our divisions committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered a Group Model with neighbouring Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN). As part of this collaborative approach, there may be a requirement for you to work across both the Kettering and Northampton hospital sites, depending on the needs of the service.

Our Excellence Values

Compassion
Accountability
Respect
Integrity
Courage

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across UHN and help to unleash everyone's full potential.

UHN encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.

We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Silver Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.

We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for UHN.

Date posted

13 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year Per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working

Reference number

264-7869755-MED

Job locations

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire

NN16 8UZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

Applicants who are successfully shortlisted will be invited to attend a UHN Emergency Care Assessment Centre:

28 March 2026, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

If you are an experienced Healthcare Assistant looking to progress your skills and make a real difference within Urgent & Emergency Care, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Applicants who are successfully shortlisted will be invited to attend a UHN Emergency Care Assessment Centre:

28 March 2026, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

If you are an experienced Healthcare Assistant looking to progress your skills and make a real difference within Urgent & Emergency Care, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent experience
Level 2 in Numeracy and Literacy (Functional Skills Level 2 or GCSE Grade 5 / Grade C or equivalent)
Care Certificate aligned to Skills for Care standards

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

Demonstrable experience of working in a healthcare environment
Experience of undertaking and recording vital signs, including calculating NEWS2 scores
Experience of recognising and escalating patient care concerns appropriately
Demonstrable understanding and delivery of fundamental care, including dignity and respect, hygiene, continence care, pressure area care, hydration and nutrition
Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team in a fast-paced clinical environment

Desirable

Experience of working within an Emergency Department or Urgent Care setting
Experience of supporting junior staff or acting as a role model in practice
Evidence of additional clinical skills training (e.g. ECG recording, venepuncture, cannulation)
Experience of working with acutely unwell or deteriorating patients

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent experience
Level 2 in Numeracy and Literacy (Functional Skills Level 2 or GCSE Grade 5 / Grade C or equivalent)
Care Certificate aligned to Skills for Care standards

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

Demonstrable experience of working in a healthcare environment
Experience of undertaking and recording vital signs, including calculating NEWS2 scores
Experience of recognising and escalating patient care concerns appropriately
Demonstrable understanding and delivery of fundamental care, including dignity and respect, hygiene, continence care, pressure area care, hydration and nutrition
Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team in a fast-paced clinical environment

Desirable

Experience of working within an Emergency Department or Urgent Care setting
Experience of supporting junior staff or acting as a role model in practice
Evidence of additional clinical skills training (e.g. ECG recording, venepuncture, cannulation)
Experience of working with acutely unwell or deteriorating patients

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).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Certificate of Sponsorship

Employer details

Employer name

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire

NN16 8UZ

Employer's website

https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire

NN16 8UZ

Employer's website

https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)