Would you like to deliver care in a team that helps save and improve lives?

Do you enjoy building relationships with people and communities?

About the team

NHS Blood and Transplant collects over 7,000 blood donations every day providing vital blood and blood products that help to save and improve the lives of thousands of people every year. Our team provides a welcoming and special environment for our donors, ensuring they receive exceptional, first-class care. We save lives but we don’t work in hospitals. We collect blood from donors in Donor Centres and in our community.

About the Role

As a Healthcare Assistant – Blood Donation, you will have the opportunity to learn valuable skills and be an essential member of our team. You’ll play a vital role in saving and improving lives daily in an environment where every day is different. Your responsibilities will include:

• Welcoming donors at the start of their donor journey to ensure a positive experience throughout their visit
• Collecting safe blood component donations to ensure we provide a high-quality product for patients
• Taking part in training to learn how to do venepunctures - inserting a needle in the donor’s arm
• Undertaking training to observe the donor’s well-being throughout the process, escalating any concerns and promoting donor retention
• Handling blood products, needles, and a range of equipment on a daily basis
• Being part of a team that strives to continuously improve our donor service
• Learning to prepare equipment for use to ensure it is safe and fit for purpose
• Driving a 7.5 tonne van and 15-seater minibus as and when required (training and assessment will be provided)

Your working hours will be:

• On a shift basis but, but we’ll let you know around 8 weeks in advance which days and hours you’ll be working. The normal hours for this role are up to 8 days per fortnight, to be agreed.
• The earliest start time could be 07:45 with a finish time of approx. 18:00, if on a late shift you could be starting between 10:00 and 10:30am and finishing at 21:00.
• Weekend and bank holiday working will be required. You can expect to work some long hours, but you won’t be working more than five days a week.
• We have various full and part-time hours available.

Whilst completing your on the job training you will complete the Skills for Health Care Certificate which provides a foundation in healthcare support and is recognised across the NHS.

About you

The skills you’ll need:

• Experience of dealing with the public and delivering a quality customer service
• Be able to communicate in clear and plain English and be able to build relationships with donors
• Have the ability to be empathetic towards our donors when dealing with sensitive or confidential matters
• Be an effective team member who is able to relate to colleagues at all levels
• Be able to use initiative to identify issues and calmly to find a solution
• Be willing to learn further practical skills and development through training and assessments
• Have a valid UK driving licence

About us

At NHS Blood and Transplant, we’re incredibly proud of the many talented people who come together every day to make our organisation the very best it can be. We have clearly defined values that are centred around offering exceptional care to our donors and their families. We take care of each other too and we focus on building our expertise so we can change lives, provide quality support and offer fulfilling careers.

For you, it’s an opportunity to contribute to a unique team as part of a service that saves lives 365 days a year. We also offer brilliant benefits including 27 days of holiday (plus bank holidays), a comprehensive induction and training programme, and a competitive pension scheme.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with and positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

This vacancy will close on Wednesday 25th May. Session visits and interviews will take place on Friday 10th June. For informal enquiries please contact Sally Bleeks at Sally.bleeks@nhsbt.nhs.uk.