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Job summary

Main area
Nursing
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 2
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
409-7040819-A
Employer
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Whiston Hospital
Town
Prescot
Salary
£23,615 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
18/06/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust logo

Health Care Assistant - Paediatrics

NHS AfC: Band 2

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Job overview

We're looking for Health Care Assistants to join our Paediatrics Team at Whiston Hospital!

The post holder supports the team of health professionals to enable them to provide an effective, caring, seamless service to babies and their families by carrying out assigned tasks and by being involved in direct care under the supervision of a qualified nurse

Interview date: TBC

Main duties of the job

  • To work as part of the Nursing Team undertaking household support tasks and direct care tasks as delegated by the Nurse in Charge.
  • To support the qualified Nursing Staff in the maintenance of high standards of nursing care to patients.
  • To assist in providing an environment within the ward that is conductive to patient recovery and pleasant for patients and their families.
  • To accept responsibility for specifically delegated functions within the ward which the Nurse in Charge feels are appropriate for untrained staff to undertake.
  • To ensure where entries are made in nursing documentation, that these are correct, legible, and comprehensive and countersigned by a registered nurse.
  • To ensure the Health and Safety of patients, relatives and other staff is considered and not prejudiced by the post-holder at any time.
  • To be able to work autonomously as required and to receive close supervision and instruction as necessary.
  • To ensure that privacy and dignity of patients is paramount and is not compromised.
  • To ensure that all patient information is confidential and is not disclosed to a third party except with permission of the Nurse in Charge.
  • To ensure that all patient care is delivered with the highest degree of professionalism.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

  • Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
  • Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
  • National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·         To be a flexible, motivated member of the team who demonstrates initiative when supporting the qualified nursing staff both directly and indirectly to carry out their role effectively.

·         To be an effective communicator, ensuring all members of the team are kept fully informed as appropriate.

·         To make all visitors, new staff and students to the ward feel welcome and ensure they are aware of the ward’s layout, rules and routines.

·         To support, as appropriate, families during their stay on the ward, to assist in ensuring the best outcome for their child.

·         To assist in providing an environment within the ward which is child friendly, and pleasant for babies and their families.

·         To accept joint responsibility for an appropriate group of patients with support and guidance from the nurse in charge.  The nurse in charge is responsible for supervision and accountability for patient care.

·         To assist in the maintenance and cleanliness of all ward equipment and toys as appropriate.

·         To undertake other appropriate duties and errands at the request of the shift leader, ward manager or lead nurse.

·         Support children, young people and their families throughout their stay providing reassurance and empathy.

·         Ensure all communication with the families maintain a sensitive approach at all times and respects the child, young person and their family.

·         Ensure infection control guidelines and policies are adhered to and the ward environment reflects the standards set out in the guidelines.

  • To be competent at safeguarding children and implementing the Child in Need and Child Protection procedures as appropriate includes the following skills, competencies and knowledge: -
  • Be able to recognise child abuse. 
  • Be able to document accurately child protection concerns according to Laming recommendations, differentiating fact from opinion and have them countersigned by a registered nurse.
  • Know who to contact / inform / seek advice from; know how to contact them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, know when to contact them according to Trust and Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards policies and procedures.
  • Understand the next steps in the child protection process
  • Know when and how to act, when and how to refer and the importance of following up a referral.
  • Understand which groups of children and young people are at risk of harm or neglect.
  • Know how to share information – in writing, by telephone, electronically or in person
  • Know who to share information with and when, understanding the difference between information sharing on individual, organisational and professional levels.
  • Know what to record, how long to keep it, how to dispose of records correctly, and when to feedback or follow up.
  • Understand own (and others’) professional roles and boundaries, including the Named professionals, trust managers and social workers.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • NVQ Level II in Direct Care or equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
  • Care Certificate or willingness to work towards the Care Certificate qualification

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria
  • Previous experience in the provision of direct patient care
  • Previous experience within a customer service environment
Desirable criteria
  • Previous experience of working with children
  • Previous experience of working in the NHS

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Enthusiastic and motivated
  • Ability to use own initiative

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Nursing TimesApprenticeships logoDisability confident leaderArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardNavajo - Merseyside and CheshireCare quality commission - OutstandingDying to Work CharterStep into healthHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingNHS Rainbow Badge - BronzeDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - GoldPeople Promise

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Clare Corcoran
Job title
Ward Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0151 430 1495
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