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Healthcare Assistant recruitment

Healthcare Assistants make sure the patient experience is as comfortable and stress-free as possible, and are an integral part of the NHS workforce. Many healthcare assistants begin their careers at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) having little or no experience of care prior to employment, and grow to develop flourishing careers. You can find out more about the role in this infographic.
 
We host monthly recruitment events for Healthcare Support Workers, for the following divisions and departments:
  • Cancer and Associated Specialties
  • Medicine
  • Surgery
 
 

HCA Support Workshops

Applying for a new role can be daunting, especially if you haven’t worked in that sector or for the organisation before. We have a podcast which gives you all the information you need to know about the HCA application process at NUH. The podcast is an opportunity to discover more about us as an employer, and find out more about the day to day activities of a Healthcare Support worker. We talk through the different sections of the application form and provide top tips on how to complete these sections – translating both your work and life experience into supporting information, You can access the podcast here. You can also find more information about working at NUH on the NUH public website, available here

If you are successfully shortlisted

If you are successfully shortlisted you will be invited to a face to face interview. The interview will include a welcome session where you can find out even more about us and vice versa. This is then followed by a numeracy and literacy test before your interview.

Newly appointed Healthcare Assistants will receive contact throughout their recruitment journey to support with any queries and to work with HR to ensure their journey is as smooth as possible. They are also required to attend the HCA Academy as part of their induction week and complete the Care Certificate within their first 12 weeks. 

Our Wider Workforce team provide a wealth of support for Healthcare Assistant career development; please visit their webpage here to find out more.

Futures – Health and Social Care course

We currently work with Futures, who provide a Health and Social Care Course, for those who wish to start their career in Healthcare. You can find out more about them and the course here. They also provide functional skills support for Maths and English, should you wish to explore this before applying for a Healthcare Assistant role.

Healthcare Assistant development opportunities

At NUH there are a number of development opportunities for Healthcare Assistants and Healthcare Support Workers managed by our Wider Workforce Team. These include the HCA Academy and Care Certificate support, clinical apprenticeships and programmes to help colleagues achieve their full potential. You can find some of these opportunities below.

Higher Development Award

The Higher Development Award is a qualification for NHS staff intended to allow employees to move forward in their careers and to build skills within leadership and management. It is designed to follow on from the Care Certificate. Achievement will provide the learner with an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) qualification.

The programme helps to develop overall leadership and management skills, confidence, self-belief, employability, motivation and offers opportunity for career progression.

Further details will be added shortly.

Functional Skills Maths and English Level 1/Level 2

Whether you want to learn face-to-face, online, daytime or evening, the Widening Participation Team offer access to a number of platforms to help colleagues brush up on their Maths and English, fully funded by NUH.

These include the following providers:

  • Nottingham College (online)
  • Access Training (Face-to-face)
  • BKSB (online platform)
  • Futures (Online, MS Teams)

For further information please contact wideningparticipation@nuh.nhs.uk

Digital Skills Level 2/Level 3

The iProgramme is a fully-funded training programme designed to develop IT skills within the workforce. The programme adapts to your learning style and provides 1:1 online support. Topics covered include:

  • Basic skills - sending emails, dealing with attachments, saving and retrieving documents
  • Using Microsoft Office 365 - Word, Excel, Teams
  • Specific Excel skills - understanding formulas, inputting and analysing data, creating charts and using tools effectively

The programmes on offer range from bespoke learning through to accredited Level 2 qualifications and up to Level 3.

If you would like further information please contact lorraine.barnes@inspireculture.org.uk

Support Worker Voice National Network

The Support Worker Voice is a free virtual network facilitated by Health Education England, set up specifically for the Support Worker workforce. It consists of regular meetings with an agenda driven by Support Workers.

The network gives Support Workers the chance to meet their counterparts from across the country so they may feel connected, share values and opinions and most importantly have their voices heard.

To register your interest and receive your invitation please email supportworkervoice@hee.nhs.uk