Healthcare and clinical support workers
Do you have a passion to make a difference?
As a healthcare support worker (HCSW) or clinical support worker (CSW) you will have the opportunity to make a difference in our patients' lives. You will be a key part of our nursing and clinical teams, assisting registered colleagues in planning and delivering care.
It's a great way to start your career in healthcare and the opportunities to progress are endless; you can choose to specialise in a particular setting, or train to qualify as a nursing associate, nurse, midwife and lots more.
View our support worker vacancies
What does a support worker do?
Working as a support worker is a hands-on role, one minute you might be taking blood, and the next, offering a listening ear to an anxious patient. It’s a challenging yet incredibly rewarding position.
Your daily tasks will vary depending on your role and the department you're in, but typical responsibilities may include:
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Assisting patients with mobility
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Monitoring vital signs and carrying out basic health checks
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Helping patients feel safe and comfortable
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Supporting with washing and dressing
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Serving meals and assisting with feeding
You can find out more about being a support worker at Mid Yorks by browsing the information provided below.
Is this role right for me?
Being a healthcare support worker can be a physically demanding job.
You will be on your feet for most of the day and will work shifts, which can mean starting early, finishing late, and working weekends.
However, it is a very rewarding role where you have the opportunity to directly impact patient care and can see the difference you have made for the patients you are caring for.
It is a role where you can learn on the job at entry level and you will be asked to demonstrate the Trust's vision and values by:
- Being caring, kind and respectful
- Showing you can work in and as a team
- Using your own initiative to problem solve
- Having good time management
- Being able to work under pressure
- Being flexible and enthusiastic
- Having high standards
You will also need:
- Good communications skills
- Organisation skills
- Observation skills
What tasks will I be doing?
Healthcare Support Worker (HCSWs) provide some of the most fundamental support to our patients, providing compassionate personalised care with the best interests of others in mind.
The nature of the role varies from day to day but includes the following duties:
- Working under the direction of the nursing teams
- Observing, monitoring and recording patients' observations by taking blood pressure, temperatures, pulse, respirations and weight
- Chaperoning patients
- Providing care on a one-to-one basis
- Communicating with patients, relatives, and carers
- Supporting in delivering the care the patients require
- Ordering supplies and maintaining the cleanliness and tidiness of the environment
- Personal care including, hygiene, nutrition and hydration, toileting needs and overall reassurance, comfort and safety
- Promoting positive mental/physical and nutritional health with patients
- Washing and dressing patients
- Serving meals and helping to feed patients
- Helping people to move around
- Making beds and helping patients feel comfortable
Support provided by the Clinical Skills Tutors
The Clinical Skills Tutors are an experienced team of six former health care assistants (HCSWs).
The team is part of the Workforce and Organisational Development who work across all three hospital sites in rotation.
To uphold the Trust’s values and ensure high standards of care are maintained, the team provides support and guide new and existing healthcare assistants to help them develop knowledge and skills whilst in their roles.
The Care Certificate
The Care Certificate is delivered monthly at Dewsbury to new starters, it is a two-week programme covering 15 standards. It also covers the SIPPS programme and corporate induction. The team carry out a significant amount of training with the healthcare assistants in their own clinical environments to support them in their new role. This usually takes place once they have completed the Care Certificate.
Candice Smith, Clinical Skills Tutor, said:
“Our roles and responsibilities are to support healthcare assistants in their new journey in the form of providing training, guidance and giving advice and encouragement to them all.”
As part of their training healthcare assistants are required to complete a core competencies booklet, and this is checked by the tutor team when they visit the ward. Candice adds:
“We have had some great feedback from HCSWs after they have completed the Care Certificate, saying they have enjoyed it and that they have learnt a great deal in the time they have spent with us.”
Another crucial part of the team’s duties is to provide pastoral care to the healthcare assistants. Candice said:
“For any HCA who has concerns or fears, is worried or is emotionally affected by their experiences, we make every effort to address these issues to ensure their safety and wellbeing, so they are able to reach their full potential in their educational journey.”
Apprentices
They work in partnership with Wakefield College to help support apprentices and provide a base for apprentices to undertake their off the job hours which includes study days at Dewsbury and District Hospital.
Apprentices at the Trust have both the support of the Clinical Skills Tutors but also from college assessors, as part of learner progress review to help support apprentices to achieve their qualification. They are supported in their learning journey from their very first day at the Trust to when they gain their qualification.
Get in touch
The Clinical Skills Tutors are available to healthcare assistants from Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm for help and support with training and any requirements in ward areas.
If you would like further information about the Clinical Skills Tutors and the service they provide please contact them via email at: midyorks.carecertificate@nhs.net