About us

St Luke's Hospice are a local charity providing compassionate care to people whose illnesses are no longer curable. We promote dignity in dying and empower people to make the choices they want, from the moment they are diagnosed.

The Role

We currently have a Maternity Cover (Fixed Term Contract) for a Health Care Assistant based in our In-Patient Unit.

Working under the supervision of a Registered Nurse, the Post holder will undertake assigned tasks involving direct care in support of patients.

They will participate fully as a member of the multidisciplinary team involved with all aspects of holistic patient and family care and support.

In conjunction with other members of the nursing team they will assist in the holistic assessment and identification of patient needs, across the 24-hour period.

Undertake appropriate tasks in order to meet the physical, spiritual, cultural, emotional and social/psychological needs of patients.

Identify and provide support to relatives and friends of patients, maintaining confidentiality at all times and ensuring good relationships with patients’ relatives by providing frequent contact and availability.

Ensure that all therapies, procedures and care interventions are administered in accordance with Legal & Hospice Philosophy, Strategies, Policies, Procedures and Standards.

Ensure that effective communication is maintained between staff, patients and their relatives so that appropriate support is provided through illness and death and the initial bereavement period.

Ensure that all care given is communicated through the correct channels to the Registered Nurse during each shift and documented on the electronic system. This includes pre-bereavement and bereavement conversations with patients and families.

Ensure that both verbal and written communication is provided to a high standard and that documentation is completed accurately and according to policy

Person specification

• The Post holder is not required to hold any statutory nursing qualification. However, they must be able to demonstrate awareness of the potential care needs of the palliative care patient.

• Confident, enthusiastic and willingness to learn

• Good level of self-awareness

• Well presented, friendly and caring approach

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a professional telephone manner.

• Fully computer literate with experience of Microsoft Office applications and confident using electronic record systems.

• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities.

• Understanding of confidentiality and data protection (GDPR) requirements.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team, demonstrating empathy and respect for patients and families.

• Flexible approach to working hours to meet service demands.

Salary and benefits

Salary: £24,900- £25,550, dependent on experience
Contract: Fixed-term Maternity Cover (approx. 12 months)
Hours: 25.5hrs per week based on 2 Shifts per week. Flexibility essential
Location: On-site - Basildon and/or Thurrock)

How to apply

When applying, please ensure you answer the questions in our application process to tell us how you meet the skills, knowledge and experience required for this role. If you have any access requirements, please let us know so we can support your application.

To have an informal chat about working for us or to discuss access requirements for disabled applicants contact the People team using the chat function on our careers page or calling 01268 524 973.

Right to work

St Luke’s Hospice is unable to sponsor work permits or visas. All candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

Belonging, equity, diversity and inclusion

At St Luke’s Hospice, we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We particularly welcome applications from disabled, LGBT+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates as these groups are currently under-represented in our teams. We have policies and procedures to ensure all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including consideration of access requirements for people who have a disability.